“By the Numbers” is the topic of a free public lecture to be given Wednesday, Feb. 20, by Ivars Peterson, chair holder of East Tennessee State University’s Wayne G. Basler Chair of Excellence for the Integration of the Arts, Rhetoric and Science.
In his 7 p.m. talk in the Brown Hall auditorium, the award-winning mathematics writer take his listeners on an illustrated trek into the realm of numbers as revealed in mathematics, science, literature and art.
He will “offer glimpses of the enduring appeal of integers, primes, partitions, ?, Fibonacci numbers and the golden ratio, hailstone numbers, and other quirky and fascinating denizens of numeropolis.”
Peterson is director of publications for Journals and Communications at the Mathematical Association of America. He worked at Science News for more than 25 years and served as editor of Science News Online and Science News for Kids.
His books include “The Mathematical Tourist,” “Islands of Truth,” “Newton’s Clock,” “Fatal Defect: Chasing Killer Computer Bugs” and “Fragments of Infinity: A Kaleidoscope of Math and Art.” He writes for the children’s magazine Muse, and has collaborated on two books for middle school children.
Created in 1994, the Basler Chair of Excellence is named in honor of a longtime member of the ETSU Foundation who is a strong advocate of programs at the university. The state Chair of Excellence brings a variety of scholars to the community to broaden opportunities for students and the general public in the arts, humanities and science.
It is intended to show the unity of knowledge by bridging gaps among disciplines, and by helping individuals move beyond the narrow focus of a single discipline or vision.
For more information or for special assistance for those with disabilities, contact the ETSU College of Arts and Sciences at 439-5671 or the Department of Mathematics at 439-4349.

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