MATHEMATICA in Poolesville Number Theory

The use of the mathematical software package MATHEMATICA will be an important feature of the course. You will use MATHEMATICA to work the Computer Explorations assigned from KW. You are also encouraged to use MATHEMATICA as an aid in solving the Projects assigned from KW. You may also use MATHEMATICA, if you wish, in order to work normal Homework Exercises. However, it is preferred that you work the Exercises by hand first, and then use MATHEMATICA to check your work. Even if you use the software on an Exercise that is to be submitted, you must submit a hand-written version. You may use MATHEMATICA in Poolesville Labs, on your personal computer, or elsewhere -- whatever is most convenient. The current version of MATHEMATICA is Version 9. If you have access to Version 8, that will most likely be satisfactory. Older versions may prove problematic.

Policy on MATHEMATICA Homework Collaboration

You are required to form small teams to collaborate in preparing solutions to the Computer Explorations problems -- and to the Projects, should you choose to solve them with MATHEMATICA. No team may contain more than three members. Teams may contain two members. Teams may vary during the year; that is, if you wish to change the composition of any team, you may do so at any time--of course, while maintaining the limit of three. No other collaboration is permitted. If individuals or teams collaborate without acknowledgement, penalties will be assessed.

You may submit your solutions in one of two ways: (i) the team works together and submits one write-up with all team members listed on the front; or (ii) each team member submits his own write-up, but collaboration is acknowledged by listing the other team members on the front. I prefer the former, since it makes grading more efficient and reveals the teams more clearly. However, if the individualist inside you demands your own version, that is permissible.

You may form your teams as you wish. If you are a loner, or don't know anyone in class, I will be willing to assign students to teams. Experience has shown that students who work in teams: adjust to MATHEMATICA's syntax quicker, spend less time in seemingly hopeless dead-ends, learn more, and actually get higher grades. Participation on a team is mandatory.

NOTE: Team homework should be a true collaborative effort. Experience shows that if one individual does all the work, then what the other members of the team miss invariably shows up (more precisely fails to show up) on succeeding exams.

Formatting Your Work for Presentation

You will use MATHEMATICA to solve number theory problems in this course. There still remains the issue of how you transmit those solutions to others, in particular in what form to hand them in for grading. You may submit your work by creating a single "Mathematica Notebook" for all the problems that you are submitting, and labeling the contents clearly at the beginning of the Notebook. (Alternatively, you may create a Notebook for each problem.) You should split up a multi-part problem into multiple cells, and label each cell appropriately. You will find the use of title, section and subsection styles to be useful. Click on a cell bracket, then use Format:Style. Finally, print that file for submission. Your answers should be presented in the order that the problems are assigned. If you use more than one sheet of paper, they should be stapled together. The top of the first page should include: your name, the names of other members of your team, and the date the assignment is due.

The above is the default method to present MATHEMATICA output in this course. There are other methods -- e.g., cutting and pasting input and output into a Microsoft Word document. If you employ this or any other alternate method, that should be noted on your submission.

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