Communicating Mathematics through Homework^*

Learning mathematics (or any subject) involves learning how to communicate your ideas effectively. As a student in your classes, much of this communication will be in the form of homework. Therefore, so that the instructor may provide you with meaningful and worthwhile feedback, it is important that you present your homework in an easy to read, easy to navigate format. After all, how you present your work should enhance the ideas you are trying to communicate, not impede them.

Required Homework Format

• Your handwriting should be legible.
• Homework with multiple pages should be stapled in the upper left-hand corner.
• In the upper right-hand corner you should write (in this order)
  • Your name
  • Your class
  • The homework set number
  • The due date of the homework assignment
• Problems should be clearly labeled and numbered on the left side of the page. There should also be a visible separation between problems.
• Each solution should begin with the original problem statement (or, if the problem statement is length, a summary of the problem statement).
• You should leave the entire top margin (except, of course, the upper right hand corner), as well as the entire left margin, blank so that this space may be used for scoring and comments.
• To ensure that each of your problems are correclty identified for grading purposes, problems should be written in the order they are assigned.
• It is good practice to first work out the solutions to homework problems on scratch paper, and to then neatly write up your solutions. This will ensure that the finished product that you submit is clean and neat.
• If you work together on the homework with other students, please note the name(s) of the student(s) with whom you have worked, either before the first problem (at the top of the assignment) or after the last problem (at the end of the assignment).

Easy to Read Homework Format

^[*]Adapted from Communicating Mathematics through Homework at Harvey Mudd College.