MTH 434/534: DIFFERENTIAL GEOMETRY
Basic Information
Instructor: Prof. Oprea, Email: j.oprea@csuohio.edu
Office: RT 1529, Phone: 216-687-4702
Office Hours: 5:00-5:50 T-Th, or by Appt.
Textbook
Differential Geometry and its Applications, 2nd-Edition, by J. Oprea, Mathematical
Association of America 2007. Do not get another edition (from Prentice-Hall).
We will cover Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 5 completely (or almost completely). We
will also cover portions of Chapter 6 and 7. Maple will be an important part of
this course. The Mathematics Department Computer Lab has Maple on every
machine and is open from 8 am to 5 pm every weekday (and sometimes later
on M-Th). The open labs on campus also now have Maple. Student versions of
Maple may be purchased from Waterloo Maple at webstore.maplesoft.com. You
can buy Maple ($99 for students). Some useful tutorial material may be found at
www.engineering.usu.edu/cee/faculty/gurro/Maple.html.
Important Note.
Each student must have a way to transfer and save files created in class. For
instance, students could email Maple worksheets to themselves or they can bring a
flash drive to class in order to save computer work done in the lab. Also, the class
has a Blackboard site, so check it for updates and files to download.
Grading.
Grading will be based on the following:
• An as yet undetermined number of assignments. An assignment could
consist of problems from the text or ones made up by the instructor or small
Maple projects or a combination of these things. Students will have at least
one week to do an assignment. Most likely, there will be 3 assignments
for undergraduates and 4 assignments for graduate students during the
semester. Each assignment will probably be worth 100 points. Remember
that, since undergrads sign up for a 3 credit course, their semester will end
at the 3/4 mark of the semester.
• A project. Undergraduates will do a small project (50 points) and graduate
students will do a more major project (100 points). This will be chosen
from a list provided and may be done with at most two partners. This
project generally will involve material from the book that we cannot get
to. In unusual circumstances, a project suggested by a student may be
substituted for one on the list. In particular, topics from Chapters 6, 7 or
8 may be suggested. If there is time at the end, projects will be presented
and this will be worth 50 points.
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MTH 434/534: Differential Geometry
Important Dates
Pay attention to the following dates:
• No class during Spring Break, March 8-15.
• Last Day to drop with a W: Friday, March 27.
• Last day of instruction: Friday, May 1.
• All work must be completed by Tuesday, May 5.
Disabilities Statement
Students with disabilities which may affect their ability to complete course requirements in this class may request appropriate accommodations by registering with the
Office of Disability Services at (216) 687-2015 in Main Classroom 147 and discussing
the nature of their situation. (http://www.csuohio.edu/offices/disability/)
Cheating and Plagiarism
Cheating or plagiarism in any form and at any time will not be tolerated. If cheating
occurs, the student will receive a grade of 0 for that component of the course.
Information regarding the official CSU policy regarding cheating and plagiarism
can be found in the CSU Code of Student Conduct at
http://www.csuohio.edu/studentlife/StudentCodeOfConduct2004.pdg.