THE VVC MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT
The Mandlebrot Set
Mathematics is a rapidly expanding , dynamic discipline which has contributed to recent advances in astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, medicine and physics among many other fields. Mathematics is truly becoming a necessary language throughout the world.
The VVC mathematics program has been designed to accept students from various levels of mathematical maturity and enable them to gain the mathematical knowledge necessary for the achievement of their goals. At VVC, mathematics courses are designed to meet a variety of student needs. Certain mathematics courses may be used to fulfill some general education requirements.
A degree with a major in mathematics can lead to a variety of employment opportunities in business, industry, government and teaching. Business and government agencies specializing in communications, computers, energy, and finance employ mathematicians.
Leonhard Euler (1707-1783) made many fundamental contributions to the theory of complex functions. Although the following formula had in essence already been discovered by Johann Bernoulli and others (Struik), Euler was the first to write it in this standard concise form:
The proof follows immediately when one considers the real McLauren expansions of the sine, cosine, and e x functions. This equation, sometimes referred to as the Euler formula, has many important implications. One beautiful example is the astonishingly simple equation e i p +1 = 0. |