Grading:

Grades will be determined from 2 exams, one oral component, a final, and your homework. Homework is worth 35% of your grade, and each of the 2 exams will be worth 20%, and the final will be worth 25%. The exams will possibly include an oral component where you explain your reasoning to me on some of the exam or homework problems. I will explain more about this in class.
Exams:

The first exam will be an evening online exam: 6:30 - 8 pm, Thursday, March 18.
The second exam will be an evening online exam: 6:30 - 8 pm, Tuesday, April 20. (There is a slight chance this will be a take home exam instead).

The final exam will also be online, but the date and time are TBD.


These exams will be open book. You may use the text book, the class notes, class videos, but you can consult no one else: not the internet, nor friends nor classmates. (Certainly no use of e.g. discord while taking the exams!) You may ask the TA or Professor questions, but only ones that clarify the questions will be answered. Uploading problems to the internet or submitting them to any website, or using any subscription based or free service is a violation of academic integrity (as is asking any math question via the internet). (I'll tell some stories about this in class!).
Homework:

  • Homework assignments will be due (via gradescope) each week. (Usually on Thursday evenings) Problem sets are posted in PDF on the lectures webpage, as well as in the Files section in Canvas. Problem sets will be submitted via gradescope on canvas, and will be returned online as well.

  • MATH 3340 is a four–credit course, so you should plan on spending at least twelve hours a week working on it. Homework is the most important part of MATH 3340 since mathematics is really learned by doing it.

Collaboration:

  • You may collaborate with other students on homework. I believe, however, that for maximum benefit, you should try hard to do all the problems yourself before consulting others. What you turn in should represent your own solutions expressed in your own words, even if you arrived at these solutions with others. Remember, you are doing the homework to learn the material; do not try to defeat its purpose. Copying someone else's homework and presenting it as your own will be treated as a violation of Cornell's Academic Integrity Code, as will copying solutions that you might find on the internet or elsewhere.
  • In keeping with the good practice of acknowledging all contributors to a piece of work, if you do collaborate, please give the names of your collaborators on your homework. (Your grade will not be affected.) Use of sites like mathoverflow is not permitted, and their use is a breach of the academic honor code (see below for the link).
Writing well:

Mathematics is not mere computation; arguments and abstract concepts must be communicated. Use complete sentences with proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Write linearly down the page rather than scattering words, symbols and equations around. Explain your reasoning carefully. Indicate the significances of and relationships between any calculations which contribute to your answers. Define and employ clear and concise notation. State clearly any results (from lectures or from the textbook) to which you appeal in your solutions. Imagine your fellow-students as your readers — ask yourself whether they would they be able to follow your arguments. Here is some guidance on communicating mathematics. It is based in part on advice from Peter Kahn in an introduction to proofs course.
Academic honesty:

It is the obligation of each student to understand the Cornell Code of Academic Integrity regarding academic honesty and to uphold these standards. Students are encouraged to talk about the problems but should write up the solutions individually. Students should acknowledge the assistance of any books, software, students, or professors.