Computing for mathematics


Syllabus and timeline

This course will follow 3 mains texts:

  1. A book covering the use of a programming language called Python: vknight.org/pfm/
  2. A set of short tutorials showing how to use the mathematical typesetting language LaTeX: vknight.org/tex/
  3. A document with guidelines for writing mathematics.

My personal notes for things I plan on discussing during class sessions can be found here: vkcfm.readthedocs.io. Note that you are not the intended audience for those notes (but you might still find them helpful).

Weekly schedule

Class in 0.01:

Optional drop in 2.35:

First Semester

  1. Week starting 3rd of October:
  2. Week starting 10th of October:
  3. Week starting 17th of October:
  4. Week starting 24th of October:
  5. Week starting 31st of October:
  6. Week starting 7th of November:
  7. Week starting 14th of November:
  8. Week starting 21nd of November: Example and mock coursework.
  9. Week starting 28th of November: Revision/Slack
  10. Week starting 5th of December: Revision/Slack and release of individual coursework.
  11. Week starting 12th of December: Individual coursework deadline.

Second Semester

  1. Week 1:
  2. Week 2:
  3. Week 3:
  4. Week 4:
  5. Week 5:
  6. Week 6:
  7. Week 7:
  8. Week 8: LaTeX and writing mathematics:
  9. Week 9: Presenting mathematics (to include watching conference presentations/critiques)
  10. Week 10: Group work
  11. Week 11: Group work
  12. Week 12: Presentation week

Assessment

This course will be assessed in two parts:

This will count for 50% of the total mark for the course.


Contact details

You are welcome to get in touch with me at any time although I might not immediately be available to respond.


Frequently asked questions

How do office hours work?

During the agreed office hours, feel free to knock on my door or 
send me an email or speak to me on discord.

How to download the coursework?

1. Right click on the link to the coursework and save the file to your
   computer (make a note of where it is on your computer).
2. **Do not double click on the file you have downloaded.** (see
   https://vknight.org/pfm/tools-for-mathematics/01-using-notebooks/why/main.html#why-can-i-not-double-click-on-a-jupyter-notebook-file
   for an explanation).
3. Start a Jupyter notebook server (see
   https://vknight.org/pfm/tools-for-mathematics/01-using-notebooks/how/main.html#start-a-jupyter-notebook-server
   for instructions).
4. Using the Jupyter notebook interface navigate to the notebook file you
   saved on your computer in step 1 and click on it.

How to upload the coursework?

1. In learning central for computing for mathematics, you will find an
   assignment.
2. Locate the `ipynb` file that corresponds to your coursework on your
   computer.
3. Upload it to the assignment on learning central.

Can I use concepts learnt elsewhere?

I do not discourage you from using concepts learnt elsewhere. In most
materials I point at other materials. However if you want to be sure to have
done things correctly for your assessment I recommend using the concepts
taught in in this course.

Kindness

In this course every participant (including myself) will be having many interactions with other participants. Some potential examples of this:

I expect every participant (including myself) to act with kindness during these interactions.

Some examples of how this applies to me:

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