Mathematics 113, Spring 2011

• 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...

  vg	Very Good	all problems attempted; only a few minor "non-calculus" errors
  g	Good	nearly all problems attempted; some errors, but student seems to understand the key concepts
  ok	Okay	most problems attempted; 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 turned in late.

  
  The normative evaluation is expected to be "good."

• 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 and legibly. Use mathematical symbols accoding to correct rules of mathematical grammar. Use English sentences to explain your work when mathematical symboles alone are insufficient. You must understand the matheamtics and be able to communicate that understanding to others. Write clearly, succinctly, and unambiguously. The more clearly you communicate, the better the grader can assess your understanding.

• Readers are instructed to complain if work is too 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).