Instructions for Homeworks

Homeworks will be due on the designed day (see below) and except for the first homework, all are to be turned in at the beginning of the class. Homeworks turned in after the due date will not be accepted, unless this happened because of some documented  emergency.

Each problem set will be assinged on the day you turn in the homework from the previous week or on the day immediately following.

I am happy to discuss any issues concerning the homeworks -- both solutions and your possible disputes concerning grading. Please contact me to make an appointment if you wish to talk.

The homework problems are given in the format x.y:a,b,c,...   where x.y is the number of the section in the book and a,b,c,... are the numbers of the correspinding exercises.  

There will be two kinds of problems given: computational and theoretic. When writing a solution to a computational problem, please refer please explain what theoretical means you use (if you use any) and possibly refer to the relevant theorem from the lecture or book. Concerning the solutions for theoretical problems, always try to write a self-contained argument and refer to any major theorems/lemmas from the lecture or book. In both cases use the common sense to determine what to write and what not. Except for learning algebra, writing homeworks should also help you to learn how to write mathematical arguments in a way that you include just the right amount of details.

Some of the problems assigned may be highlited/clickable. If this is the case, clicking on the problem opens a remark or a hint. If the book already gives a hint, the hint I post is typically an extension of the hint from the book. It is a good idea to attempt the problems without looking at hints, but if you feel you need a hint, feel free to look at it. Let me stress that any solution that is correct is accepted, that is, I don't discriminate among correct solutions.

Important point: Some problems assigned will be more demanding. It is a good idea to look at it right on the day they are assigned, as you may need a couple of days to think about the problems, absorb, and work through them. This is also the right way of learning the material and ensuring that the knowledge remains permanent. Remember that understanding the material is the goal, and understanding means that you are able to make connections between the new material and the material you learned before.

Grading Policy: The number of problems is typically much higher than the number the grader is able to grade. For this reason only some of the problems will be graded; typically those I consider important. However this information will not be release to you until you receive the graded homework back, as you are work thorugh all problems assigned. Remember that the goal is to lear the material (and to pass the Qualifying Exam, if you decide to take on in Algebra). The grading scale is 0-5 where 5 means that the solution is complete.