Skip to main content ‘18.950: Differential Geometry’
Table of contents
- Course Info
- Realistic Prerequisites
- Subject Matter
- Course Staff
- Lectures
- Problem Sets
- Exams
- Resources
- Grading
- Advice to Future Students
Course Info
Class Size | 15 |
Hours/Week | 8.1 (8 responses) |
Instructors | Stephen Kleene |
Overall Rating | 6.2/7.0 |
Realistic Prerequisites
- Students said 18.02 and 18.100x are hard prerequisites.
- Students recommended having an understanding of 18.901.
Subject Matter
- Students thought the subject material was theoretical, but not overly abstract.
- Students felt like the material could be applied to physics and math, but it is ‘definitely a pure math class’.
Course Staff
- Prof. Kleene was seen as friendly, and approachable.
- Prof. Kleene was willing to meet online for those who needed extra help.
Lectures
- Students found the lectures to be the correct speed or slightly fast. Students learned mostly from these lectures.
Problem Sets
- Students found the problems to be analytic and straightforward.
- Students used lectures to prepare for the psets, and spent about 5 hours a week completing these.
Exams
- The exams were relatively fair.
- The professor (Stephen Kleene) posted lots of sample questions that could appear on an exam.
- Students recommended going over class definitions and problem set solutions to prepare.
Resources
- Many referred to the textbook ‘Differential Geometry of Curves and Surfaces’ by Manfredo do Carmo, but it was only loosely followed in lecture.
- Lecture notes were also used by students.
Grading
- Students felt that grading was incredibly fair and reasonable.
- Students expect over half the class will receive A’s.
Advice to Future Students
- “This class is great if you want a glimpse of what differential geometry is about.”
- “Brush up on your topology and analysis knowledge before taking this class.”