MATH 240: Introduction to Topology

Instructor and course information

Instructor information:

Instructor: Bogdan Krstic

Email: bogdan.krstic@rochester.edu

Office: Hylan 1019.

Course information:

Lectures: Mondays and Wednesdays 12:30-1:45 PM ET.

Location: Hylan 101.

Office hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 10:30-11:30 AM ET, and by appointment.

Textbook: Principles of Topology by Fred H. Croom.

Course Description

Review of set theory; metric spaces and topological spaces; functions and continuous functions; convergence, completeness, connectedness, and compactness; applications to surfaces.

Homework

Weekly homework will be posted on the Homework page and collected through Gradescope. You are encouraged to work with other students on the homework problems, but you must write up and submit your own solutions. One homework assignment will be dropped.

Definition Quizzes

Starting week 3, there will be a brief (10 minute) definition quiz at the start of each Monday’s class. You will be asked to state (on paper) a definition from the course material until that point and give a brief example of it in use or solve a small problem involving the defintion. Each Wednesday, you will be given (in class) a list of definitions from which the term you must define on the following Monday will be chosen. One quiz grade will be dropped. Makeup quizzes will not be given.

Exams

There will be one in-class midterm exam on Monday, February 27. The final exam is on Tuesday, May 2nd at 8:30 AM. Both exams will take place in our regular classroom. Information about the exams will be posted on the Exams page.

Grading

The course grade will be calculated as follows:

• Quizzes: 5%
• Homework: 15%
• Midterm: 30%
• Final: 50%

Academic Honesty

All assignments and activities associated with this course must be performed in accordance with the University of Rochester’s Academic Honesty Policy. More information is available at https://rochester.edu/college/honesty.

In particular, exams must be submitted with a signed Honor Pledge.

This course is also subject to the Mathematics Department’s statement on online resources: Any usage whatsoever of online solution sets or paid online resources (chegg.com or similar) is considered an academic honesty violation and will be reported to the Board on Academic Honesty. In particular, any assignment found to contain content which originated from such sources is subject to a minimum penalty of zero on the assignment and a full letter grade reduction at the end of the semester (e.g. a B would be reduced to a C). This applies even if the unauthorized content was obtained through indirect means (through a friend for instance) and/or the student is seemingly unaware that the content originated from such sources. If you have any questions about whether resources are acceptable, please check with your instructor.

Disability Support

The University of Rochester respects and welcomes students of all backgrounds and abilities. In the event you encounter any barrier(s) to full participation in this course due to the impact of a disability, please contact the Office of Disability Resources. The access coordinators in the Office of Disability Resources can meet with you to discuss the barriers you are experiencing and explain the eligibility process for establishing academic accommodations. You can reach the Office of Disability Resources at: disability@rochester.edu; (585) 276-5075; Taylor Hall; https://rochester.edu/college/disability.