Math 300
Euclidean and Non-Euclidean Geometry
Schedule of Lectures and Exams
Spring 2008
Spring 2008 Exam Schedule:
- Exam #1 will be Friday, February 22
- Exam #2 will be Friday, March 28
- Exam #3 will be Friday, May 2. Please note that this is in
the last full week of the term.
- Math 300 has a final exam scheduled for Monday, May 12, 8:00 AM - 10:00
AM. It will be a two-hour, comprehensive exam having the weight of two
hour exams.
This is a tentative schedule of lectures and readings, and is likely to
change as we progress through the semester. I will try and keep exam dates
fixed (and will provide adequate notice of changes in exam dates), but all else
is subject to change. The date and time of the final exam is, of course,
set by the University and is not subject to change.
Week 1: Monday, January 21
- Topics:
- Introduction to the course
- The axiomatic method
- Reading: Chapter 1
- Other Notes
- Monday is Martin Luther King day: no classes or office hours.
- Office hours resume next week.
Week 2: Monday, January 28
- Topics:
- Reading:
- Other Notes
- Office hours resume this week
Week 3: Monday, February 4
- Topics:
- Reading:
- Other Notes
- Monday is the last day to drop without record
Week 4 : Monday, February 11
- Topics:
- Reading:
- Other Notes
- Hour Exam #1 is next week
Week 5: Monday, February 18
- Topics:
- Reading:
- Other Notes
- Hour exam #1 is Friday, February 22
Week 6: Monday, February 25
- Topics:
- Reading:
- Other Notes
- No office hours Thursday, February 28, and no classes or office hours on Friday, February 29
(travel to and attendance at the
Columbia History of Science Group seminar at Friday Harbor)
Week 7 : Monday, March 3
- Topics:
- Hilbert's axioms
- Neutral geometry
- Reading:
- Other Notes
- Monday is the last day to drop with an automatic 'W'
Week 8: Monday, March 10
- Topics:
- Reading:
- Other Notes
- Mid-term is Friday, March 14 (not an exam date for us)
- Hour Exam #2 will be the Friday following Spring Break (March 28)
Week 9: Monday, March 17
- Topics: Spring Break! (No classes or office hours)
- Reading
- Other Notes
- Hour Exam #2 will be the Friday following Spring Break (March 28)
Week 10: Monday, March 24
- Topics:
- Neutral Geometry
- The origins of non-Euclidean geometry
- Reading:
- Other Notes
- Hour Exam #2 will be Friday, March 28
Week 11: Monday, March 31
- Topics:
- History of the parallel postulate
- Discovery of non-Euclidean geometry
- Reading:
- Other Notes
Week 12: Monday, April 7
- Topics:
- Reading:
- Other Notes
Week 13: Monday, April 14
- Topics:
- Reading:
- Other Notes
Week 14: Monday, April 21
- Topics:
- More geometry of the hyperbolic plane
- Independence of the parallel postulate
- Reading:
- Other Notes
- Hour exam #3 will be next Friday, May 2. Please note that this is
in the last full week of the term.
Week 15: Monday, April 28
- Topics:
- Reading:
- Other Notes
- Hour exam #3 will be Friday, May 2. Please note that this is in
the last full week of the term.
Week 16: Monday, May 5
- Topics: Foundations
- Reading: Chapter 8
- Other Notes
- Wednesday, May 7, is the last day of classes. No work can be accepted
after 5:00 on that date.
Final Exams
- Math 300 has a final exam scheduled for Monday, May 12, 8:00 AM - 10:00
AM. It will be a two-hour, comprehensive exam having the weight of two
hour exams.