Course information

Two versions

6.8370 is the graduate version and 6.8371 the undergraduate one. The graduate version has more questions in the problem sets and one extra paper review.

Accounts

Accounts for the submission system go out on Monday, September 14. If you do not have one, post to the staff on Piazza with your MIT kerberos, your MIT ID number, and whether you are taking 6.8370 (graduate) or 6.8371 (undergraduate).

Staff and communication

Instructor: Frédo Durand. TAs: Camille Biscarrat and Milena Sanchez. Office hours, Frédo's and the TAs', are at the top of this page.

Use Piazza for all communication. Technical questions are not answered by email. Posts can be anonymous.

Grading

The grade is 100% problem sets. Cutoffs: above 90% is an A, above 80% a B, above 70% a C, above 60% a D.

Each problem set counts with its weight, normalized by the sum of the weights:

Problem sets

Weekly at first, then every two weeks. They are due at 9pm, usually on a Wednesday; the syllabus above has each date and marks the ones that fall on another day. Mostly programming, in C++.

Turning in

One zip file through the submission system, containing:

• your source code, always
• image results, when the problem set asks for them
• the form: how long it took, known issues and what is incomplete (this is how partial credit is given), who you collaborated with, what was most unclear or difficult, and what was most exciting

The system checks that your code compiles. Submit early rather than at the deadline, so it is not overloaded.

How grading works

Grading is semi-automatic. Unit tests run per question or function, outputs are clustered, and every submission in a cluster gets the same score and comment. If you think a grade is wrong, there is an appeal process.

Late days

You have 3 late days for the semester. There are no fractional days: 1.01 late days counts as 2. An extension beyond that for medical reasons requires a note from a dean. The policy is more generous for the last problem set.

Prerequisites

Programming, including object-oriented programming (6.1010), and basic math (18.02): linear algebra and derivatives of functions of several variables. You are not expected to know C++; the first problem sets build it up.

Collaboration

You are welcome to discuss assignments with each other. Code must be written on your own, and the turn-in form asks who you worked with.

AI policy

The only AI you may use is the class's own assistant, embedded in the book, the notes, the slides and the problem sets. It knows the class material and is built to help you think rather than hand you the answer. It can be consulted, but it cannot write your code.

• Fine: brainstorming, explanations, editing, debugging, learning support.
• Not fine: pasting problem statements into other AI tools, asking for solutions to assigned problems, or submitting AI-written text, code, equations or analysis as your own.
• Keep the line visible: distinguish your own work from AI-assisted work, and say how the AI helped you, or that it did not.

Why: learning needs productive struggle. Remove the struggle and you stop growing as an independent, critical thinker.

Textbook

The book behind these notes and slides is new and experimental, written with Claude, and not organized like the class. It is not required reading.