Syllabus
Course: Math 163 (Course Catalog)
Title: History of Mathematics
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisites: Math 20B
Catalog Description: Topics will vary from year to year in areas of mathematics and their development. Topics may include the evolution of mathematics from the Babylonian period to the eighteenth century using original sources, a history of the foundations of mathematics and the development of modern mathematics.
Text: Ideas of Space: Euclidean, Non-Euclidean, and Relativistic by Jeremy Gray. Clarendon Press; second edition (September 21, 1989)
Grading: Your Math 163 grade will be calculated according to the following table:
| Component | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Homework | 15% |
| Projects | 15% |
| Paper | 20% |
| Midterm | 20% |
| Final | 30% |
After your average is calculated, letter grades will be assigned based on your performance (relative to the class).
Please notice that outside factors, including the need for a certain grade for admission/retention in any academic program, scholarship or transfer credit, graduation requirements or personal desire for a specific grade DO NOT appear in the above calculations, and thus are not considered in any way in the determination of your course grade. Effort, improvement, class attendance and participation will all dramatically improve your grade in the course in that they will allow you to do well on homework, exams, and the final exam. They will NOT, however, actively participate in the calculation of your course grade.
Grade Recording Errors: Keep all of your returned homework and exams. If there is any mistake in the recording of your scores, you will need the original assignment/exam in order for us to make a change.
Homework: There will be regular homework assignments posted in TritonEd. Late homework assignments will not be accepted. Accommodations will be made on homework only under extraordinary circumstances. Please understand that accepting late work in less extreme cases is unfair to other students.
Projects: Topics outside of the main theme of the course will be discussed during Discussion Sections with aid of various projects. Projects will be done in groups during Discussion Section. (Projects will be made available through TritonEd after the discussion sections.) Projects will be graded based on completion. It is not possible to make up a missed projects because it is not possible to make up a missed Discussion Section. Make sure to go to your assigned Discussion Section to ensure you get a grade for the projects.
History Paper: Math 163 has a writing component. The Math 163 History Paper can be written on any topic that relates to the history of mathematics. More information on the history paper can be found here.
Exams: There will be one 40-minute midterm exams (given in class) and a two hour final exam. See the course calendar for exact dates. Bring your student ID and pens/pencils with which to write. No books or notes are allowed. You may not use a calculator or other electronic device. Make sure to justify your answers (credit will not be given for "inspired" answers). Remember that part of each problem is to set it up and to arrive at the answer by a progression of logical steps. Write legibly and put your name and section number on your exam.
Make-up Exams: Make-up exams will not be given. However, if you miss the midterm exam because of extraordinary circumstances, such as a serious illness or family emergency, and document the circumstances, then you may substitute your final exam score for the missed exam.
Final Exam: It is your responsibility to ensure that you do not have a schedule conflict involving the final examination. You should not enroll in this class if you cannot sit for the final examination at its scheduled time.
Note: No student is allowed to take an exam early. If a student is entitled to accommodation, it will only be offered after the scheduled exam time and during normal Mathematics Department business hours (8:00 am to 4:30 pm).
Regrade Policy: This quarter, we are using Gradescope (https://gradescope.com/) to facilitate exam grading. As a consequence, exams will not be returned during discussion section. Instead, a digital version of your exams will be made available after the grading has been completed. Regrade requests will be handled using the regrade request facility built into GradeScope.
Academic Integrity: Academic dishonesty is considered a serious offense at UCSD. Students caught cheating will face an administrative sanction which may include suspension or expulsion from the university. It is in your best interest to maintain your academic integrity.
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