Math 170: Ideas in Mathematics

Fall 2006, Professor Leidy

Class meets: MWF 12-1pm, Moore 216
201: Tuesdays, 8.30-9.30am, DRL 2N36
202: Tuesdays, 9.30-10.30am, DRL 2N36
203: Thursdays, 8.30-9.30am, DRL 2N36
204: Thursdays, 9.30-10.30am, DRL 2N36

Teaching Assistant

Alina Badus, alina [at] math.upenn.edu
Office: DRL 4C11, phone 8-5973
Office hours: Monday 1-2pm, Wednesday 3-4pm

Announcements

The final paper is due Friday, December 8th, in class.
Here is the course syllabus.

Homework

Homework is assigned on Mondays and is due on Fridays, in class. Please write legibly or type. Staple your homework and don't forget to write your name.

Presentation guidelines

Each student will be required to give a 15-20 minute presentation during recitation at some point in the semester. You will sign up for a date during your first recitation. The presentation will be related to the material presented in lecture the previous week. Professor Leidy will provide you with a rough outline of what she wants you to cover in your presentation. You should build on this basic framework to give an informative, interesting, and interactive presentation.

In order for her to provide you with the outline of the material, you must attend a meeting with me and Professor Leidy at 2:30-3:30pm on the Friday before your presentation; we will meet in DRL 4C6, and I will send you a reminder. If you have a class conflict with the meeting time, you must contact me at least one week before the meeting to make other arrangements.

Your presentation will be evaluated by me, as well as your peers in the recitation. Here is what I will look for:

  • Did you understand the material, and are you able to answer questions about it? You can expect at least one or two questions.
  • Organization and exposition: are your arguments well-built? Are the main ideas clear? Are the examples illuminating? I will also evaluate how well your colleagues understood your presentation, and this will factor into your grade.
  • Delivery: you should speak clearly, write legibly and make eye contact with your audience.

As a student in the audience, I will expect you to answer one or two questions about the presentations you see. You are also encouraged to ask the speaker questions. I will keep track of your attendance at recitations and this will factor into your homework grade.

Midterm paper instructions

There will be a midterm book report on a mathematical fiction book. You can find instructions and the reading list here.

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Last updated: Monday, December 4th, 2006.x