Math 347 Geometry
TuTh 7-8:15 WH C-155
Website:
http://www.csudh.edu/math/mjones
You will find the syllabus and course assignments on
the website.
Office: NSM A-120 phone: (310) 243-2410
Office
Hours: Tu.
Th.
Th.
And by
appointment
Text and Materials: There is no text for this course. We will be working from handouts and
developing our own study materials as a class.
As this is a geometry course, you will need to make diagrams and
sketches frequently. For this reason,
you should always bring a pencil, a ruler, a compass, and a protractor to class
and use them to help you make
accurate diagrams whenever possible. In
addition, we have access to the Geometer’s Sketchpad program to do explorations
and examples.
Course Description and
Philosophy: This course is designed to enhance your
understanding of geometry. Geometry in
this class means not only the familiar (but perhaps forgotten) Euclidean
geometry from high school, but also non-Euclidean geometries, such as spherical
and projective geometry. We will see
that non-Euclidean geometries are of value by themselves, but also help us to understand
Euclidean geometry better.
The
style of this class will probably be different than most math classes that you
have experienced in the past. In this
class, you, the students, will be responsible for finding and understanding the
solutions to the problems we encounter.
My responsibility as the instructor is to provide guidance to you in
learning geometry as well as mathematical thinking. I am not “the source,” and rarely is there an
“answer key.” In this class, as in life,
if you want answers, you have to find them.
Goals: Students will understand
·
Fundamental ideas of mathematics used in geometry: proof, axiomatization, and definition
·
Essential geometric principles of congruence and similarity
·
Distinguishing features of Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometries, and
in particular the importance of the parallel postulate
Expected Outcomes: By the end of this course, students will be
able to:
·
Write, read and correct both proofs and definitions
·
Prove principal theorems of Euclidean geometry, including triangle
congruence theorems and equivalent forms of the parallel postulate
·
Identify objects which are congruent or similar and establish
congruence or similarity with a proof
·
Identify familiar Euclidean theorems which are false in spherical
and/or projective geometry, and identify corresponding theorems (if they exist)
in non-Euclidean space
Assessment:
Class
participation log and journal 214 points
Assignments 96 points
2
Exams and 1 Quiz 400
points
Final
290
points
Total 1000
points
Class participation
log and journal: For each day of class
beginning Thursday, January 27, excluding exam days, you are expected to write
a two-part entry. The first part, the log,
will be a record of your actions in class, including: (1) a detailed description of any results you
presented in front of the class, including the number of the problem, whether
it was a proof, a counter-example, a calculation, etc., and whether your
presentation contained any mathematical errors;(2) a detailed description of
any comments you made about results presented by others (including the
professor), including the number of the problem and the type of comment
(question, correction, assisting the presenter’s explanation); (3) a brief
description of any small group discussion(s) you may have had during the
class. The second part, the journal,
will be a reflection on what you learned in the class, and each journal entry
should be at least 120 words.
Occasionally, you will also be asked to read an article and comment on
the reading in your journal.
Log and journal rubric: You are expected to type your class
participation journal and log in single-spaced 12 point font, and turn it in on
February 15, and again on the last day of class, Thursday, May 12. You earn points based on the contents of your
journal and log as follows: For each
correct and complete journal entry, you will receive 4 points. If you are absent, you cannot receive points
for that day’s journal entry. I keep
attendance records and I check journals against these records. You also receive 20 points for each correctly
presented complete solution to an assigned problem, 3 to15 points for partially
correct or partially complete solutions (less credit is given for presentations
which are very incomplete or which the presenter cannot explain), 2 to 10
points for comments, questions, or any assistance given to clarifying another
presenter’s explanation. The log is your
record of your work in class, and you are responsible for keeping complete and
accurate data. You may submit your log
and journal at any time for feedback (or to have your points counted). You can receive up to 25 points extra credit
for extensive participation recorded in your log.
Assignments will be given on a weekly
basis, due each Tuesday, will each be worth 8 points, and will have 6-12
problems: problems will be marked as
“for presentation/discussion” or “for careful write-up.” As suggested by the names, presentation
problems will be discussed in class, while I will read at least one of the problems
marked as “write-up.” You receive one
point for each correct “write-up” problem, and the remainder of the points will
be given for showing work, including partial and scratch work, for the
“presentation problems.” If you are absent, you are responsible for getting
your assignment to me on the day it is collected.
Exams/Quiz: A
quiz will be given on March 1, and exams will be given March 22 and April 26.
The
Final
will be given on Tuesday, May 17, from
Creating Conditions for
Successful Learning: Research shows that one of the
most important factors determining success in math class is the amount of time
spent working on the material. This
applies to you in more than one way:
In
addition, you need to have:
Make-up Policy: I do not accept late or make-up work. If you experience a major emergency, special
arrangements may be made at my discretion.
Please make every effort to contact me as soon as possible when you know
you will miss a class due to an emergency; do not wait until the next class to
ask about being excused from an assignment.
Grading Scale: A: 92% or better, A-: 88-91%, B+:
85-87%, B: 81-84%, B-: 78-80%,
C+: 75-77%, C:
71-74%, C-: 66-70%, D: 62-65%, F 61% or below.
Academic integrity is expected. Cheating, fraud, plagiarism or other academic dishonesty is unacceptable and will be cause for disciplinary action.