Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Prerequisites
18.901 Introduction to Topology
Descriptions
This course is a seminar in topology. The main mathematical goal is to learn about the fundamental group, homology and cohomology. The main non-mathematical goal is to obtain experience giving math talks. Lectures will be delivered by the students, with two students speaking at each class. There are no exams. There will be some homework assignments and a final paper.
Textbooks
Hatcher, Allen. Algebraic Topology. Cambridge University Press, 2001. ISBN: 9780521795401. [Preview with Google Books] This book is also available for free online at Allen Hatcher's webpage. Massey, William S. A Basic Course in Algebraic Topology. SpringerVerlag, 1991. ISBN: 9783540974307.
Grading
The final grade is determined as follows: ACTIVITIES PERCENTAGES Lectures and participation 60% Final paper 30% Problem sets 10% Attendance is mandatory. Every three missed classes will result in the drop of a letter grade; thus one can miss up to two classes with no effect on the grade.
these comments at the end of class and e-mail them to the lecturer so that they can have some feedback. (The lecturer will not know who made which comments.)
Homework
There will be approximately four problem sets. These will count towards the final grade. Solutions are to be written in Latex. You may work together on the problem sets, but everyone must write up their own solutions. There will also be exercise sets, mainly composed of exercises given by lecturers. These are optional and do not have to be turned in. If you are interested in learning the material, it is probably a good idea to do at least some of the exercises.
Final Paper
The final paper is an exposition of a topic in algebraic topology that we will not cover in the seminar. It must be at least 10 pages long and written in Latex. Topics will be selected for the papers by session 15. A first draft is due in session 27, and a final draft two weeks later. In the final five meetings of class, students will give talks on their final papers.