Math 147: Differential Topology

Spring 2023



Lectures: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:00am- 10:20am, room 381-T.

Professor: Eleny Ionel, office 383L, ionel "at" math.stanford.edu

Course Assistant: Judson Kuhrman, office 380M, kuhrman "at" stanford.edu

Course Description: This course is an introduction to smooth methods in topology including transversality, intersection numbers, fixed point theorems, as well as differential forms and integration.

Prerequisites: Math 144 or equivalent, along with a good understanding of multivariable calculus (inverse and implicit function theorems, existence and uniqueness results for ODE's, integration of multivariable functions)

Textbook: Guillemin and Pollack, Differential Topology. Other references you may find useful:

Course logistics: Course announcements, homework and other course materials will be posted on Canvas. Weekly homework will be due and graded on Gradescope.

Grading Policy: The course grade is based on the following components:

Homework: There will be weekly homework assignments, given out on Tuesday and due the following Tuesday before 11:59 pm PDT on Gradescope. No late submissions will be accepted. The lowest homework score will be dropped. You are encouraged to discuss and work together with your classmates on the homework, but you must write up your own solutions. You may lose points for unclear work. Keep in mind that simply copying solutions from another student or other sources is a waste of everybody's time, as well as a violation of the Stanford Honor Code.

Exams: The current plan is to have an evening midterm exam and a final exam. The exams will be held in person.

Important dates:

Tentative Schedule: (which may be adjusted as the quarter goes on)

Students with Documented Disabilities: Students who may need an academic accommodation based on the impact of a disability must initiate the request with the Office of Accessible Education (OAE). Professional staff will evaluate the request with required documentation, recommend reasonable accommodations, and prepare an Accommodation Letter for faculty dated in the current quarter in which the request is made. Students should contact the OAE as soon as possible since timely notice is needed to coordinate accommodations.
For accommodations on exams, please provide the OAE letter no later than one week prior to the exam to allow for adequate time to arrange accommodations.

Academic Integrity: The Honor Code articulates Stanford University's expectations of students and faculty in establishing and maintaining the highest standards in academic work. Examples of conduct that have been regarded as being in violation of the Honor Code (and are most relevant for this course) include copying from another student's work or allowing another student to copy from your own work; plagiarism; revising and resubmitting your work for regrading without the instructor's knowledge and consent; representing as one's own work the work of another. See http://communitystandards.stanford.edu/ for more information on the Honor Code.