Tom Ramsey
Professor
956-4666
PSB 410 


Computing Angular Kronecker Constants (joint work with Kathryn Hare)


Two recent papers co-authored with Colin C. Graham:

Fall 2008
Course Links
Calculus II 
Math  242
Section 05
Tu-Th
1:30--2:45
in Keller 403
  • Catalog description: Integration techniques and applications, series and approximations, differential equations.  Pre:  a grade of C- or better in 241 or 251A or a grade of B or better in 215; or consent.  NI
  • Text:  Calculus [with] Early Vectors by James Stewart.  We'll use Chapter 4, Section 6.6,  Chapter 8, Chapter 10, Sections 9.1 and 9.2, and  some beginning sections of Chapter 15.
  • Grading:  80 per cent is based on three mid-term examinations and one final examination (each 20 percent).  20 percent is based on labwork, quizzes, and related activities.
  • Final Examination:  12:00--2:00  on Tuesday, Dec. 16
  • TA:  Zachary Kent, Keller 403D, 956-6096, who will conduct the lab which is Wednesday 12:30 -- 1:20 in PS 208.
  • Click here for a syllabus.
  • Click here for a PDF copy of a Fall 2007 Midterm Exam.  This Fall's exam will be different:  nothing from Chapter 6, and it will include Sections 4.8 and 8.1.
  • Click here for a PDF copy of the Cheat Sheet of Integrals that will be available on quizzes and examinations.
Numerical Analysis
Math 407
Tu-Th
10:30--11:45
in Keller 303
  • Catalog description:  Numerical solution of equations, interpolation, least-squares approximation, quadrature, eigenvalue problems, numerical solution of ordinary and partial differential equations.  (These topics are covered in the year sequence 407-408.)  Pre:  307 or 311, and one semester of programming; or consent.
  • Click here for a syllabus
  • Final Examination:  9:45--11:45 on Tuesday, Dec. 16
Stochastic Analysis
Math 699
TBA
PSB 410
  • Brownian Motion and Stochastic Calculus by Ioannis Karatzas and Steven E. Shreve
Office Hours
  • Appointments are welcome on a flexible basis.
  • Email inquiries are welcome too.
  • To visit without an appointment, 12:00-1:15 Tu/Th is a good time to just drop by. Meetings at other times are welcome, but please call or email to set up the meeting.

Citizenship | Logic | Credit by Exam 
International Student Service | Math Department

Essays
(Traditional) Exact Confidence Intervals for the Binomial Distribution
(posted 4/5/2005, pdf format)
Convexity of the Binomial Distribution
(posted 4/5/2005, pdf format)
How Not To Define Surface Area:   an 1890 Example Due to H. A. Schwartz   (posted 11/08/2004, in pdf format). I learned this example from T. W. Korner's book, "A Companion to Analysis", page 218. Schwartz produced a simple triangulation of a cylinder for which the sum of the areas of the triangles converges to any chosen number greater than the true surface area, or even converges to infinity.
New!  How many people have ever lived?  Keyfitz's computation is updated. This page on demography was written at the behest of Prof. Glen Paige for his new book, "Non-Killing Political Science."

 

Youth Economics
Relative to male high school graduates, the college wage premium soared from 35 percent to 93 percent between 1973 and 1992 (page 177, The Future of Capitalism, by Lester Thurow).

However, the standard deviations are also quite large:

"During the peak earning years of forty-five to fifty-four years of age, 26 percent of all white males with bachelor's degrees will earn less than the median white male high school graduate and 21 percent of al white male high school graduates will earn more than the median white male with a bachelor's degree (page 282, The Future of Capitalism, by Lester Thurow).

Social Security Reform
Perhaps the most responsible review of social security issues is "The Coming Generational Storm" by Laurence J. Kotlikoff and Scott Burns. Here is an outline of their proposal, from page 156:
  • The accrual of additional Social Security retirement benefits is eliminated. Ramsey's paraphrase: immediately stop making new unfunded promises but keep all the old promises.
  • Current retirees and current workers receive their accrued Social Security retirement benefits. Ramsey's paraphrase: old promises are kept.
  • Social Security's Old Age Insurance (OAI) payroll tax is eliminated and replaced with equivalent compulsory contributions to PSS accounts. Ramsey's paraphrase: mandatory personal savings accounts are set up to take care of new retirement needs of new workers, with no change in take-home pay.
  • A new federal retail sales tax is used to pay off the accrued retirement benefits owed under the old system. Ramsey's paraphrase: the money to keep the old promises must come from somewhere.
  • Workers' PSS contributions are shared fifty-fifty with their spouses.
  • The government contributes to PSS accounts on behalf of disabled and unemployed.
  • The government matches PSS contributions on a progressive basis.
  • All PSS balances are invested in a single market-weighted global index fund of stocks, bonds and real estate.
  • The government guarantees the real principle that workers contribute to their PSS accounts. Ramsey's note: real means growing enough to match inflation.
  • Between ages 57 and 67, workers' PSS balances are gradually sold off and transformed into inflation-protected pensions.
  • If a worker dies prior to age 67, any remaining PSS balances would be transferred to PSS accounts of the worker's heirs.

Kotlikoff and Burns personally believe that there is no chance that Congress will implement a reform plan such as this, but they offer the plan as proof that we don't have to let a financial crisis happen.