Final Project (Optional 4th Unit)

The purpose of the final project is to go beyond the content of the lectures and assigned reading in the direction most interesting to you. Your project can be on any topic related to lectures and assignments. A one-page project specification/proposal is due by the 4th class meeting, and the final written report is due by the end of finals week. You are also invited to present your project results during the last class. There are two primary project types:

• Outside reading and report
• Programming project and report

Your project can consist of any combination of the above components. A research-oriented project typically consists of the following main phases:

Phase I:	Outside reading (explore the topic)
Phase II:	Software project (implement your best ideas from Phase I)
Phase III:	Write-up

It is normal to iterate the above phases to some extent, rather than to perform them entirely sequentially.