Winter 2012
Math 467: Modern Geometry

Frank Sottile

Paper policies

Each paper submitted will be classed as "mathematical" or "historical/expository". it is possible that some papers will be in the spectrum between the two; I will mark them accordingly (see below).
A mathematical paper should be (just) as long as it needs to be to solve the problem.
A historical/expository paper should exceed ~~five pages and~~ 1200 words. You will need at least this much in order to do your topic justice.
Papers will be marked out of 160 points, with 10 points for timely and complete submission of topic and sources, 30 for the rough draft, 20 for the peer-review, and 100 for the final product.
Topic and sources: Give a (preliminary) title, and a short (2 sentences to 1 paragraph) description of your topic, e.g. an abstract.
Mathematical papers need not have sources, if it is self-contained, but they would be improved by your knowing something of the context. In fact an important part of the mathematical paper will be its introduction (for context if that is warranted) and the clarity/justification of any definitions.
Historical/Expository papers require multiple sources, at least one of which must be longer than the paper itself. Whether the referenced documents are print or on-line is less important; but remember that Web items usually have authors and titles, not just URLs, and need to be cited accordingly. (Giving the date of access is also considered desirable, since the Web changes constantly.)
Draft: This will be handed in to Frank, who will look at them and make some comments. While they need not be in final form, they should be complete, and will be marked on that basis.
Peer Review: We will spend one day of class time working in small groups to read and discuss your writing.
Historical/espository and mathematical papers will be graded by different scales (these are approximate, as some papers will be a blend of the two).

Criterion Historical Mathematical

Choice of topic 4% 4%

Correctness and depth 20% 48%

Exposition 28% 24%

Mechanics (punctuation, etc.) 28% 20%

References 20% 4%
Don't expect perfect scores. In serious writing the threshold of perfection is infinite.
A note on Plagiarism: Finding information in books or on the Internet is praiseworthy; lying (even by silence) about where it came from is academic dishonesty. Whenever you copy from, or "find the answer" in, some other source, give a footnote or reference. Otherwise, you are certifying that it is your own work.
Guidelines for Authors. This is borrowed from Steve Fulling
Notes on choice of topic: This is borrowed, with premission, from Steve Fulling
- Any "major exercise" or "project" from the textbook is allowable, with the qualifications below.
- You can choose a topic from outside the book's lists, but it would be prudent to consult me about it first.
- In Ch. 1, major exercise 4 is harder than it looks. I'll accept a paper that does 2 of the 3 parts (e.g., assumes (a) and uses it to prove (b) and (c)).
- Henceforth I shall regard project 5 in Ch. 1 (Morley's theorem) to be historical. (The solution is hard to work out but easy to find on the web.) So, put some history into it. (One paper found and compared two proofs.)
- Ch. 1, project 13: Beware that Russell has been misquoted here (and many other places). The correct quotation, which has different connotations, is here.
- In Ch. 2, regular exercises 14, 15, 16, and 19 are "major" in my opinion (hence suitable for papers).
- In Ch. 3, major exercise 6 is quite long. Part (a) alone (done well) makes a good 5-page paper.
- All exercises in Ch. 7 are considered "major".
- All essay topics in Ch. 8 are considered "major" (but some may also be "historical"; consult me if you're not sure).
- Your second paper should relate to Ch. 3 or later.
These major papers should be individual work. (The "Joint work" policy is not a license to turn in a paper that is a clone of someone else's.) Exception: Two (or more) different papers on closely related topics that form a single project, with a different author taking primary responsibility for each. (Example: Exercises 5-8 of Chapter 4, pp. 202-205. Or regular exercise 14 and major exercise 3 in Chapter 2. Or essays 2 and 18 in Ch. 8.)

Criterion	Historical	Mathematical
Choice of topic	4%	4%
Correctness and depth	20%	48%
Exposition	28%	24%
Mechanics (punctuation, etc.)	28%	20%
References	20%	4%

Winter 2012 Math 467: Modern Geometry

Frank Sottile

Paper policies

Winter 2012
Math 467: Modern Geometry