Math 461

Metric and Topological Spaces

Professor: T. ParkerOffice: D-216 Wells Hall 353-8493 parker@math.msu.edu

Office hours:
Monday 3-4 Tuesday 2-3Thursday 12:30-1:30 or by appointment.

Goals: Point-set topology is an interesting, self-contained subject that requires very little background to get started, yet is essential background for most areas of modern advanced mathematics. By its nature, it is rigorous proof-based mathematics. Accordingly, most of the classwork (lectures, homework, exams) will be in the form of proofs. The last third of the course will be an introduction to algebraic topology, focusing on homology theory. This part of the course will have more pictures and examples, and be more computation-oriented. Course Syllabus
Prerequisites: Math 320 or 327H, and a willingness to work hard on abstract mathematics.
Textbooks: Introduction to Topology by T. Gamelin and R. Greene. Additional Reading from: Topology by K. Janisch. and Basic Topology by M.A. Armstrong. Additional Resources
Exams and grades: There will be weekly homework assignments, an in-class Midterm Exam, and a take-home Final Exam. Course grades will be determined by the weighted sum of Homework (60%), Midterm (15%) and Final (25%).