Austin Christian

Announcements

• As announced, I will score your term papers using a rubric very similar to the peer review. To help you prepare your paper, here's the form I'll fill out for each paper: term-paper-rubric.pdf. Note that my numerical ratings might not agree with those of your peer review.
• Here are some solutions to midterm 2. Please ask me about anything that's unclear.
• In case it's useful to you, here's the concept map we produced during our review for midterm 2. I make no claims about its completeness. You are strongly encouraged to repeat this exercise individually or in a small group after some more studying.
• As you continue drafting your term paper, consider looking at the Chicago REU for (generally) good math writing by undergraduates. These papers don't have the same page limit as yours, but have a similar structure. For very good mathematical writing, check out the "What is..." collection from the AMS Notices. Finally, here's the rubric your classmates will use to review your draft: peer-review.pdf.
• If you choose to use grading scheme 2 for your term paper, you will be expected to write an artwork description to go along with your art submission. This description should be 1-2 paragraphs, and address the following questions:
  • Is there a brief description of the mathematics that inspired your artwork?
  • What techniques did you use to create the artwork?
  • What aspect of the artwork is most meaningful to you?
• Per a request, here's a LaTeX template you can use for your term paper: term-paper-template.tex. You aren't required to use LaTeX, though I do request that your paper be a PDF.
• Scheme selection for the term paper has been delayed. You will now choose between the two grading schemes during the week of Oct 31-Nov 4.
• Here are some solutions to midterm 1. Please ask me about anything that's unclear.
• There were a lot of questions about how to get started on exercises 5.3 and 5.5 of activity 5, so I've written up some comments on the 1-dimensional (i.e., curves) version.
• Activity 5 mostly consists of examples of the basic definitions we'll need for discussing surfaces, so it will be "chunked" across the 9/23 and 9/26 classes. Notice that the due date for this activity has been pushed to Oct 3.
• Here's an outline of a solution to problem 6 on homework 2. Surely there are other approaches to this problem, so let me know if you find something more elegant! (And if you use this outline, be sure to explain things in your own words.)
• I failed to record class on Sept 14. The filled-in notes are posted, and you should feel free to ask me any questions. (Of course, questions are always welcome!)
• As you start thinking about topics for your term paper, peruse this list compiled by Prof. Etnyre (scroll to bottom), as well as this Wikipedia list and make sure to ask me any questions you have. (Your topic needs to go beyond this course, so be sure to double-check the schedule below.)
• Per a request, I've added TeX files for homeworks/activities, in case you want to use them. However, you are not required to typeset your submissions. Also, just in case I make typos: the PDF is the official version of the assignment.
• Visit Georgia Tech's OIT website to download Mathematica. (You'll need to be on campus or using a VPN for this.) Consider taking a look at this tutorial to get started, and ask me any questions that come up.
• Be sure to join our class on Discord, and to participate.