DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS

Biography

Michael Maltenfort received his PhD from the University of Chicago in 1997. Following graduation, he was a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya. He then returned to Chicago, where he briefly taught at DePaul University and Loyola University before joining the faculty at Truman College, where he taught from 2002 to 2013. He joined the faculty at Northwestern University as a Weinberg College Advisor in 2013.

Maltenfort’s research is in simple mathematics, including problems that are accessible to those whose background is limited to calculus.

Selected Publications

M. Maltenfort, “The Associativity of Infinite Matrix Multiplication, Revisited,” College Mathematics Journal 53:1 (2022), 39–44 https://doi.org/10.1080/07468342.2022.1990648.

B. Fluegel, D. Hatch, M. Maltenfort, “Counting Spaces,” Mathematics Magazine, 94:1 (2021), 62–64 https://doi.org/10.1080/0025570X.2020.1853898.

M. Maltenfort, “New Definitions of the Generalized Stirling Numbers,” Aequationes Mathematicae, 94 (2020), 169–200 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00010-019-00685-2.

M. Maltenfort, “Decimal Selection Functions,” American Mathematical Monthly 126:7 (2019), 628–634 https://doi.org/10.1080/00029890.2019.1604054.

M. Maltenfort, “Pascal Functions,” American Mathematical Monthly 125:2 (2018), 115–129 https://doi.org/10.1080/00029890.2018.1401831.

M. Maltenfort, “Characterizing Additive Systems,” American Mathematical Monthly 124:2 (2017), 132–148 https://doi.org/10.4169/amer.math.monthly.124.2.132.

M. Maltenfort, “A Function Worth a Second Look,” College Mathematics Journal 48:1 (2017), 55–57 https://doi.org/10.4169/college.math.j.48.1.55.

M. Maltenfort, “A Canine Conundrum, or What Would Elvis Do?” College Mathematics Journal 47:2 (2016), 106–107 https://doi.org/10.4169/college.math.j.47.2.106.

M. Maltenfort, “Secants, Tangents, Rotations, and Reflections,” College Mathematics Journal 46:1 (2015), 24–34 https://doi.org/10.4169/college.math.j.46.1.24.

B. Frank, M. Gilgenbach, and M. Maltenfort, “Compression Testing to Simulate Real-World Stresses,” Packag. Technol. Sci. 23 (2010), no. 5, 275–282 https://doi.org/10.1002/pts.898.

M. Maltenfort, “A New Look at Smoothness,” Expositiones Mathematicae 20 (2002), no. 1, 59–93 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0723-0869(02)80029-9.

M. Maltenfort, “Addition and Subtractions of Ideals,” Journal of Algebra 214 (1999), no. 2, 519–544 https://doi.org/10.1006/jabr.1998.7729.