1. Extra-credit   projects  are   NOT   mandatory.  While   successful
completion of  one may improve your  grade (up to 1/2  grade point for
REALLY solid work),  a failed attempt, or no attempt  at all, will not
directly affect your grade in any way. I am not going to apply scaling
to the grades in this class, so if you are performing on the "X" grade
level  based on everything  else, you  will get  your "X"  without any
extra projects.

So, since there is no penalty, looks like it is a win-win situation to
try one.  Well, it may  be. Or  maybe not --  it may have  an indirect
negative effect.

                          
------Read below before you  start spending/wasting you valuable time.
You may need it for the basic things we are covering in class. -----

2. Extra-credit  projects  GO  BEYOND   the  syllabus.  They  are  NOT
easy. You may  need to learn additional things.  Really, I intend them
for those of you  who get bored with what we do  in class because  you  
already know most of it, or because the level I teach at (aimed at the
middle) is  to easy  for you.  You  like the  subject and you  want to
spend extra time on something interesting. As a bonus, you MAY improve
your grade (or not), say from B+ to A.

3. I will use more stringent criteria in grading the projects compared
to those I use for other assignments.  Basically, a successful project
is a half way towards a  publication in a real scientific journal, and
I will treat it  as such. I will not have time to  work with you on it
-- this will be unfair to other  students who need my office hours for
the basic things (or course, I will answer quick related questions).

4. Each  project  should be  well-documented.  The  reader should  see
clearly what  you have  done and why.  (read scientific papers  to see
what I am talking about).

5. Every result  MUST be  reproducible by an  outsider. Keep  all your
intermediate files/scripts.  Be ready  to supply them immediately upon
request  along  with  a sequence  of  steps  that  leads to  a  result
specified in your  report.  ------Presence of non-reproducible results
in  the  report will  automatically  result  in  zero credit  for  the
project--------.

6. Make  sure you  understand what  you  are doing.  If I  see that  a
project  is  well  done  otherwise,  I  may choose  to  have  an  oral
discussion with  you. You  may not get  the credit  if I see  that you
don't understand what is going on.

7. Scared enough?   Well, it is your  choice. I can not  promise you a
grade improvement, but I do promise  you will have fun doing a project
if you give it a try.