Topic: Need to do a math project, any ideas?

[q2418130103p]

I am taking a grad level math class that requires a final project.  There are no requirements for the project accept that it has to result in 10-20 pages of information.  SO it cant be too easy, and it cant be too hard.

Any ideas?  I was thinking of doing something based on AF ratio control in fuel injected vehicles.

[Duke McDukiedook]

The smooth four dimensional Poincaré conjecture.

[q2418130103p]

I was thinking of something a little less.... open...
I have to present some of the material too, so I dont want to bore everyone to death.

[gmonkey]

Create 10-20 pages worth of function value lookup tables.  Like log(x) for values of x from 1 to 1e9 in increments of 3 or something.  Just set up some kind of math software script to calculate it for you.  It's information.

[q2418130103p]

lol, nice.

That may be sorta boring for the class.

[cookindaddy]

So what are your math ideas for air fuel mixture in fuel injected engines? You have thought about this right? Do you have access to some data that would make this an interesting project? I'm pretty sure that all the major manufacturers are/have spent big money on this relationship. What's your angle? your hook?

I am meaning to be challenging and motivational. Don't take my questions as negative.

[Duke McDukiedook]

And free access to a dyno, don't forget that.

[q2418130103p]

Fortunately this is not a dissertation, the method or material doest have to be new, but it would be better if it was.  I was simply thinking of deriving the control behavior of the ecu over the injector pulse width, mostly because I know the material and there is plenty of opportunity to have some good background substance.  Its nothing special, but I think some of the MEs in the room but not be bored with it.  Plus it would give me an excuse to double count research I would already be doing for my on-going car and bike projects.

I appreciate your angle, its very helpful to have a motivator.

Honestly I dont know what the professor is expecting, but I can give you the list of project ideas he said were relevant (they are from the text book):
Vibration Control: Vibration Isolation
Vibration Control: Vibration Absorbers
Minimal Surfaces
The uncertainty inequality in signal processing (I'm an EE, so this is probably a good track as well...)

[gmonkey]

"The difficulties of coding engine control systems in Logo (with additional chapters devoted to triple redundancy considerations)."

Having to write a 1-20 pages of pure information (as opposed to filling it with graphs and answer to provided questions) sounds like bull.  They want you to write a paper on graduate level material?  When it's that much effort it's generally going to be published or count as a dissertation or you're getting payed for it.  Maybe I'm misunderstanding something.

Nothing fills pages like history.  Pick a concept with a rich past and talk about how the need for the technology came about and each stage of development.  So if you were writing a paper on fuel injection, start with 3 pages devoted to carburetors.  Speaking of which, if you want to write about air fuel mixtures, you can throw in some curves for various carbs and point out how it's off from the ideal.

[q2418130103p]

It will be loaded with graphs and figures... big ones...  I double checked, the minimum expected is 10 pages and 10 minutes of presentable material, which isnt a big deal as long as he understands its going to be a lot of filler.  Like you said, a topic with a "rich past" should make that easy.  10 pages of pure math would be unrealistic for such a low level grad class, especially since this project is worth less than the homeworks (all combined).  The class is for non-math majors to boot.

I have to meet with the professor before Tuesday to discuss my topic choice, so I can probably go into the meeting with a very general topic.  The project guidelines are even more vaugue than I am being right now, so I don't think it will be a problem to have a topic made of jello.

[SOHC Digger]

When I was in a mechanical engineering class, I did about a ten page paper comparing and contrasting carburetion vs. fuel injection.  This was easy because I had to devote a lot of space simply explaining each process to give the reader enough background when I got to the compare/contrast part.  I learned a lot myself on that paper and totally enjoyed doing it.  I suggest picking a topic that you have a good base knowledge of, but that you would like to learn more about yourself.  Let us know what you decide.  Hell, some of us might enjoy reading it depending on the topic!

[Kframe]

Lots of good tips here.
I would add, try to find out what the professor expects.  Seriously, dig a little.  Try to find past students (maybe people a year ahead of you in your program) that have gone through it.  The fact that you have to present some of your work means that a previous student will have seen/heard many versions of the assignment and will have an idea of what worked and what sucked.

I absolutely hate vague expectations from instructors, but luckily most of them are actually pretty receptive to questions about clarification. 
-K