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Thursday, February 21, 2008 - 6:00pm

Paul Pasles

Villanova University

Location

Villanova University

103 Mendel Hall

Supper served at 6 p.m. (optional, $8)

Quantitative literacy is a necessity for good citizenship, so it is appropriate that the "first American" was numerate in the extreme. That's not to say that Ben Franklin ever proved a novel theorem, but he was willing to apply basic mathematics to situations where only qualitative arguments had been admitted previously. This talk will explore the various mathematical aspects of Franklin’s life.