UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls
Mathematics
Mathematics
Welcome to the Mathematics Department at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls!
At River Falls, our mathematics instruction is dedicated to nurturing and developing students' creative mathematical talents as problem-solvers. The River Falls mathematics faculty has diverse backgrounds and research interests, including combinatorics, differential equations, number theory, functional analysis, mathematics education, numerical analysis, probability, and statistics.
Students who major in mathematics at UWRF follow many satisfying careers. The UWRF mathematics minor is a excellent choice for students majoring in sciences, social sciences, business and education.
The Mathematics Department is arranged so that many faculty have study spaces directly outside their offices providing an environment of easy accessibility to professors. The department supports a Math Study Room where students work and informally interact with one another, and a Math Help Center which is staffed with upper level students who can provide help and insights to students studying mathematics in their first two years.
UWRF Math Modeling Team Finalist Winners of COMAP 2019 Contest
Trevor Brammer, Lindsey Hiebert and Hannah Luedtke, pictured above share their research results as part of the events at the Third Annual Integration Bee. They wrote a paper addressing problem A, Game of Ecology. They wrote code in MatLab and R to implement several allometric equations that enabled them to determine food requirements for fictional dragons, with either migratory or non-migratory patterns, and thus recommend appropriate dragon ecology. They included a discussion of how their fictional dragon models could be applied to analyze dinosaur habitats and to inform scientists working to protect endangered species. Of the 14,108 international competitors, 25 teams were designated Finalists and 17 were Outstanding winners, placing Trevor, Lindsey and Hannah in the top 0.3% of all competitors.
UWRF Math Modeling Team Meritorious Winners of COMAP 2019 Contest
Team members Victor Wang and Danielle Barman, pictured above share their research results as part of the events at the Third Annual Integration Bee. Along with team member, Jaclyn O'Brien (not pictured) they wrote a paper to address problem B, Send in the Drones: Developing an Aerial Disaster Relief Response System. They used ideas from matrix theory, packing algorithms and Hamiltonian cycles to model storage and transportation of medical packages by drones throughout the island of Puerto Rico after a devastating hurricane. The Meritorious designation places them in the top 6.8% of the 14,108 teams that competed this year.
UWRF Math Modeling Team Successful Participants in COMAP 2019 Contest
Team members Zachary Henderson and Blake Mattson, pictured above share their research results as part of the events at the Third Annual Integration Bee. Along with team member, Matthew Kaiser (not pictured) they wrote a paper to address problem A, Game of Ecology. They modeled dragon weight as a function of age and then applied Kleiber’s Law, by comparing fictional dragons to real crocodilians, to determine dragon food requirements, which in turn enabled them to recommend an appropriate dragon habitat.
Mathematics Events
Math Placement Test (for current UWRF students)
All students who have not taken college-level courses in math are required to take the Wisconsin Regional Placement Test before registering for a math class.
The Fall 2024 Semester Math Placement Test dates
- Friday, August 30th North Hall 205 10:00 am - 11:30 am
- Tuesday, November 5th North Hall 205 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
- Wednesday, November 20th North Hall 205 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
- Monday, December 2nd North Hall 205 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
- Wednesday, December 11th North Hall 205 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
There are 2 different tools that we use and allow for placement in a first math course at UWRF
- ACT Math subscore
- Wisconsin Placement Test for Math (MAFOR)
Testing Options:
- Math Placement Tests can be taken in person (on the UWRF campus) or online HERE
- In-person test scores are reported to eSIS and to you via email the same day you take the test.
- If you are taking the math placement test online, be aware of the following scheduling considerations:
- You must sign up on the website to take the placement test. After you sign up online, you will be sent a link to take the placement test. Please allow 24 hours to get the test link.
- Scores from the online math placement test are sent to UWRF on Friday afternoons. They are entered into eSIS on the following Monday.
- A high enough grade on the math placement test may allow you to waive the Math-General Education requirement (depending on your major). We are only waiving the requirement based on in-person tests.
Information about the test: The test includes four components: elementary algebra, intermediate algebra, college algebra, and trigonometry. Your placement will be based on three math scores, which will be used in combination to determine your optimal math placement. The test is designed to determine placement for levels from remedial math to calculus. You are allowed 90 minutes to take the test and a few additional minutes to fill out paperwork.
Test information and a Practice Mathematics Placement Test
Math Test-Outs
Date/Time: Mid Semester
Must sign up to assure the availability of a test.
Test-Outs available for:
Math 146: College Algebra
Math 147: College Algebra/Trigonometry
Math 156: Calculus for Business/Social Science
Math 166: Calculus I
Math 167: Calculus II
Testing is mid semester.
Must be signed up to take a test (No Drop Ins)
