Math 4250 / CS 4210, Homework
Downloading PDF files:
- Depending on your local setup, the in-browser viewing of PDF files
may or may not work. Different web browsers, Acrobat plug-ins,
font libraries, etc. seem to affect the result. The most reliable strategy
is to download the PDF file to your local computer, and then open it using
the full Acrobat Reader program, i.e., not the Acrobat plug-in. If this
still does not work, please send me an email stating the version of your
Acrobat Reader, together with the type and version of your web browser.
Assignments:
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No prelims are planned for this class.
The final will be a "take home" exam and you will have a week
to turn in your solutions.
Homework policy:
- There will be weekly homework assignments, which will be
normally posted on
the web every Tuesday and collected in class the following Tuesday.
Solutions will also be posted on the web (make sure to read them &
compare with your own!).
Expect each homework set to take between 5 and 10 hours.
- Working in groups: Mathematics is best learned and
practiced through a combination of individual and collaborative work.
We encourage you to work with your classmates BUT you should
think about each problem on your own before discussing it with others.
Also, you are required to write up solutions independently AND
list all of the sources (textbooks, research papers, internet,
collaboration with others, etc) used in obtaining the solutions.
No need to do this on a per problem basis - just supply a list
of collaborations and sources at the end of each assignment.
- Writing up problems: Needless to say, we expect your
solutions to be coherent, logical and detailed. If the missing details
are mathematically unobvious, we will assume that you did not know how
to fill in the gap. For computer assignments, please turn in your
source code.
Unless explicitly specified, please do not turn
in large tables of numbers as output - a graphic representation of
the data is often much easier to interpret.
The TA reserves the right to not
look at a problem which he finds to be excessively sloppy or difficult to
follow. Also, BE SURE TO STAPLE!
- Grading:
Homework is important.
Besides its didactic, intellectual and entertainment value,
it will also weight 60% in your overall grade in this class.
If you have any homework
related concerns or questions, please come to the instructor's
or TA's office hours.
- Extra credit:
Occasionally, extra credit problems will be used in the assignments.
Usually, those problems will be much more involved and complicated than
the rest of the homework. In addition, their weight in the overall homework
grade will be very light (e.g., 1 point out of 21). Extra credit problems
are meant to give you an additional challenge if you can easily
complete all the regular assignments; by no means are they a substitute
for the rest of the homework.
- Late policy:
Late homework will not be accepted under ANY circumstances.
Naturally, you are welcome to hand in your homework early.
The Computer Labs:
- Please feel free to use the
Cornell Public Computing Labs.