Author Archives: Xander

About Xander

Xander completed his PhD in mathematics at UC Riverside in the Spring of 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. His thesis, titled Fractal Zeta Functions in Metric Measure Spaces, explores some connections between the geometry of certain metric spaces, and the spectra of the Laplace operator on those spaces. He is currently an instructor at Northland Pioneer College, out in the beautiful deserts of northern Arizona.

Calculus I—Days 23 & 24

Posted on 5 August 2013 by Xander

The term is rapidly drawing to a close, and I am beginning to feel just a little overwhelmed. Moreover, the class has finally hit a rhythm, and the things are mostly running smoothly, thus I have less to discuss in … Continue reading →

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Calculus I—Day 22

Posted on 1 August 2013 by Xander

It was quite windy today. It normally takes me about 10 minutes to bike to class, door-to-door. Today, it took almost 20, thanks to a very stiff headwind (and heavier-than-usual traffic). Got to class just in the nick of time, … Continue reading →

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Calculus I—Day 21

Posted on 31 July 2013 by Xander

I feel like I have been really productive so far this week. I have most of a study guide written for the next exam, the majority of the next exam is done, and I have lecture notes ready until the … Continue reading →

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Graham Crackers

Posted on 31 July 2013 by Xander

Since my daughter started eating, she has enjoyed graham crackers. I like them, too, but the ones we can get in the store are too sweet for my taste—I would prefer something that is a little more cracker, and a … Continue reading →

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Calculus I—Day 20

Posted on 30 July 2013 by Xander

Handed back exams yesterday. Man, was that demoralizing. :\

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MMM LXX

Posted on 29 July 2013 by Xander
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Calculus I—Days 18 & 19

Posted on 29 July 2013 by Xander

Because the last two lectures were a review day and an exam, I am going to once again break from the mold a bit, and discuss both events in one entry.

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Calculus I—Day 17

Posted on 25 July 2013 by Xander

We started a new chapter! Yay! I’m not sure that I really like including the two sections I taught last night on the exam that I have to give on Friday, but those were the orders from on-high, and I … Continue reading →

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Calculus I—Day 16

Posted on 24 July 2013 by Xander

Today represents the half-way point of the class, both in terms of the calendar and in terms of the quantity of material that we are going to cover. On the one hand, it seems like the course is going by … Continue reading →

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Calculus I—Day 15

Posted on 23 July 2013 by Xander

On an utterly unrelated note: my family and I moved to a different house last summer. Because we have somewhat less space than we did before (much larger yard, but about 200 square feet less living space), we have been … Continue reading →

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