Previous Weeks in Math 300 class
This file will contain the week-to-week reading and lecture
schedules. At the end of the week the "this week" will be
modified to reflect what actually happened and will be appended to
this file.
Week 1: Monday, January 16
- Topics
- Introduction to the course
- Some history
- Reading
Monday:
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration. No classes or office hours
Tuesday:
- Classes begin
- Introduction to the course
Thursday:
Friday:
Other Notes:
- Office Hours begin next Monday
Week 2: Monday, January 23
- Topics
- The axiomatic method
- Logic and proof
- Reading
- Greenberg: Chapters 1 and 2
Monday:
- The axiomatic method
- EP 1
Tuesday:
- More on definitions
- EP 2 - EP 3
Thursday:
- Definition of angles
- Euclid's postulate 4
Friday:
- In-class workshop on straight-edge and compass constructions
- Assignment #1 due (Please note change in due-date)
Other notes:
- Office Hours begin this week
- Next Monday, January 30, is the last day to drop without record
Week 3: Monday, January 30
- Topics
- Reading
- Greenberg: Finish chapter 1, start Chapter 2
Monday:
- The classic construction problems of antiquity.
- Euclid's parallel postulate (Playfair)
- Attempts to prove the parallel postulate
Tuesday:
- "Rules of the Game"
- Introduction to logic
- Predicate logic and truth tables
Thursday:
- Predicate logic and truth tables
- Propositional logic and quantifiers
- The notion of proof
Friday:
- Propositional logic and quantifiers
- Modus Ponens, Modus Tolens, Law of excluded middle, and proof by cases
Other notes:
- Monday, January 30, is the last day to drop without record
- Our first hour exam will be Friday, February 17
Week 4: Monday, February 6
- Topics
- Reading
- Greenberg: Finish chapter 2, start Chapter 3
Monday:
- Prediate logic and quantifiers
- Logic rule 12 ("Common Notions")
- Incidence geometry and Hilbert's axioms of incidence
Tuesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
- Some foundational issues
- Affine and Projective Planes
Other notes:
- Hour Exam #1 will be next Friday
Week 5: Monday, February 13
Monday:
- Hilbert's axioms of betweeness
Tuesday:
- Hilbert's axioms of betweeness
Thursday:
- Hilbert's axioms of betweeness
- Review for Exam #1
Friday:
Other notes:
- Hour Exam #1 will be this Friday
Week 6: Monday, February 20
Monday:
- Exam #1 returned and discussed
Tuesday:
- No class (instructor ill)
Thursday:
- Hilbert's axioms of betweeness
- Line separation
Friday:
Other notes:
- Next Monday, February 27, is the last day to drop with an automatic W
- Hour Exam #2 will be Friday, March 23
Week 7: Monday, February 27
- Topics
- Reading
- Greenberg: Finish Chapter 3
Monday:
Tuesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Other notes:
- Monday, February 27, is the last day to drop with an automatic W
- Hour Exam #2 will be Friday, March 23
- No classes or office hours next Friday, March 9 (Columbia
History of Science Seminar)
Week 8: Monday, March 5
- Topics
- Hilbert's Axioms
- Neutral Geometry
- Reading
Monday:
- Axioms of congruence
- Axioms of continuity
Tuesday:
Thursday:
- Hilbert's Euclidean Axiom
- Alternate Interior Angle Theorem
- Exterior Angle Theorem
Friday:
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
- Spring Break! No classes or office hours.
Week 10: Monday, March 19
Monday:
- Exterior Angle Theorem
- Measure of angles and segments
Tuesday:
- Measure of angles and segments
Thursday:
- Triangle Inequality
- Equivalence of Euclidean Parallel Postulates
- Review for Exam #2
Friday:
Other notes:
- Hour exam #2 will be this Friday (March 23).
Week 11: Monday, March 26
- Topics
- Neutral Geometry
- History of the Parallel Postulate
- Reading
Monday:
- Equivalence of Euclidean Parallel Postulates
Tuesday:
- Saccheri and Lambert Quadrilaterals
Thursday:
- Exam #2 returned and discussed.
Friday:
- Saccheri and Lambert Quadrilaterals
Other notes:
- Exam #3 will be Friday, April 27. Please note that this is in
the last full week of classes.
Week 12: Monday, April 2
- Topics
- History of the Parallel Postulate
- Reading
- Finish chapter 4
- Greenberg: Chapter 5
Monday:
- Angle sum of a triangle
- History of the Parallel Postulate
Tuesday:
- Group problem presentation day
Thursday:
- History of the Parallel Postulate
Friday:
- History of the Parallel Postulate
Other notes:
- Exam #3 will be Friday, April 27. Please note that this is in
the last full week of classes.
Week 13: Monday, April 9
- Topics
- History of the Parallel Postulate
- Discovery of non-Euclidean Geometry
- Reading
Monday:
- History of the Parallel Postulate
- Discovery of non-Euclidean Geometry
Tuesday:
- Group problem presentation day
Thursday:
- Discovery of non-Euclidean Geometry
Friday:
- Discovery of non-Euclidean Geometry
Other notes:
- Exam #3 will be Friday, April 27. Please note that this is in
the last full week of classes.
Week 14: Monday, April 16
- Topics
- Discovery of non-Euclidean Geometry
- Reading
Monday:
- Classification of parallels
Tuesday:
- Group problem presentation day
Thursday:
- Classification of parallels
Friday:
- Classification of parallels
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
- Independence of the Parallel Postulate
- Reading
Monday:
- Consistency and Completeness
- The MetaMathematical Theorem
- Models for Hyperbolic Geometry
Tuesday:
- Group problem presentation day
Thursday:
- Models for Hyperbolic Geometry
- Review for exam #3
Friday:
Other notes:
- Hour exam #3 will be this Friday, April 27. Please note that this is
in the last full week of the term.
Week 16: Monday, April 30
- Topics
- Independence of the Parallel Postulate
- Reading
Monday:
Tuesday:
- Exam #3 returned and discussed.
- Review for final exam
Thursday:
- Reading period: No classes. Office hours to be announced
Friday:
- Reading period: No classes. Office hours to be announced
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 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.
Week 17: Monday, May 7
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.
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