Math 242: Symplectic Geometry
Christian Blohmann
Tuesday and Thursday 11:00-12:30 in Room 61 Evans Hall, note change of room
Office Hours: Wednesday 11:00 -12:00 and by appointment
Primary text: Ana Cannas da Silva: Lectures in Symplectic Geometry
There is an official online version which you can probably only access from within AirBears or through the proxy of the University Library.
Course organization:
Please read and understand every week the assigned sections of the primary text. Work through the homework problems that go with the reading assignments. You do not have to turn in your solutions. There will be turn-in problems which will be assigned separately. There will be a term paper in the form of a survey article due at the end of the semester. For examples see Alan Weinstein's webpage and Peter Teichner's webpage. Here is the guideline on writing the term paper with the due dates which I handed out in class.
Reading assignments / problems
Week 1 (8/29 and 8/31):
Read chapters 1 and 2. Do all the problems on pages 8 and 13. (You do not need to turn in anything.)
Week 2 (8/5 and 8/7):
9/6 and 9/8: Read chapter 3, chapter 4 sections 4.1, 4.2, and all of chapter 6. Do all the problems on pages 20-21 and 41. (You do not need to turn these in.) The first problem set will be distributed on Tuesday in class. The solutions will be due two weeks later on 9/19 (due date extended by one week)
Week 3 (9/12 and 9/14):
Read chapters 7 through 11. Do the problems on pages 50 and 61-62. (You do not need to turn these in.)
Week 4 (9/19 and 9/21): Read Chapters 12 through 15. Do the problems on pages 72-73, 77, 82, and 89. (You do not need to turn in anything.)
Week 5 (9/26 and 9/28): Read Chapters 16 through 18. Do all the problems on pages 96-97.
Turn in the following problems on Tuesday 10/10 in class: problem 2 on page 89, problems 3, 5, and 7 on pages 96-97
Week 6 (10/3 and 10/5): Read Chapters 19 and 20. Have a look at the problems. Nothing to be turned in. Your term paper topic is due on 10/5. Please send it to me per email or give it to me in class.
Week 7 (10/10 and 10/12): Read Chapters 21-23. Look at the problems on pages 132 and 139.
Week 8 (10/17 and 10/19): On Tuesday 10/17 meet in Room 450C of the Moffitt library with the math librarian Brian Quigley. Work on your term paper subject. Read chapters 24-26. Do the problems on pages 162, 163, and 169.
Week 9 (10/24 and 10/26): Read chapter 27.