Harvard University, Fall 2015
Math 101. Sets, Groups, and Topology
Contact information
Instructor : Jonathan Mboyo Esole
Office : Science Center 239
Email : esole at math.harvard.edu
Website : http://www.math.harvard.edu/~esole
Office hours : TBA
Course Assistant : Justin Cavitt
Office hours : TBA
Email : justincavitt@college
Schedule : MWF 12pm-1pm
Location : SC 109
Outline
The goal of this course is to introduce the practice of higher mathematics, with minimal prerequisites.
We will discuss mathematical proofs, sets and mappings, group theory and topology.
Prerequisites
An interest in mathematical reasoning.Familiarity with algebra, geometry and/or calculus is desir-
able. Students who have already taken Mathematics 23a,b, 25a,b or 55a,b should not take this course
for credit. This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the General Education requirement for
Empirical and Mathematical Reasoning.
Homework and Collaboration Policy
Homework are an essential part of the course. There will be a homework assignment each week,
which will be due on Friday. Posting homework problems on an internet forum is considered a serious
violation. Collaboration with other students while working on homework is strongly encouraged, but
should be properly acknowledged. Homework solutions should be written down independently. We
encourage writing up your solutions in Latex.
Exams and grades
The two lowest homework grades will be dropped. The final grade for each student is based on the
best of the following two possibilities:
• homework (35%), an in-class midterm exam (25%), and a standard three-hour final exam (40%).
• homework (35%), an in-class midterm exam (15%), and a standard three-hour final exam (50%).
Accommodations for students with disabilities
Students needing academic adjustments or accommodations because of a documented disability must
present their Faculty Letter from the Accessible Education Office (AEO) and speak with the Course
Head by the end of the second week of the term (September 11th, 2015). Failure to do so may result
in an inability to respond in a timely manner. All discussions will remain confidential.
1
Plan
This is a tentative sampling of possible topics:
1. Part I (Set theory, logic and relations)
(a) Basic introduction to statements and logic
(b) Naive sets theory, operations and maps on sets
(c) Paradoxes of set theory
(d) Countable and uncountable sets
(e) Power-sets and cardinality
(f) Products of sets and mathematical relations
(g) Partial order sets
(h) Equivalence relations
(i) Integers and recurrence
2. Part II (Metric, norm, and topology)
(a) Vector spaces and linear operators
(b) Metric spaces
(c) Normed vector spaces
(d) Introduction to topology
(e) Quaternions and octonions
(f) Aspects of real and complex analysis
3. Part III (Groups and geometries)
(a) Introduction to group theory
(b) Groups acting on sets, orbits, cosets, and stabilizers
(c) Groups and geometry
(d) Discrete groups
(e) Symmetric and dihedral groups
(f) Orthogonal, unitary, and symplectic groups
(g) Affine spaces and (weighted) projective spaces
References
Notes will be available in class and on the web. Some additional references:
• Paolo Aluffi, Algebra Chapter 0, Springer, Graduate Studies in Mathematics, 2009.
• Paul R. Halmos, Naive Set Theory, Springer 1960.
• Robert S. Wolf, Proof, Logic, and Conjecture: The Mathematician’s Toolbox, 1998.
