Mathematics 113, Spring 2012

• Homework is assigned at every class meeting. Homework will be collected on Mondays (by 12:30 pm--drop it off at my office, Chambers 3043) and on Thursdays (in class). I expect to return corrected homework at the next class meeting after it is collected.

• Your homework will be checked by a qualified student assistant to the Mathematics Department. The evaluation scale for homework is...

  Gradebook	Paper Notation	Meaning
  vg	Very Good	all problems attempted; only a few minor "non-calculus" errors
  g	Good	nearly all problems attempted; some errors, but the student seems to understand the key concepts
  ok	Okay	most problems attempted; the student is successful on at least half of the assigned problems
  H	Seek Help	many problems not tried and/or substantial difficulty with key concepts
  late	Late	homework submitted late

  
  The normative evaluation is expected to be "good."

  Occasionally other evaluations are warranted, such as: Incomplete (a significant portion of the assignment omitted), or Wrong Assignment. Usually no entry is made in the gradebook in these instances.

• In general, answers require supporting work. The reader is instructed to complain about a "naked" answer which is deemed not to follow quickly from the question. (The query "WORK? " or the imperative "SHOW WORK! " written next to the answer conveys the desired message.)

• You should organize your work and present your ideas clearly, legibly, and unambiguously. Use mathematical symbols according to correct rules of mathematical grammar. Use succinct English sentences to explain your work when mathematical symbols alone are insufficient. You must understand the mathemtics and be able to communicate your understanding to others. The more clearly you communicate, the better the reader can assess your understanding.

• Readers are instructed to complain if work is cryptic or illegible. (If papers are illegible, or nearly so, the reader may return it without correction or evaluation.) Correct notation is important. One of my pet peeves is incorrect notation, especially the common abuse of "=", as in

  f(x) = sin(x) = f '(x) = cos(x) = f '(0) = 1

  When the reader sees something like this, a small venting of disgust is mandated. (I often cross out the offending "="-signs and write something like "arrggghhhhhh! ")

• Late Homework : My general policy is to accept late papers, though they are corrected at the reader's convenience. The only recorded assessment is "late" (the rest of the qualitative scale does not apply).