The following is a list of some possible topics for the course project. You can choose topics outside this list; in this case, you must talk with me and we should agree on the project. I strongly suggest you start your search for a topic that fits your interests as soon as possible.
The kind of topics in the list are mainly theoretical but you may consider experimentations too. Indeed, a project involving both components (some implementations together with some theoretical explanations) could be very interesting. However, if a topic is essentially an implementation of some algorithm, then it must include a report explaining how and why the program works, and must contain well-justified data testing.
A portion of the marks go to how your project is written and organized. I suggest you consider the following scheme: include a title with an abstract. In a first section, explain the problem you are addressing, the background (if needed), and clearly state your results and conclusions. No proof of theorems or programming code must appear in the first section. Then, describe the problem, the method you used (if applicable), how and why it works, and tables summarizing your experiments (if applicable) with clear explanations of the results. Finally, a list of references should appear. Programs (if applicable) should appear in an appendix.
Of course, there is no need of new results, but if you do have something that is new explicitly point this out.
We include a list of possible references for most of the topics. In general, this is intended as a starting point for the search but in some cases is self-contained. When a reference contains only a section or a chapter, the relevant information is in that book. In case there is no reference included you must consult me. In any case, you should consult the instructor to clear out doubts, suggest lines of action, help you on decisions about the topic, etc. Just come to office hours, or send me mail, or drop by my office and we talk.
The project must be your own work. In particular, you must cite everything you are taking from the literature. You can take proofs, explanations, etc, from papers and books but the final writing must be only yours. One possible way to enhance (and show) your understanding of some work is giving new proofs of results, filling some missing steps in theorems, adding examples, and so on.
The due date is December 2, 2002. You must have a meeting with the instructor to discuss your project before November 1, 2002. That will ensure that everything is in order with your project. The presentations will take place in the first week of December, probably on Wednesday December 4, 2002.
We start with a list of basic projects. This should indicate the type of work I am expecting from this project.
Here is a list of intermediate topics for the project. Depending on the student work, this project has the potential to later evolve into a Honours Projects, an ISS Project or a Master Thesis.
The following list includes some topics that may lead to future research. In general, these topics involved more elaborated concepts. In other words, this is research stuff. Thus, follow reading only if you are interested in doing research in this area. If you decide to work on any of these problems, you must discuss it with the instructor to establish a reasonable cut off for the project. After the course is completed, you may (or not) pursuit this line of research.
and many more....