Math 8306-07: News and Announcements

05/14/03: The mean on the last problem set is 21 out of 30, with a top score of 30. My random number generator (on Maple) told me to grade problems 3, 4, and 6. If I had used Mathematica, the sequence would likely have been dramatically different. Sorry to those who suffered because of the tough luck. I will post the final grades the first thing tomorrow morning. And I thank you all for the wonderful learning environment during the year. I always enjoy working with people whose math IQ is at the same level or higher than that of mine!

04/25/03: I have to move my office hours from 11-12 Wednesday, April 30, to 11-12 Monday, April 28.

04/25/03: The last homework is posted. The due date is May 9.

04/22/03: I have to cancel my office hours today, Tuesday, April 22. I am staying home sick with a cold.

04/08/03: I have to move my office hours today, Tuesday, April 8, to 1:30-2:30, because of a doctor's appointment.

03/28/03: Correction of an error made in class 03/24/03: H_*(\Omega S^1) = H_0 (\Omega S^1) = Z^Z (a direct sum of countably many copies of the integers), rather than Z+Z.

03/25/03: Starting Tuesday, April 1, I am shifting my Tuesday office hours back to 2:30-3:30 permanently.

03/14/03: Have a nice break! I will see you Monday, March 24.

03/03/03: Hatcher posted an expanded version of his Spectral Sequences in Algebraic Topology. You can download it from our class web page - go one step back in your browser.

03/03/03: The results of Problem Set 4: Five problems graded: 4.1.18, 1, 2, 6, and 7; mean = 35 out of 50, maximal score = 48.

02/24/03: I have to move my Tuesday office hours from 2:30 - 3:30 to 1:30 - 2:30 pm this week, February 25 as well, because of faculty meeting. Thus all Tuesday office hours are moved to this new schedule till further notice.

02/23/03: I have to move my Tuesday office hours from 2:30 - 3:30 to 1:30 - 2:30 pm, starting March 4 till further notice, because of Ordway visitor Roger Howe's lectures in the Lie Theory Seminar.

02/12/03: I have made some changes to Problem 5 on Problem Set 4: made it clear what you are allowed to use and added a hint.

02/10/03: I have asked the library to put May's Concise Course in Algebraic Topology on reserve.

02/08/03: The homework is finally posted. It has 11 problems, some cheap, some expensive, some need what we are yet to study.

02/07/03: I am still working on the homework. I will not be able to resume working on it until late night. It will be due Monday two weeks from now, anyway.

02/03/03: Again I have to move my office hours from 2:30 - 3:30 to 1:30 - 2:30 pm tomorrow, Tuesday, February 4, because of a faculty meeting at 2:30 pm. Sorry about that! Hope the faculty meeting season will end soon.

01/27/03: I have to move my office hours from 2:30 - 3:30 to 1:30 - 2:30 pm tomorrow, Tuesday, January 28, because of a faculty meeting at 2:30 pm.

01/27/03: Problem Set 3. Problems graded: 1, 3, 6, 7, 9. Max = 50, mean = 39, out of 50. This is great, given how hard the problem set was. Keep the good work!

12/13/02: Congratulations: we have made it to the end of the semester! It was a real pleasure to teach such a clever crowd of people. I have already submitted your grades. Have great holidays and I will be looking forward to seeing you after the break!

12/10/02: Javier convinced me that part of Problem 2 (in Problem Set 3) in which you need to prove the manifold is homotopy equivalent to the sphere does not belong to that homework, as requiring some things we have never studied. I do apologize about the confusion and have removed that part of problem from the problem. However, it is an excellent problem, and if you solve it, I would love to hear or read the solution. (Do not forget to hit the "Reload" or "Refresh" button on your web browser to see the newest version of the Problem Set).

12/09/02: Hint to Problem 7: dualize the proof of Proposition 0.19 from Hatcher.

