MTH 462, Geometric Structures, 4 credits—Summer 2008

• Detailed syllabus for the course.
  
  
• Homework assignments:
  I will assign homework regularly, and it will always be due next class. Your solutions should be nicely presented. Write as clearly and cleanly as you can, use sentences, and explain the main steps. I encourage you to work in groups and discuss the problems and their solutions with each other. However, the actual solutions you submit should be your own work (see Academic honesty for more info).
  
  • Homework Assignment #1:
    Chapter 1: 3
    Chapter 2: 9
    Chapter 3: 1(abdf), 14
    Chapter 4: 3, 4
    Due date: Friday, July 11.
  • Homework Assignment #2:
    Chapter 5: 2, 6, 19(cd), 22, 23, 29
    Due date: Thursday, July 17.
  • Homework Assignment #3:
    Chapter 6: 7, 12, 13, 37, 41
    Chapter 7: 8
    Due date: Monday, July 28.
  • Homework Assignment #4:
    Chapter 7: 13, 30(a,b)
    Chapter 10: 4
    Construct all common tangent lines to two circles.
    Chapter 11: 26
    Chapter 12: 12
    Due date: Monday, July 28.
  
  
• Make-Up Policy: No make-up exams will be given. If you miss an exam with a valid excuse, its weight will be transferred to the final exam.
  
  
• Calculator Policy: For this course a calculator will not be needed.
  
  
• Class notes:
  • Notes from class on August 6, 2008.
  • Notes from class on August 5, 2008.
  • Notes from class on August 4, 2008.
  • Notes from class on August 1, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 31, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 30, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 29, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 28, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 25, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 24, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 23, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 22, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 18, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 17, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 16, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 15, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 14, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 11, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 10, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 9, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 8, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 7, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 3, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 2, 2008.
  • Notes from class on July 1, 2008.
  • Notes from class on June 30, 2008.
  
  
• Academic honesty:
  Cheating is a serious academic crime. Oakland University policy requires that all suspected instances of cheating be reported to the Academic Conduct Committee for adjudication. Anyone found guilty of cheating in this course will receive a course grade of 0.0 in addition to any penalty assigned by the Academic Conduct Committee. Working with others on a homework assignment does not constitute cheating; handing in an assignment that has essentially been copied from someone else does. Receiving help from someone else (other than me) or from unauthorized written material during a test or the final exam is cheating, as is using a calculator as an electronic "crib sheet."
  
  
• Study habits:
  I can only guide and help you by providing the framework for the course: you are responsible to learn the material. Most of this learning must take place outside the classroom. This will usually take two to three hours outside of class for each hour in class, but may take longer in some cases. Our aim is to be able to apply the material to new situations, hence the focus is on understanding rather than memorizing. How can you achieve that?
  • Read the textbook: This must be done carefully and slowly. You may need to re-read and analyze sentences, since the text is very dense, unlike a novel. You should have pencil and paper ready to work with while reading to draw pictures and fill in omitted steps. Understand and learn the concepts and the important methods. Whenever possible, read the relevant sections before we discuss them.
  • Ask questions: in class, during office hours, or in the Academic Skills Center. If you have difficulties, get it clarified as soon as possible. If you make a mistake, rework the problem with the idea that you will not make similar mistakes later.
  • Practice: You will need to solve a lot of problems to get the necessary problem-solving skills and understanding of the concepts. I recommend that at first you solve some problems using your notes and the textbook as help, make sure you understand the methods, and then solve more problems (including the homework assignment problems) without any outside help. Keep doing this until you are able to solve the problems with no help.
  • Review the material regularly: It will take time and practice to digest and really understand the new concepts and methods.
  • Study with others: if you can, discuss solutions to problems with your classmates, e.g. in study groups.
  • Avoid wasting your time: If you are unable to make progress on a problem in 15-30 minutes, ask for help.
  • Avoid wasting my time: Know the relevant concepts and methods, and spend at least 15 minutes on any problem before asking for help.