MA 427
Numerical Analysis

MA427
Problems
Journals
In mathematics, research results are typically published as articles in journals. The author writes the article and submits it to the editor of an appropriate journal. The editor sends the article to referees. The referees read the article and send a report back to the editor. In the report, the referee comments on the writing, content, and correctness (or lack thereof) of the article. Additionally, the referee makes a recommendation to the editor about accepting the article for publication. The editor sends the referee report to the author, who is then given a chance to make changes to the article based on the report. The final version of the article is resubmitted to the editor, who then makes a decision as to whether or not to publish the article. Your journal articles will go through a similar process. I will be the editor of our class journal, while you will be both authors and referees. At the end, each of the three journals will form a study guide for each exam given in the course.

Authors: Each article will serve as study guide for the section you choose. Note that the sections will be given out on a first come, first serve process. Your articles must contain a title, an abstract, pertinent definitions, any previously proven results that you need, at least one (previoulsy unassigned and preapproved) problem that you solve independently, and examples to illustrate the main ideas of the section. The proofs and the examples must be correct, clearly explained, and instructive. Any sources you use must be clearly cited. Someplace, you must include the source of the problem (section and number). The article must be written in LaTeX.

You will send your completed article to me and I will assign it to the corresponding referees. The referees will fill out the Referee Form. With the review, update your article and send me the final version. I will compile all the articles and form the completed journal that will serve as your study guide for the exam.

Examples: We will be using the website writelatex.com to write and share LaTeX. I recommend you registering for free here. The file Bisection is an example of the sort of article that I would accept for publication, as well as an example of how to do things in LaTeX. The file Primer has more examples of how to do things in LaTeX. You may use the file Template as a starting point (it has the preamble and a bit more) for writing your articles.

Referees: Use the Referee Form as a guide for the sorts of things you should look for when refereeing an article. You should be as constructively critical as possible, but in a polite way. You should comment on anything that you find to be particularly well written, nicely worded, explained clearly, etc. The more feedback you give the author, the more they benefit from your report with the ultimate result being a better study guide for the class. You must assign a rough grade (A, B, C, D, F). The grade should make sense given your responses to the other items on the Referee Form. Reports will automatically be generated when you fill out the Referee Form.

Here are some additional notes about requirements and grading:
  • To submit your article, save a 'Submitted' version of the file and share the corresponding "Read and Edit" writelatex.com link via email to me. Once you receive your review, update your article, save a 'Final' version of the file, and share the corresponding "Read and Edit" writelatex.com link via email to me.
  • To submit your referee report, fill out the Referee Form.
  • I am available to help you with specific questions about your article. I will not, however, proof-read your entire article before submission.
  • For each Journal, you will referee 2 articles. Each article will be refereed by 2 people.
  • Your grade for the Journal Articles will be based both on your articles and your referee reports.
  • If there are any issues, either with my expectations, instructions and timelines, or with your ability to do the work on time, please talk to me as soon as possible. My goal is for each of you to hone your math writing skills, learn some new mathematics, have a better sense of how mathematicians work and communicate, and enjoy the work, even if it is challenging. I will do my best to address any issues and assist you in any way I can so that you may achieve my goals.