Spring 2006 Course Syllabus
Course: 0377.001.
Course Title: Differential Geometry.
Time: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 12:40 -- 1:30.
Place: Barton B-200.
Instructor: Conrad, Bruce P.
Instructor Office: Wachman 616.
Instructor Email: bruce.conrad@temple.edu
Instructor Phone: 215-204-2896.
Course Web Page: The course is on Blackboard
Office Hours: Monday and Friday, 1:40 -- 2:30; Wednesday, 9:40 -- 10:30.
Prerequisites: Calculus through Math 127, Linear Algebra (Math 147) is not an official prerequisite, but it would be helpful if you have learned a few things about it.
Textbook: Required: Elementary Differential Geometry, by Andrew Pressley.\\ ISBN 1-85233-152-6.\\ Recommended: Differential Geometry, by Martin Lipschutz. Shaum's Outline\\ ISBN 0-07-037985-8.
Course Goals: Differential Geometry is a subject that has been an active research area since the 18th century. This course is an introduction that treats the important topic of curvature for curves and surfaces in 3-dimensional space, and some of its intrinsic and global properties. Along the way, we will become very familiar with multivariable calculus.
Topics Covered: Curvature and torsion for curves, total curvature, Gaussian and mean curvature for surfaces, Gauss's Theorema Egregium and the Gauss-Bonnet theorem.
Course Grading: Your grade will be based on two midterm exams (15\% each), the final exam (20\%, twelve graded weekly homework assignments (40\%), and oral presentations (10\%). The exams are not curved. Instead of makeups, students who miss test 1 or test 2 (or wish to improve a bad grade on on or both of these) will be given the opportunity to give additional oral presentations on an assigned topic. All students will make three short oral presentations on solutions of homework problems, and one thirty-minute presentation on an assigned topic during the last two weeks of the semester. Oral presentations will be graded A+, A, B, C, D, F, or F- (see the table below for numeric score equivalents). Each homework assignment will be graded on a scale of 0 -- 10. Late homework is not accepted unless you have a great excuse. Here is the homework grade table: \begin{center} \begin{tabular}{l or c or r} \bf{Point total} & \bf{letter} & \bf{Grade} \\ \hline 100 \& up & A+ & 100 \\ 85 -- 99 & A & 95 \\ 70 -- 84 & B & 85 \\ 50 -- 69 & C & 75 \\ 40 -- 49 & D & 65 \\ 25 -- 39 & F & 55 \\ 0 -- 24 & F- & 0 \\ \hline \end{tabular} \end{center}.
Exam Dates: Test 1: Feb. 20\\ Test 2: April 3\\ Final: Friday, May 5, 11:00 -- 1:00.
Attendance Policy: You have to attend.
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.