Math 300
Spring 2012 Schedule of Lectures and Examinations
Please see
The Official
Schedule for details of the schedule for University events. Please
note that if any date in the following conflicts with the official schedule and
exam schedules, the official schedules apply.
Spring 2012 Exam Schedule:
- Exam #1 will be Friday, February 17.
- Exam #2 will be Friday, March 23.
- Exam #3 will be Friday, April 27. Please note that this is in
the last full week of classes.
- Final Exam: Math 300 has a final exam scheduled for Friday, May
11, 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM. It will be a two-hour, comprehensive exam having the weight of two
hour exams. University regulations require that all students in this class
take the final at this time.
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
set by the University and is not subject to change.
Week 1: Monday, January 16
- 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 23
- Topics:
- Reading:
- Other Notes
- Office hours resume this week
Week 3: Monday, January 30
- Topics:
- Reading:
- Other Notes
- Monday is the last day to drop without record
Week 4 : Monday, February 6
- Topics:
- Reading:
- Other Notes
- Hour Exam #1 will be next week
Week 5: Monday, February 13
- Topics:
- Reading:
- Other Notes
- Hour exam #1 is Friday, February 17
Week 6: Monday, February 20
- Topics:
- Reading:
- Other Notes
- Next Monday, February 27, is the last day to drop with an automatic W
Week 7 : Monday, February 27
- Topics:
- Hilbert's axioms
- Neutral geometry
- Reading:
- Other Notes
Week 8: Monday, March 5
- Topics:
- Reading:
- Other Notes
- Mid-term is Friday, March 9 (not an exam day for us)
- Friday, March 9, I will be traveling to the
Columbia History of Science Seminar in Friday Harbor. No classes
or office hours.
- Hour exam #2 will be the Friday after Spring Break (March 23).
Week 9: Monday, March 12
- Topics: Spring Break! (No classes or office hours)
- Reading
- Other Notes
Week 10: Monday, March 19
- Topics:
- Neutral Geometry
- The origins of non-Euclidean geometry
- Reading:
- Other Notes
- Hour Exam #2 will be Friday, March 23
Week 11: Monday, March 26
- Topics:
- History of the parallel postulate
- Discovery of non-Euclidean geometry
- Reading:
- Other Notes
Week 12: Monday, April 2
- Topics:
- Reading:
- Other Notes
Week 13: Monday, April 9
- Topics:
- Reading:
- Other Notes
Week 14: Monday, April 16
- Topics:
- More geometry of the hyperbolic plane
- Independence of the parallel postulate
- Reading:
- Other Notes
- Hour exam #3 will be next Friday, April 27. Please note that this is
in the last full week of the term.
- Reception for the Senior Art Show is Wednesday, April 18, 5 - 7
Week 15: Monday, April 23
- Topics:
- Reading:
- Other Notes
- Hour exam #3 will be Friday, April 27. Please note that this is in
the last full week of the term.
Week 16: Monday, April 30
- Topics: Foundations
- Reading: Chapter 8
- Other Notes
- Wednesday, May 2, is the last day of classes.
- Tuesday, May 1, is the last day of classes for us. All homework
must be in by 5:00 on Tuesday, May 1.
Final Exams
- Final Exam: Math 300 has a final exam scheduled for Friday, May
11, 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM. It will be a two-hour, comprehensive exam having the weight of two
hour exams. University regulations require that all students in this class
take the final at this time.