MTH 434/534: Differential Geometry
(Lecture Section 001 only)
Winter 2013

Announcements,   Books,   Homework,   Schedule

Tevian Dray

Office hours: MF 10–11:30 AM in Kidder 298A (and by appt)

Phone: 737-5159

Email:

Class Meetings:

MWF 3–3:50 PM in Kidder 280

We will move to Weniger 304 beginning on 1/14/13.

Text:

Tevian Dray, The Geometry of Differential Forms

Optional Texts:

Flanders, Differential Forms with Applications to the Physical Sciences

Bishop & Goldberg, Tensor Analysis on Manifolds

Further information about these and other books can be found on the book list.

Web Site: http://math.oregonstate.edu/~tevian/onid/MTH434

Check the announcements page frequently.

Course Evaluation:

There will be (roughly) weekly homework (30% of grade), a midterm (30%), and a final (40%).

Course Description:

This course is a self-contained introduction to the many uses of differential forms. This approach emphasizes geometric content in a coordinate independent way; a good analogy is the use of vectors, rather than their components. We will spend some time developing the necessary mathematical tools, as well as applying these tools to concrete examples drawn from the physical sciences. We will also discuss other selected topics in tensor analysis.
A partial list of course goals can be found here.

Prerequisites:

The main prerequisite is a certain amount of scientific maturity, rather than background in a particular area. The only specific requirements are a working knowledge of multivariable calculus and linear algebra. MTH 255 and MTH 342 should provide sufficient mathematical background; MTH 311/312 are not required, although they do significantly develop mathematical maturity.

Other instructors may enforce the prerequisites listed in the catalog. Please contact me if you have questions about the appropriateness of your preparation for this course.

Students with Disabilities:

Accommodations are collaborative efforts between students, faculty and Disability Access Services (DAS). Students with accommodations approved through DAS should contact me prior to or during the first week of the term to discuss accommodations. Students who believe they are eligible for accommodations but who have not yet obtained approval through DAS should contact DAS immediately. Further information is available on the DAS website.