MATH:105:S1              Introductory Topics           Spring, 2012
                                  Syllabus

    Instructor:   Kenneth Brakke
    Office:       308 Fisher
    Office phone: 4466
    Email: brakke@susqu.edu
           I will use email to communicate with the class outside of meeting 
           times, e.g. for homework corrections, hints, etc.  So check your 
           email regularly.  When emailing me, be sure to use a good subject 
           line.  Blank subjects, and generic subjects like "question" and 
           "help" are liable to get eaten by our spam filter.  Use a subject 
           like "Intro Topics homework question".

    Office hours:  1:35-3:00 MWF daily, or by appointment.  
        You may drop in anytime I am in my office, which is usually
        8:30-5:00 everyday, except for lunch and my other classes 
        10:00-11:05 MWF and 12:30-1:35 MWF.

    Text: None.  There will be handouts and Web material.

    Purpose: In general, this course covers topics of the instructor's
             choice at a level not needing prerequisites.  This particular 
             incarnation of the course will take Symmetry as its main topic.  
             We will look at point symmetry, strip symmetry (friezes), plane 
             symmetry (wallpaper patterns), space symmetry (crystals), and 
             related topics (e.g. Penrose tilings, fractals).  If time permits,
             other topics may be done, such as the Mathematics of Space Aliens.
             
    Grading:  
               Midterm exam                25%
               Final exam                  40%
               Daily homework              25%
               Term project                10%

               Your final letter grade will be based on your
               course average, with the A-B-C-D cutoffs 
               around the traditional 90-80-70-60 marks, but
               I may adjust that as I see fit.

    Homework: There will be daily homework assignments, to be 
              handed in at the start of class.  Each assignment
              will be graded.  

    Project:  Each student will do a symmetry project.  I suggest that
              each student pick a building on campus and construct a
              Web page with photos of symmetry patterns in the building
              along with explanations of the symmetries.

    General:

    Roll will not be taken, but frequent absences will be noticed.
    You are still subject to the attendence policy in the Student
    Handbook.

    Policy on cheating: Don't.  Studying together to understand the
    material is fine, but the work you hand in is to be your own.
    See the Student Handbook statement on academic honesty.