The Project Period#
In semester week 10, the project period of Spring 2026 will begin, replacing the usual teaching with your own independent work in groups on a mathematically focused project.
Intro#
Groups of 6 students will be formed. Registration for the project period deadline is March 25, 2026, at 18:00. To register, each group fills out one joint registration form via this link:
All project topics will include significant elements from the curriculum in the courses 01003 Mathematics 1a and/or 01004 Mathematics 1b, as well as the use of Python/SymPy. In most project topics, supplementary, project-specific methods will be introduced, building upon the curriculum.
The project period will finalize in a project report, where you document and present your work, results and conclusions, as well as a final project exam day.
Rules for Group Formation and Registration#
Students form their own project groups of 6 people.
Partial groups with fewer than 6 members can register with the group members they have.
If you have not found a group, you may fill out a registration form with only your name on it.
On the registration form, the group must place all offered project topics in prioritized order.
The course coordinators will form 6-person groups from partial groups. If you register with a partial group, you should expect to have more group members added - worst case, you risk being split up in order for the puzzle to fit.
Supervisors and Work Load#
During the project period, your group will be assigned one or more supervisors who will be available for supervision in the usual Long Day and Short Day timeslots. We expect you to put in the usual amount of work, i.e., at least 18 hours per week.
Structure and Submission of the Report#
This guide outlines the requirements for how your project report should be structured and formatted.
Joint Report: The report must be the collective work of the group. It should not indicate who wrote what, as all group members are considered to have contributed actively.
Front Page: The first page of the report must include:
The project title
Group name (e.g., Cars03)
Names and student numbers of the group members
Signatures (confirming that all members have actively participated in the project work)
Submission date
Target Audience: The report should be understandable to a fellow student who has worked on a different project. This means that the report should be written with your peers in mind and should have a clear and logical structure that introduces the topic in an accessible way.
Format and Structure:
Format: The report must be submitted as either a PDF file or as a Jupyter Notebook file. No other file types are accepted.
Independence: The report must be self-contained and understandable for a reader who has no access to the project roadmap/script. All necessary explanations and definitions should be included in the report.
Structure: Use a traditional structure with an introduction, foundational theory, methodology/implementation, results, discussion, and conclusion as fits your project.
Clarity and Conciseness: The report should be concise, well-structured, and precise. Less important details, such as extensive Python documentation, can be placed in an appendix.
Integration of Theory and Examples: In parts of the project where you are required to present a mathematical statement or concept, you should either provide a full proof or, if a proof is not feasible, at minimum illustrate the statement with concrete examples and figures. The project description often specifies the expected level of explanation. Consider combining theoretical discussions with practical illustrations (e.g., graphs or diagrams) to support your arguments.
Reflection and Discussion: In addition to solving the specific tasks, you are encouraged to reflect on how the methods and models used contribute to the understanding of the overall topic.
Report Submission:
Submission takes place online on DTU Learn in the 01004 course module (click the Assignment menu button). An assignment link will be prepared for each group.
The deadline is Friday, May 1, 2026.
An automatic plagiarism check is conducted after submission.
Name the PDF/IPYNB file with the group name you were assigned on Learn (e.g., Cars03.pdf).
Project Presentation Day#
On the Long Day following the project report submission deadline, oral group presentations and discussions will take place. The purpose is both to allow students to present their work and to enable the supervisor(s) to assess whether all group members have actively contributed to the project.
Presentation: Each group will present their project to the supervisor(s). The presentation will typically last 15-20 minutes. Groups may use available AV equipment and other relevant tools. All group members are required to speak during the presentation.
Discussion: The presentation will be followed by a 15-20 minute discussion between the group and the supervisor(s). During this session, the supervisor(s) will ask questions and engage in dialogue about the project. All group members may answer freely; if a group member is more quite than others, the supervisor may direct a question specifically to this student.
The total duration per group is expected to be approximately 40 minutes.
Attendance is mandatory for all group members. Failure to attend will be considered as non-participation in the project period. As all group members are assumed to have contributed to the report as a whole, each member must be prepared to answer questions regarding any part of the project. Statements such as “I did not work on this part” are not considered acceptable.
Project Appetizers#
This year, three project topics are offered:
Reduction of Biological Complexity: PCA in Microbiome Studies
Self-Driving Cars and Convoy Dynamics
PageRank – The Mathematics behind Google’s Search Algorithm
Find appetizers for these project topics on the appetizers page.