Spring 2007 Course Syllabus
Course: W363.001.
Course Title: Problem Solving Seminar.
Time: TR 2:40-4:00.
Place: Wachman Hall, Room 527.
Instructor: Grabovsky, Yury.
Instructor Office: Wachman Hall, Room 516.
Instructor Email: yury.grabovsky@temple.edu
Instructor Phone: 215-204-1650.
Office Hours: TR 4:00-5:00.
Prerequisites: Linear Algebra.
Textbook: None.
Course Goals: 1. Improve student's technical writing skills. 2. Introduce students to important technical software: LaTeX, Maple, Matlab. 3. Improve student's understanding and command of Linear Algebra. 4. Introduce students to mathematical research using a case study from instructor's experience with the NSF-funded REU project.
Topics Covered: 1. Vector spaces: the familiar and the strange. 2. Matrix algebra. 3. Representations of subspaces and more general surfaces. 4. A new look on matrices: algebras. 5. Ideals and factor algebras. 6. homomorphisms, isomorphisms, automorphisms. 7. Direct sums and subalgebras. 8. Applications to mathematical modeling of composite materials.
Course Grading: The course grade is determined by the average grade for the submitted written reports.
Exam Dates: No exams will be given.
Attendance Policy: Attendance is crucial, since the written reports will be discussed in class.
Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible. Contact Disability Resources and Services at (215) 204-1280, 100 Ritter Annex, to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.
Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The University has adopted a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy # 03.70.02) which can be accessed here.
Students will be charged for a course unless a withdrawal form is processed by a registration office of the University by the Drop/Add deadline date given below. For this semester, the crucial dates are as follows:
During the first two weeks of the fall or spring semester or summer sessions, students may withdraw from a course with no record of the class appearing on the transcript. In weeks three through nine of the fall or spring semester, or during weeks three and four of summer sessions, the student may withdraw with the advisor's permission. The course will be recorded on the transcript with the instructor's notation of "W," indicating that the student withdrew. After week nine of the fall or spring semester, or week four of summer sessions, students may not withdraw from courses. No student may withdraw from more than five courses during the duration of his/her studies to earn a bachelor's degree. A student may not withdraw from the same course more than once. Students who miss the final exam and do not make alternative arrangements before the grades are turned in will be graded F.
The grade I (an "incomplete") is reserved for extreme circumstances. It is necessary to have completed almost all of the course with a passing average and to file an incomplete contract specifying what is left for you to do. To be eligible for an I grade you need a good reason and you should have missed not more than 25% of the first nine weeks of classes. If approved by the Mathematics Department chair and the CST Dean's office, the incomplete contract must include a default grade that will be used in case the I grade is not resolved within 12 months.