Guidelines for Solutions to Problem Sets - Math 221 Linear Algebra - Fall 2014

I firmly believe that one of the best ways to build your understanding of mathematics is to explore the ideas with other students. Therefore, I encourage you to discuss the Problem Sets with other students, but you must turn in a separate paper that represents your own work. If you do work with someone else on an assignment, you should indicate that in a note on the top of your paper.

I have high expectations for the presentation of the Problem Sets. If you do not follow these guidelines, I reserve the right to return your Problem Set ungraded. I am not being unnecessarily annoying about this. Learning to carefully organize your thoughts and clearly communicate them is one of the most important skills you will learn in college.

• Your writing must be clear and legible.

• Your solutions should be well-written, using complete sentences to justify your results where necessary.

• A list of answers without explanation is not acceptable.

• Here is a good rule of thumb to follow when writing up your homework:

  Write your solutions so that you could hand them to a student who took Linear Algebra last year and she could understand your explanation.

• If you write in pen, there should be no scratch-outs.

• Do not turn in paper torn from a spiral notebook with ragged edges.

• Clearly label each problem with the section and exercise number.

The Problem Sets cover a week's worth of material, so you should definitely plan to start early and take advantage of my office hours. The Problem Sets are due at the beginning of class on Friday mornings.