Here are the past and current reading and homework assignments for Spring Quarter, broken out by subject. Assigned reading should be done for the given week but not necessarily by the beginning of the week (though, of course, Seminar Reading must be completed before seminar).
Week Algebra (due Mon morning)
Complex (due Tues morning)
Seminar Reading (due Wed morning)
Probability (due Thurs morning)
1 None - it's the first day of class!
Here's the first bunch of lecture notes.no turn-in this week Borges's "The Library of Babel" (this is Chapter 26 in Frucht's Imaginary Numbers); Borges's "Borges and Myself" and "The Aleph", and Fisher's "Borges: `Algebra and Fire`" (these three are here) Read Ross Ch2;
do the following:
Ch2 Problems: 2, 3, 4, 10, 17, 19, 23, 27, 42
Ch2 Theoretical Exercises: 9, 11
2 Do the following problems from Gallian:
Ch19: 1, 3, 5, 10, 22, 27, 28, 30, 31
Also, be sure to print the second bunch of lecture notes.turn-in Frucht’s Imaginary Numbers, Chapters 1-5, 7-11, 13, and 15-18 Read Ross Ch3;
do the following:
Ch3 Problems: 1, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 19, 22, 33, 37
Ch3 Theoretical Exercises: 2, 5, 7
3 Do these problems. turn-in Frucht’s Imaginary Numbers, Chapters 19-25 and 27-31, and Egan’s “Luminous”.
(Hey, if you like Racter, you can read its whole book here. Fun!)Read Ross Ch4;
do the following:
Ch3 Problems: 52, 53, 55, 56, 60, 63
Ch3 Theoretical Exercises: 9, 14
Ch4 Problems: 4, 12, 20, 21, 27
4 Do these problems. turn-in;
remember that the midterm is this Thursday afternoon!Abbott’s Flatland and Burger’s Sphereland Read Ross Sections 5.1 - 5.5;
do the following:
Ch4 Problems: 31, 41, 51, 57, 63, 68, 71, 75
5 Do these problems.
Also, print out this third bunch of lecture notes.turn-in selections from Hofstadter’s Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid:
part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4
part 5
part 6
part 7
part 8
part 9Read the rest of Ch5.
Remember that the midterm is this Thursday morning!
Consequently, there's no Probability homework due this week.
Here are some midterm solutions.
6 There's no homework due this week, but the midterm exam is due Monday at 10am.
Here are some midterm solutions.turn-in selections from the Oulipo.
It may be fun to play around with this N+7 Generator for a minute. Check it out!Read Ross Sections 6.1-6.3;
do the following problems:
Ch5 Problems: 2, 4, 6, 11, 15ab, 20, 23, 26, 34, 39
Ch5 Theoretical Exercises: 2, 3, 12
7 There's no Algebra homework due this week because of the program retreat.
However, you should print out this fourth bunch of lecture notes.There's no Complex turn-in due this week because of the program retreat. Auburn’s Proof, Stoppard’s Arcadia. Read Ross Sections 6.4 & 6.5.
There's no Probability homework due this week because of the program retreat.
8 The Algebra assignment will be due this *Tuesday*, as this Monday's class is canceled. And the assignment in question is here. turn-in Jonke's Geometric Regional Novel Read Ross Sections 7.1, 7.2, 7.4, and 7.5;
do the following problems:
Ch6 Problems: 1, 7, 8, 16, 20, 30, 39, 44
Ch6 Theoretical Exercises: 3, 5, 14
9 Do these problems.
You'll also want to print out this fifth (and last) bunch of lecture notes.turn-in Lightman’s Einstein’s Dreams Read Ross Sections 7.5 and 8.1-8.4;
do the following problems:
Ch7 Problems: 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 14, 17, 48, 54
10 Do the take-home final, which was handed out on the Tuesday of Week 9 and which is due at 5pm on the Wednesday of Week 10. no turn-in this week.
Final exam this Thursday 10a-12p! You're allowed to bring a page of handwritten notes.Student work:
Fried Chicken & explication;
Verdict & explication;
I Don't Eat People & explication;
Beast & explication;
Nod Burfday and explication;
Eulogy;
Blade Runner 2Final exam this Tuesday 1p-6p! You're allowed to bring a page of handwritten notes.