Grading

Bonus opportunity!

You can earn up to 7.5% bonus on your grade by completing and handing in the following tasks (programming or writing):

  1. You can program nicely working and documented versions of the algorithms we have covered, OUTSIDE Sage, meaning, from scratch:
      1. Euclidean algorithm (0.5%) or Extended Euclidean algorithm (1%)
      2. Chinese Remainder Theorem (+0.5% — requires extended Euclidean algorithm)
      3. Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange and El Gamal (0.5%)
      4. Miller-Rabin Primality Test (0.5%)
      5. RSA (0.5%)
      6. Baby-Step-Giant-Step for DLP (0.5%)
      7. Pollard rho (0.5%)
      8. Birthday attack for DLP (0.5%)
      9. Adding points on an elliptic curve, including all corner cases like doubling and point at infinity (1%)
      10. If you’ve done the previous one, additionally Elliptic Curve Factoring (1%)
      11. Index Calculus (2%)
      12. Quadratic Sieve (2%)
      13. Simulation of QKD in which user can play Alice or Bob (1%)
      14. Suggest an addition
  2. You can write a short (<1 page) paper in your own words (I’m very serious on this front, this means learn it and then explain it, don’t just copy step by step and change phrasing), on the following.  It should be aimed at an audience of your peers and explain any terminology you had to use beyond our class.
      1. Learn about and explain why there is a finite field of every size $p^d$ where $p$ is prime and $d$ is positive. (2%)
      2. Learn about and explain a proof of Euler’s theorem (1%)
      3. Learn about and explain why the multiplicative group of a finite field is cyclic. (2%)
      4. Learn about and explain quantum teleportation (2%)
      5. Learn about and explain how to take square roots modulo $p$, with examples (2%)
      6. Learn about and explain the Bell Test (related to the Bell State) (2%)
      7. Prove that every finite field has prime power order (1%)
      8. Suggest an addition

50% Mid-semester Module Assessments

(4 of these at 12.5% each)

These will be in-class (50 min) assessments.  There will be one following each of modules 1,2,3,4 of the course (dates listed on System page).  You will have an opportunity to improve your score by in-person make-up.  Intro Material will be tested as part of these assessments any time after it is covered (in other words, it is sprinkled through semester).

25% Daily Tasks / Participation

Daily tasks (see The System) can be collaborative, and this grade will be based on daily task effort/completion and attendance and productive participation in groupwork in class, participating in the creation of a collegial atmosphere, etc.  I will excuse up to 6 absences and 8 missed daily tasks without need for justification.  You will track and assign this grade to yourself using a worksheet.

25% Final Exam (Sunday December 17th, 7:30 pm – 10 pm)

8% is the “Module 5 Assessment” and 17% is a comprehensive review of the entire course.  (Which adds up to 25%.)

Math 5440 Grading

Students taking 5440 instead of 4440 will write a final project which is an in-depth exploration (10-15 pages written project, or a class/video presentation) on an aspect of the course they wish to dive deeper into.  This will be due on the last day of classes.  The semester grade, computed as above, will be scaled down to 80%, and the project will be worth the remaining 20%.

Illness and Interruption

Students who are seriously ill or otherwise facing difficult circumstances should contact the instructor for help in keeping up with the course or grading adjustments.  Allowances will be made.

Academic dishonesty

I take this very seriously.  The rules for academic integrity on daily posts will be explained on the worksheet page.   Module assessments in class are to be taken without aids (besides basic arithmetic calculators, no phones or internet connections).