MAT 5530
Elementary Differential Geometry and Its Applications
Fall 2007, Section 001, CRN 15391

COURSE INFORMATION

(last updated August 12, 2007)

Credits: 3  Prerequisites: MAT 2030 and 2250.
Class meetings: MWF 11:45 a.m. &ndash 12:40 p.m. in 135 State Hall. We may meet occasionally in the Math Instructional Computing Lab (MICL) at 31 State Hall (in the basement) to use Maple, Mathematica, or MATLAB software. Any such meetings will be announced in advance.
Instructor: Daniel Drucker, Professor of Mathematics  Office: 1173 FAB
Phone: (57)7-3189 (my office), or call the Math Dept at (57)7-2479 and ask the staff member to leave a message in my box.
E-mail: drucker@math.wayne.edu   URL (World Wide Web): http://www.math.wayne.edu/~drucker
Tentative Office hours: WF 2:10 – 3:30 p.m. I suggest that you make an appointment before coming to the office. You can do that before or after class or by e-mail. (If you don’t make an appointment, I don’t guarantee to be in the office when you arrive. I may leave to make copies, take care of clerical work, return library books, etc.) I’m often available at other times and I’ll be happy to answer questions by e-mail, though it is sometimes hard to discuss calculations that way because of the difficulty of typing mathematics.
Text: Andrew Pressley, Elementary Differential Geometry, Springer, 2001, ISBN 1-8523-152-6. This is a readable elementary differential geometry text with minimal prerequisites.
   I’ve prepared an annotated list of good books and websites on differential geometry. Please make use of it.
Recommended software: Maple. I have joined the Maple adoption program, which means that students in this class can purchase a download copy of Maple 11 at a discounted price. I will give more details in class. If you are familiar with Mathematica, you can use that instead. Either program can be used to help with calculations (once you’ve learned to do them by hand) and to produce beautiful images of hard-to-draw curves and surfaces.
Coverage: Most of Chapters 1, 2, and 4–8 plus parts of other chapters as time permits.
Homework: The assigned problems will be posted on the homework web page. These may include both problems from the text and my own problems. Some assigned problems will be collected and graded as we complete each segment of the course.
Tests: None.
Final exam slot: Mon., Dec. 17, 10:40 a.m. – 1:10 p.m. We may use the slot for an extra class.
Course Grade: Your grade will be determined by your homework assignments and by your effort and enthusiasm, including participation in class.
Calculators and Computers: Use of calculators and computers on homework is encouraged, especially for checking your work and exploring the shape and behavior of mathematical objects that we study.
   The best computer software for use in this course is Maple, which will be available to you in the Math Instructional Computing Lab (MICL) in 31 State Hall, which is typically open about 20 hours per week. Mathematica is another excellent tool available in the MICL; it is roughly equivalent to Maple in capability. We may also use MATLAB occasionally; it too is available in the MICL.
Changes in WSU’s Grading Policy (effective Fall 2006): I expect you to inform yourselves about WSU’s revised Grading Policy. For a more user friendly version, click here. The notation for a failing grade has been changed from “E” to “F”. There are no more “X” grades. If you sign up for a class, stop attending, and fail to withdraw, you will receive an F for the course. In addition, if you drop the course after 5 weeks, you will be assigned one of the following three grades: WP (withdrew but was passing at the time), WF (withdrew but was failing at the time), WN (withdrew and never attended class or had no graded work). Also, any “I” given to a student will automatically revert to an “F” if the work is not completed within one calendar year. There are no exceptions. The new policy also limits the number of times you may repeat a course.
    WARNING: Any student who stops attending this class without officially filing a withdrawal request via the Student tab in Pipeline will receive a course grade of F. As a courtesy, I request that you notify me of your intention to file for a withdrawal.
Cheating: Cheating will not be tolerated. Specifically, you are not permitted to represent anyone else’s work as your own. Expect a zero on an assignment if you have cheated, and a failing grade in the course for a repeat offense.
WHAT I EXPECT FROM YOU:

Check your WSU e-mail.
I expect all of you to check e-mail regularly, so that I can send you written messages. Click here for information on WSU e-mail. If you do not use the WSU e-mail address assigned to you, then set up your WSU e-mail so that it forwards e-mail to your preferred address. (Click here for instructions on how to forward your WSU mail to another e-mail address.)
   IMPORTANT: When you write to me, always include “MAT 5400” in the subject line of your e-mail message, and always sign the message with your full name. I don’t want to have to figure out who you are from your e-mail address.
Attend all classes.
If you MUST miss a class, tell me in advance if possible; otherwise contact me THAT DAY. (If you can’t reach me at my office, send me an e-mail message or call the Math Dept and leave a message as indicated above under the heading Phone. Be sure to mention your name and phone number, the course number, and the reason for your absence.)
   Make a point of exchanging contact information with at least a couple of other students in the class, so that you’ll be able to obtain notes and assignments in the event that you have to miss a class.
  In class, I expect you to pay attention to what’s going on, and to participate whenever possible. Cell phones and pagers should be turned off before you enter the room.
Read the material in the text—carefully—before we discuss it in class.
I won’t discuss everything that’s in the book, nor will I always do things the way they’re done in the book. I’ll also add material that’s not in the book. You’re responsible for all the material in the sections we discuss (except material I specifically exclude) AND all the material covered in class.
Keep up with the assignments.
Exercises (and projects, if any) will be assigned well in advance. Do them as we get to them. DON’T FALL BEHIND! It’s tough to catch up in a math class. Solving lots of problems is the only way to learn mathematics. The assigned exercises should be regarded as the MINIMUM you should do. Whenever possible, solve extra problems. Keep your homework separate from your class notes, in a binder that allows you to insert and remove pages, and organize it by chapter number, section number, and exercise number. If I assign other problems, I’ll name or number them separately.
Ask questions!
Write down the things that bother you while you’re reading the text or working on homework, so you’ll be ready with a list of questions when you come to class and/or office hours. I usually ask for questions at the beginning of each class. If a question arises during class, stop me right away. It’s hard to pay attention when something is bothering you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions; usually other members of the class have the same questions.
Think about the material, discuss it with other students, and explore it with Maple.
You’ll remember the facts or techniques that you discover on your own more easily than those that other people show you.

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