MATHEMATICS FOR ART AND ECONOMICS

The course of Mathematics for Art and Economics is a compulsory course that falls under the affine/integrative activities of the “Curriculum in Economics and Management of the Arts” and constitutes the sole quantitative area course for this Curriculum. The main objective of the course is to provide an introduction to logical-mathematical reasoning and some notions of optimization, geometry, and financial management. Furthermore, the course explicitly aims to have students explore some relationships between art and mathematics.

The course allows students to acquire basic mathematical knowledge and skills in the manipulation of lines and parabolas, and to formulate and solve some linear programming problems, with economic applications. The course also addresses topics in geometry and financial management, exploring mathematical concepts of interest to art such as plane tessellations.

Students are expected to already know the mathematical topics covered in secondary school courses, specifically: real numbers, integer powers, properties of powers, algebraic rules, factorizations, fractions, simplification of algebraic fractions, inequalities, sign rules, Cartesian coordinates, the concept of a function, graphing, and basic concepts of plane geometry.

The course syllabus covers three blocks of topics:
- Lines, parabolas, linear and quadratic equations and inequalities, linear programming (in two variables)
- Geometry and tessellations
- Financial management

"Contemporary Math" by Donna Kirk, published by OpenStax.The text is freely downloadable in pdf and html formats at: https://openstax.org/details/books/contemporary-mathematics (you may also use translations provided by Google Translate or similar tools.)
Chapters to Study
- Chapter 5: Algebra
- Chapter 6: Money Management
- Chapter 10: Geometry
- Parts of Chapters 11 and 13 (e.g., 13.1 Math and Art). Further details will be available on the Moodle platform after the end lectures.

The preparation is assessed through a written exam, some assignments, and an oral exam.
The written exam consists of 10 questions, chosen with minimal variations from the exercises in Chapters 5, 6, and 10 of the OpenStax textbook.
Assignments will be assigned on Moodle, and the activities must be completed by the specified deadlines.
The oral exam is a semi-guided test where the student chooses to answer 2 out of 5 questions that were given to them in advance. The instructor chooses one more of the 5 questions, and a final question on the overall syllabus. In total, therefore, the student answers 4 questions.

The written exam awards 25 points, the assignments awards -4 to 4 points and the oral exam awards -4 to 4 points (out of 30). Negative scores are assigned in the presence of plagiarism, misconduct, or an inability to orally justify the submitted texts or answer elementary questions.

The instructor retains the right, in any case, to verify that the standards of integrity and correctness have been respected during the performance of the tests.

written

Grades (out of thirtieths are awarded as follows:
- 18–22 points: Sufficient knowledge of the topics covered in the course; adequate expressive richness.
- 23–26 points: Good knowledge of the topics covered in the course; good expressive ability and ability to make connections.
- 27–30 points: Comprehensive knowledge, skill/accuracy in presentation, and ability to argue and find connections.

Honors (lode) are not automatically granted if the arithmetic total exceeds 30/30, but are assigned in the presence of particular brilliance and depth.

The course is structured into 30 hours of frontal lectures (delivered by the instructor) and 10 hours of practical exercises. For the academic year 2025–2026, the support of a tutor is guaranteed. Activities (assignments with deadlines) assigned on Moodle are also planned.

Detailed information on the program and on organizational issues will be posted on the e-learning page (moodle.unive.it).
If you need something, say something (paolop@unive.it). More explicitly, if you are, say, color-blind, hearing impaired, diabetic T1, disabled or differently equal in any dimension, please let me know and we will find ways to improve feasibility, interaction and fun.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development