This course is a CI-M course in mathematics that is adjunct to 18.310. Only math majors (including double majors) can receive CI-M credit. All students must have taken or be currently taking 18.310. Enrollment is limited to 12. If the initial enrollment exceeds 12, then priority will be given to math majors. If enrollment still exceeds 12 then a lottery will be held.
The primary requirement is a ten page (2500 word) paper that has been revised at least once. (Ten pages is just an approximation; 10-15 pages will be fine.) A proposal for the topic of the paper is due October 31. The first draft is due November 21. This first draft can omit technical details, though you should indicate where they will appear. It will not count toward the course grade, as long as a satisfactory effort is made. A complete first draft is due November 30 and will count 15% of the course grade. The final version is due December 13 and will count 45% of the course grade. (See grading policy below.)
There will be periodic writing assignments. All will require at least two drafts, except perhaps short assignments at the beginning of the term. There will be a password-protected website at which all first drafts except those of the final project must be posted. You should read these first drafts so they can be discussed in class.
There will be required oral presentations during class. Students are expected to offer constructive criticism of the presentation of their fellow students.
All writing and speaking assignments will be related to 18.310 material. The writing should be aimed at a "typical" MIT math major, not at an 18.310 student. The speaking should be aimed at your fellow 18.310 students.
Because of the interactive nature of the classes, attendance is compulsory. One unexcused absence is allowed on or before October 26, and another after this date. All excused absences must be obtained in advance except for emergencies (such as sudden illness).
All written assignments must be printed, and on or after September 26 must be formatted with LaTeX. LaTeX (or its relatives such as TeX and AmS-LaTeX) is the universal method for preparing mathematical documents, so it is valuable to learn it as early as possible.
Most students will need to use graphics in their papers, in which case it is necessary to know some graphics program such as xfig that produces an eps file for incorporation into the LaTeX document. Some students might need to convert the output (usually a graph) of a computational package such as Maple, Mathematica, or Matlab, into an eps file. (I can explain how to do this only for Maple. Matlab has a brief explanation in the LaTeX sample (page 5).)
Grading:
Notes modified from last year's requirements