MAT5361/4162 Fall 2007

Instructor: Pieter Hofstra

Contact: my office is KED307G. My office hours are Thursday, 1.00-3.00, but you can make an appointment by email or phone anytime.

Tel: (613) 562-5800 ext. 3494

Email: phofstra@uottawa.ca

Final exam: December 11^th, 14-17h, FTX136.

Midterm Exam: scheduled for Wednesday October 31^st, 2.30-4pm in FTX315. Material and guidelines can be found here (in .dvi) and here (in .pdf).

Projects: this week you should start thinking about a suitable topic. By next week (Nov 13) you should come and discuss your ideas with me. There are lots of possibilities: higher recursion theory, connections with topology, complexity theory, degree theory, connections with proof theory or set theory. Look in the library or on the internet to get some ideas, or come and talk to me!

Course outline: can be found here.

Prerequisites: this is a graduate course, and is accessible to all students who have some basic knowledge about mathematical logic (for example MAT3361). Advanced undergraduate students are also welcome to take the course. If you are in doubt as to whether this course is suitable for you, come and see me.

Lectures: Monday 4-5.30pm, Tuesday 2.30-4pm, KED B004. You are strongly encouraged to attend class.

Course progress. Click here to see what we have covered in class, what to read in the book and notes, and for homework assignments.

Tutorial: there is no tutorial/DGD for this course. However, you are encouraged to come and talk to me if you have any questions about the material or are having difficulties of any kind.

Textbook: Computability – An introduction to recursive function theory, by N.J. Cutland, CUP. Whenever necessary, additional material will be made available on this website.

Course Website: this page will be updated regularly, and will tell you what material we’ve covered, which sections in the book you’re supposed to read, which exercises you’re supposed to do and when to hand them in, etc.

Marking scheme:

• There will be a scheduled final exam, with weight 50%.
• There will be one midterm test, worth 20%
• There will be homework assignments (roughly every 2-3 classes), worth 15% in total
• There will be one “project” assignment on a topic of your choice, worth 15%.

Requirements: In order to obtain a D or better in the course, you will need to have at least 50% on the final exam. If you have 40% or less on the final exam, you will automatically receive an F.

Homework Assignments: every week or so I will post the exercises which you should do as your homework. It is encouraged that you discuss problems with your classmates and with me – if you’re stuck on a problem don’t hesitate to come and ask for help. However, the work you submit should clearly be your own work – see the university policy on plagiarism. Doing the homework exercises is crucial to mastering the concepts and techniques we teach you in this course.

Project Assignment: during the last month of the course, you are supposed to work on a small project on a suitable topic of your choice. This involves:

• Meeting with me to discuss possible topics and to decide on a suitable project to work on (note: your project needs to be approved by me!). During class, I will often point out possible topics, so that you can get an idea of the options you have.
• Writing a small report (<5 pages) about your project
• Giving a short presentation during class about your project.