The Geometry of Multivariable Calculus strengthens the multidimensional geometric intuition that students need, but usually lack, to understand multivariable calculus. To motivate students to learn the material, the project includes live demonstrations by mathematicians from industry on the use of multidimensional applied and computational geometry, for example, in the design of automobiles, aircraft, and spacecraft. Many such applications involve five dimensions: three for space, one for time, and one coded by color to plot stress, pressure, or other parameters. To this end, community college and university instructors may participate in annual week-long workshops and follow-up activities. In the workshops, held at community colleges, participants will spend most of the time researching and designing geometric material--exercises, worksheets, test problems, and projects--ready for use in their existing courses in elementary to advanced multi variable calculus, and in such related courses as linear algebra and advanced calculus. Follow-up weekends will enable participants to polish their material in a form suitable for publication, and follow-up days will allow participants to prepare their material for presentations at a regional or national conference. Participants who wish to publish substantial projects may also request a summer stipend. Past workshops have resulted in publications and videos on 3-D graphics, splines, and differentials with several variables. Future workshops will focus on Computed Tomography, Geometric Modeling, and Fractal Geometry. Each workshop will take place in June in Spokane and in September in Seattle. Guest speakers from industry come from Applied Geometry Corp., The Boeing Company, and the Ford Motor Company.
