Professor David Blecher

Welcome to Math 6342--Topology (12341)



Class MWF 11--12 in S 207 NOTE ROOM CHANGE. Office Hours - MW 12-1, or by appointment, in PGH 651e, email is  dpbleche@central.uh.edu
Recommended text (not required): Topology, A First Course, J. R. Munkres, Second Edition, Prentice-Hall Publishers. It will mostly just be used for homework problems, and for extra reading: for classnotes you will use the provided typed notes.
Upcoming due dates: KEEP WATCHING THIS SPOT SINCE THINGS WILL BE ADDED. Pace yourself, dont do things at the last moment.

See Homework link below. Homework 6b is due (in the Chapter 2 folder on Blackboard) on 10/16. Homework 7a is due (in the Chapter 2 folder on Blackboard) on 10/23. Homework 8 is due (in the Chapter 3 folder on Blackboard) on 11/6. Homework 7b is due (in the Chapter 2 folder on Blackboard) on 11/13.


Based on students replies we will do a Homework workshop with pizza on Thursday 11 Nov at 1pm in PGH 648

Please tell me by November 10 which project you are doing. If you do not do the default algebraic topology project, remember that your project needs to be substantial, the equivalent of the weeks of lectures spent on algebraic topology, and the homework there. Homework 9 (algebraic topology) is due at midnight December 13 (in the Chapter 3 folder on Blackboard). The due date for your project is December 15 (with an extension to Decembeer 16 under extenuating circumstances).

Midterm Test: 10/11 in person (face-to-face in classroom). Final exam is December 15 between 11 am and 2pm, although the exam itself will probably be an hour or an hour and a half, probably starting at 12:30. Plan to get to campus an hour before the test starts to factor in emergencies like traffic problems etc! Instructions on tests are linked below.






Remember that the most important thing is to be doing your `main job'. You are expected to reread and digest the typed notes after class, line by line, trying to follow why the line is true, for example how it follows from previous lines. I suggest you add a check mark after you have read and understood the line, add extra explanation or pictures to yourself if needed. Add a question mark next to any line you cannot follow, and ask me about it. This is the way a mathematician reads a mathematics paper. Also memorize `definitions' as you read. The best advice I can give to ensure success in this class is to do this reading properly. In my experience, the class becomes much much more difficult if you do not do it. It takes a long time to do this. It is important to keep up to date. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In the last weeks of class you will be given time to begin work on a project, which you will be able to choose (see link above). If you are not doing the default project: You may do a longer project as a group, with some doing different parts of the project. The project is worth 40 points. It should be turned in at the final exam on the last day of classes or a few days after that (date to be determined). You may be asked to do a short presentation of your project during the final exam three hour timeslot. If you are doing the default project there may be questions on this on your final exam.
If you are a new graduate student taking this class, I suggest reading some material about writing mathematics. Theres lots of stuff on this on the web, as you can find by googling "writing mathematics" e.g.
here or here or here. See also the links to how to write math papers and advice on mathematical exposition in this blog by Terry Tao.