12/07/02: I have rearranged things on my web site a little bit, so that the URL address of our course web page has changed slightly. If you bookmarked it, you may wish to change it. However, if you got to this point and read this, you probably have already figured that out:-)

12/06/02: The last homework is posted on the web and due Friday, December 13. Since I posted it, I have added to Problem 5 a comment that you may assume that any CW complex is paracompact.

12/03/02: We have a departmental meeting today, Tuesday, from 2:30 to 3:00. I will hold my office hours today from 2 to 2:30 and then I will be around in my office after the meeting, from around 3:00. I may go to the Junior Colloquium at 4 pm, if I get some things done, and will leave after that. I encourage you to attend the Junior Colloquium, where Bill Messing will be talking about Lafforgue's Fields Medal work.

11/18/02: I remind you that, according to our syllabus, the "pre-Thanksgiving" class meeting (Wednesday, November 20) is canceled. My Tuesday and Wednesday office hours during the Thanksgiving week are also canceled. Enjoy the Holiday!

11/08/02: I have checked it with the library: all the three texts, Hatcher, Bredon, and Dold, are on a two-hour reserve and physically available.

10/28/02: I have to change my office hours this Tuesday, October 29, to 3:30-4:30, because of a faculty meeting. Come and see me any other time or make an appointment. Remember, I am going away Thursday-Friday, and you have a homework to do by Monday!

10/22/02: Remember that the second homework is due Monday, November 4, right after the week, when I will be out of town Thursday - Friday and not teach the Friday class and not hold my Friday's office hours. Please, plan your questions earlier during that week. I will be back Saturday and will answer your e-mail, should you have last-minute questions.

10/14/02: I will be away Thursday - Friday, October 31 - November 1, giving a colloquium at Madison, Wisconsin. I will have to cancel the class meeting and office hours on Friday, November 1.

10/11/02: Eric had a wonderful idea to have the supplementary texts, such as Bredon and Dold, put on reserve in the Math Library. I have arranged that, but the library has to recall the books first. Hopefully, they will have them on reserve by the end of next week.

09/26/02: Many of you have probably figured out that the hardest problem on the homework was Problem 1, on gluing two filled doughnuts together. Here is a hint: think of a filled doughnut as part of C^2: (z_1,z_2) defined by equations |z_1| = 1, |z_2| <= 1. Then use diffeomorphisms of the boundary S^1 x S^1 of the kind (z_1,z_2) |--> (z_1^a z_2^b, z_1^c z_2^d), where a, b, c, and d are integers such that ad-bc = 1. For instance, to get RP^3, use a=2.

09/25/02: As a further step in improving customer service, lecture outlines are now available on our class web page.

09/25/02: I will have more office hours this Thursday 1-2:30 pm, a day before the homework is due. However, you are very welcome to see me at any time you can find me, set an appointment, or send me a message.

09/15/02: I will be at a workshop "Rencontre entre physiciens theoriciens et mathematiciens" in Strasbourg from the afternoon of Tuesday, September 17 through Sunday, September 22. I have asked Professor Wojciech Chacholski to substitute for me in our Wednesday and Friday class meetings this week. I also cancel my regular office hours for this week. Should you wish to talk to me, please, see me Monday any time or Tuesday before 1:30 pm. If you have any questions later this week, feel free to talk to Professor Chacholski. His office is just next to mine: VinH 323.

09/09/02: My Tuesday, September 10, office hours 2:30-3:30 pm have to be rescheduled, because of a faculty meeting. If you want to see me September 10, please, do it between 1:30 and 2:30 or 4:00 and 5 pm. I am sorry about the inconvenience.

09/06/02: I have announced my office hours as 2:30-3:30 pm today, but then realized that I am going to take Ionut Ciocan-Fontanine's class MWF 2:30-3:20. (Some of us never stop studying:-) For this reason, I am changing my Friday office hours to 1:30 to 2:30. I apologize for the inconvenience.

09/05/02: I have posted a (well-thought) syllabus on the class web page, which includes coverage, office hours, more on grading policy, etc. I have also posted a list of topics for in-class presentation. Since there are so many of you, you will need to give only one presentation during the school year.