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Group Work and Write Ups-- adapted from a guide by Eva Curry

The goal of workshops is to develop your mathematical communication skills, so that you can work with other people to solve a problem, and so that you can clearly and effectively describe a problem and its solution. During the workshop session, you will work collaboratively in small groups on a problem set. You will be expected to discuss each problem as a group, that is, everyone in your group should be working together on the same problem at the same time. Every member of the group is expected to participate actively and positively. Your group should outline a solution to each problem. At the end of each workshop session, one problem will be selected to be written up completely for the next week. You will each turn in your own individual write up.

Write ups will be graded out of ten points. There are two things that I will be looking for when grading the write ups. The solution to the problem should be complete and accurate, and the exposition should be clear. Here are some tips and guidelines for good write ups.

• The write up should be a complete, self-contained document, including the problem statement as well as its solution.
• Use complete sentences, paragraphs, proper grammar, and correct spelling. The idea is to communicate a problem and its solution, so use mathematical symbols when this makes what you are trying to say clearer and easier to understand, but also use words to explain the steps in your solution.
• Explain in enough detail so that someone who is just learning calculus could follow your work, but there are some details that you can skip. In general, if a step involves calculus, you should include some explanation. For example, if you want to apply a theorem or rule from class, state the name of the theorem, what you are applying it to, and check that the hypotheses, or preconditions, for the theorem hold in your situation. If a step involves algebra, you can generally leave out the details. For example, if you are simplifying an expression, it suffices to say that the expression you start with simplifies to another expression, without showing all of the steps. Don't include extraneous work that is irrelevant to solving the problem.
• Use mathematical symbols correctly. Some common mistakes include using = when it does not apply, and over-using the symbol for implication =>. Use the equal sign = only between two expressions that are equal. Writing x² = 1 = x = +/- 1$ is not correct! The symbol => means that the mathematical statement on the left implies the statement on the right. You should be providing explanations for the steps in your work, however, so you should not have occasion to use the => symbol.
• Draw pictures or graphs when this would make your explanation clearer. Be sure to label all graphs, including what function is being graphed, the scale of the graph, and any important points or other features.
• Don't forget your name so that you can get credit for your work.
• Points will be deducted if your work is so messy that I have difficulty reading it. If possible, write ups should be typed.

On the course page there is a link to a sample write up. You can read this to get a better idea of what a write up should look like, as well as the appropriate level of detail.