Eric Rowland

I am a postdoctoral researcher in the mathematics department at Tulane. I recently completed my degree at Rutgers University, where my thesis advisor was fellow experimental mathematician Doron Zeilberger*.

My mailing address: erowland
My office: Gibson Hall 421

This semester (Fall 2009) I am teaching Algebra I.

I'm interested in various aspects of number theory and combinatorics, especially in the problem of identifying integer sequences. I make extensive use of the experimental approach and do most of my work with Mathematica. I believe that mathematical structure is intrinsically related to computation, and that producing code is just as important as producing theorems. Programs make theorems effective by allowing routine computation of particular instances, and they contribute significantly to the tools one has for exploring the formal universe.

Not too long ago I won a modicum of fame by showing that the recurrence a(n) = a(n – 1) + gcd(n, a(n – 1)) generates primes.

Here is some of my other work:

papers packages talks data past course materials

EIS sequences Demonstrations arXiv papers

thoughts mathematical imagery photographs

I have strong feelings about the way people naturally learn, and what this means for how we should teach. The following lament articulates many of these much better than I have been able to, and I highly recommend it. It's primarily addressed to K–12 education but applies verbatim to undergraduate and graduate education. Keith Devlin gives a brief introduction.
A Mathematician’s Lament by Paul Lockhart (2002)

*Join us for Z60 in May 2010!