Day 15: We are Clearly FANs of Math and the Mouse!

Hello again everyone! This is Jacob and Erin taking over for another action-packed and exciting day! This may be one of our all-time favorite days here at Math and the Mouse, as we had a productive morning, a learning-intensive afternoon, and an awesome event in the afternoon - keep reading for all the details! 

We started bright and early by heading to EPCOT to collect data for our third research project. The four groups in our class split up to find data for each respective project. Other groups went to Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, Test Track, Finding Nemo, Soarin', and Frozen Ever After to collect data for their projects. The two of us, along with Morgan and Hannah, went to Spaceship Earth to research whether the difference between posted wait times and actual wait times were consistent on omnimover rides compared to other types of rides. For context, an omnimover ride is a ride where the entire collection of cars are consistently moving on a singular track, and riders often need to get on and off while the ride is still moving. Other examples of this type of ride include Haunted Mansion and Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin.

We spaced each other out in five minute intervals and rode, making sure to document the times we waited for, as we would use ourselves as our points of interest. We got on. Then, we got on again. Then, we got on again. Then… 

Okay, we won’t repeat the same joke we made a few days ago, but we rode it so many times that we definitely became exhausted from sitting through a fourteen minute ride multiple times. We decided to spice it up by choosing different language options to listen to for the ride. (Shoutout to Portuguese for being the fan favorite between all of us!) In reality, we appreciate that Disney is inclusive and able to accommodate many languages for non-native English speakers on the ride. We also had a round of support from Savannah, John, and Tori, who all volunteered to ride. After getting in the points we needed, we made our way back.

After a short break for showers, lunch, and a few naps, we headed back to the classroom to talk more about binomial distribution, probability, and geometric distribution. To refresh from class a few days ago, Dr. Hutson talked through the formulas and explanations behind binomial distribution and explored some algebraic techniques to further understand why this formula makes sense logically. We looked at a few visual and algebraic formats that really allowed all of us, regardless of how many math classes we have taken, to fully understand the content we were discussing. It is extremely fascinating to see how many different courses can be touched on in this condensed three week period, and today was no exception to this! We also discussed and explored the idea of expected value, both with a mathematical approach and a game based one. First, we started by discussing the definition of an expected value, which has to do with weighting the value of each outcome with the probability of it showing up. We related this back again with the binomial distribution formula and after some fun algebra, we landed on a formula that was exactly what we expected (get it? Joke credit to Dr. Hutson): the value times the probability. After that, we related it to one dice role and after reviewing some techniques from calculus, we were able to understand this idea with an example. 

After finishing up the lecture, we tested out these ideas in a game format with many different rounds based on the game High Score. This had us roll five dice and try to get the highest score with different rules which started with just having three rolls and having to roll all five at a time, then being able to choose which die to roll for each round, seeing other rolls at the table, and requiring pairs of dice to win. Each of these rules had a different challenge to it, and both of us did quite well. It was interesting to regroup afterwards and see all of the mathematical connections from this game to what we were learning about. 

From there, the group that was presenting at the FAN event (see below) practiced one final time, then all of us got ready quickly to head to downtown Orlando! We were invited to attend and present at the Furman Alumni Network event to launch Clearly Furman, which we had a blast at as we shared our experiences and value in Math and the Mouse and celebrated all of the aspects of the Furman Advantage. We first got a tour of the INTER&Co Stadium in which we saw the press room and had some fun behind the microphone, explored the locker rooms, and got to walk through the tunnel that the soccer players walk through! From there, we had some time to network and snack before the programming for the event started. Len Testa, the president of touring plans who we met with last week, started the presentation by talking about what he does and got the audience equipped with understanding how optimization of Disney World works and what he does for a living. From there, we heard from President Elizabeth Davis about all of the good that the Clearly Furman, a campaign for our third century, is doing and plans on doing for the Furman Advantage and Furman as a whole. It was so refreshing to hear about all of the amazing things that our university is doing. We are feeling very proud of our university tonight! 

After her speech, our three professors as well as 6 students: Savannah, Virginia, Will, Sam, Alyssa, and John, presented on Math and the Mouse and absolutely killed it. In the audience, we were all rooting really hard for all 9 of them as they shared our experience and projects we have been working on for the last two weeks. Their presentation was full of great jokes that really got the audience laughing, which was amazing. We are so proud of all of the presenters! After their presentation they accepted some questions, then Ellis finished us off with an amazing speech about what Furman has been for him, which brought near tears to all of our eyes. Following the presentations, we had more time to network with alumni and other members of the Furman community and then left with some name-tag shenanigans. This was such a fun event and we are so thankful that we were able to participate!

After a long day, we all decided that we should go out to a favorite place of ours: Twistee Treat! We went to the location that was supposedly the original spot that started the tradition in the first place. We “attempted” to fit the entire cohort into the large beach chair, which somewhat worked, but the effort and the heart were there, and it was a realization of how close we all have gotten through this experience. We also sang happy birthday to a woman who was celebrating her birthday and her first time in Orlando. Twistee Treat is a tradition that we hope the next cohort gets to experience!

It’s crazy to think that we are nearly two-thirds of the way through this trip. These first two weeks have been memorable, and we cannot wait to wrap up the last week with incredible projects and great memories. After all, it feels like yesterday that we sent our applications for this program. We miss all of you back home, and we hope you all enjoy what this final week will have to offer!

Thanks for reading!

Erin and Jacob

Honorary Mention Photos (too many from today):