You may work with other students within the limitations described below. You may figure out an idea to the solution, but not the entire solution, of a problem. That is, the details of your submitted solution must be worked out by you without using or consulting any outside source (see above). 
By "details" above, I do not mean cosmetic differences in notations or free-form answers, but steps showing your original calculations.

    The homework assignments are essentially based on the material of the lectures. In many cases, a homework problem requires you to follow the guidelines presented in the lectures in a slightly different setting. Therefore, if you do not know how to do a problem, you must be not understanding the material of the lecture. In this case, you should come to the instructor for help, rather than brainstorm the problem with your classmates. (See also the 2nd paragraph in part A above.)

    Let's take # 1(a) of HW 1 to illustrate the concept of allowed versus non-allowed collaboration. Suppose you don't know how to begin finding T(alpha) and ask a classmate for help. An allowed answer would be to point you to a place in the notes where a similar calculation is done. The classmate may also explain to you any of the derivations in the notes that you do not understand. A non-allowed answer would be to tell you what steps you should do to compute T(alpha).

    Of course, the above example cannot describe all possible scenarios. You should use the following "rule of thumb": your collaboration with your classmates should be "point-like". That is, if there are isolated points in a problem which you cannot do -- go ahead and ask. If, however, you (or your classmate) notice that the entire exercise becomes a continuous sequence of such "points" (in other words, an obstacle course), then you must be missing something important from the material and should ask the instructor for help, rather than continuing to work with your classmates.  If you need any clarification to the above -- please ask me. 

    In some (but not all!) cases I can determine that the students have worked together and tried to do their original work as described above, but came too close to a violation. (Note: this determination, as well as what "tried" and "too close" mean, are left entirely up to me in any given case!) Then, I will treat it as a mistake rather than a violation, will summon all involved students to meet with me within 2 business days, and will explain where they have come too close to a violation. There will be no further consequences for the students in this instance. (Note again: I may proceed to treating this situation as an academic violation right away; whether to do so or have a conversation with the students first, is left entirely up to me.)
If any of the involved students if found to be in a similar situation again, I will treat it as a violation of academic integrity with the consequences described in the next paragraph.

    Violations  of the above rules will be considered  academic cheating.
The first instance of it will result in a report to the Center for Student Conduct (CSC) and a score between one half and `negative one' of the weight of this entire assignment (see below) -- even if illegal collaboration was detected only on part of it.
Example 1:
Students A and B have been found to illegally collaborate on 1 problem on an assignment that contains 5 problems and whose total weight is 4% of the course final grade. Their grade for this assignment  will then be  between 2% and -4 [minus four] %. If violation is indeed detected only in 1 problem, and all other problems clearly show the students' own work, I may (but am not under any obligation to) consider assigning the grade between 2% and 0%, i.e. in the higher range.
Example 2:
Students C and D (or another Student E) have been found to commit academic violation of any sort on 2 problems on the same assignment. Their grade for this assignment will be -4 [minus four] %. (To clarify: this is a negative amount added to the final grade, equivalently bringing it down by 8 %.)

Both the person/group who copied the other person''s work and the person whose work was copied will be given the same penalty.

   After the second instances of academic cheating, I will recommend to the CSC that the students be given the grade of XF for the course. This will occur regardless of how minor the violation is (e.g., even if it is only on one problem).