Math 120A: Differential Geometry

Fall 2025

Instructor: Sucharit Sarkar.
Class: MWF 11:00-11:50, MS 6627.
Office hours: M 08:00-09:00 16:00-17:00, MS 6909.

Textbook: Do Carmo, Differential Geometry of Curves and Surfaces.
Additional reading: Millman and Parker, Elements of Differential Geometry.
Useful links: MyUCLA, Department page.

Prerequisite: 32B, 33B, 115A, 131A.
Schedule: We will try to follow the schedule from the Department page.

Homework and Quiz: Homeworks are not going to be graded. Nevertheless, you should work on the following homeworks, arranged by week, which will help significantly with your understanding of the course material. You may work in groups on your homework; this is generally beneficial to your understanding and helps you learn how to communicate clearly about mathematics. Every week, starting from Week 2, we will have an in-class quiz with one of the homework problems for that week.
Quiz Date Problems
1 Oct 8 HW1
2 Oct 15 HW2
3 Oct 20 HW3
4 Oct 27 HW4
5 Nov 3 HW5
6 Nov 14 HW6
7 Nov 21 HW7
8 Nov 24 HW8
9 Dec 3 HW9

Exams: There is a single 3 hour final exam, which is non-collaborative closed-book exams. You are not allowed to use books, notes, or any electronic devices (such as calculators, phones, computers). Submitting the final exam is mandatory, and there are no make-up exams. In particular, note that university policy requires that a student who misses the finals be automatically given F, unless the absence is due to extreme and documented circumstances, which were discussed with the instructor prior to the finals, and the performance in the course is otherwise satisfactory, in which case, the grade might be I (at the instructor's discretion).
The final will be on Tuesday, December 9, 08:00-11:00, location TBD. Here is an old final: 2016.

Grading: Numerical grades will be recorded in the MyUCLA gradebook and the composite numerical grade will be computed as 50% Quiz + 50% Final. (Your lowest quiz score will be dropped.) Based on the numerical grade, a letter grade will be assigned: 90%=A, 80%=B, 70%=C, 60%=D. However, a curve compatible with the department guidelines and historical norms might be applied, which might increase your letter grade (but never decrease it).
If you believe a problem on a quiz or the final has been graded incorrectly, or that your score was not correctly recorded in the MyUCLA gradebook, you must bring this to the attention of the instructor within 10 calendar days of the date of the exam, and before the end of the quarter. Grading complaints not initiated within this period of time will not be considered. Please verify in a timely manner that your scores are correctly recorded on MyUCLA.