Homework Solutions



  1. Problem write-ups are your permanent record of your understanding of the material covered. This is especially true in a course such as this that has no exams. Thus, you'll want to make your solutions complete enough so that you can understand them a month or a few years after you wrote them.

  2. Solutions should be clearly and logically presented. This means that:
    1. Your method should always be clear. It should be easy to figure out what you're doing and why.
    2. Use a lot of space. I recommend skipping some lines if you use lined paper.
    3. Equations should usually be accompanied by prose. Before plunging into algebra, state what it is you're solving for. If there are any non-obvious steps in a calculation, explain them.

  3. Solutions should stand on their own; they should be understandable to someone who hasn't read the problem. This means that you should paraphrase the question before writing your response.

  4. You should aim to develop a semi-structured style for solving problems. Different people have different styles. But good, experienced problem-solvers all have some sort of system that they use.

  5. I will not give numerical grades on HW assignments. Instead, I will give a letter grade and try to include as many comments as I can. (If you don't want a letter grade on your homework, that's fine. Please make a note to this effect on the top of your assignment.) I'm mainly interested in seeing that you thoughtfully attacked the problem and wrote it up in a clear and coherent way. If you only want comments and don't want a letter grade on your HW, just let me know.

  6. Finally, a few requests for submitting assignments:
    1. All work should be submitted via google classroom. Please don't email assignments to me. (Sorting through email to find homework submissions is confusing and time consuming.)
    2. Please scan your assignment into a single pdf. There are nifty scanning apps for smart phones. I like one called genius scan. Please make sure the scans are right side up.
    3. Please do the problems in order. If you do them out of order, please indicate this on your assignment and make it so that it's not hard to find them. Thanks.