Prof. Boris Botvinnik, office: 304 Fenton, 6-5636.
The textbook: Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorial
Mathematics, Ralph P. Grimaldi, 5th edition.
Course Goals. This is a first course in Discrete
Mathematics. By the end of the term, we will have
covered introductory
material in combinatorics (counting), elementary number theory, set
theory,
functions and relations; you will know what these are and will
be fluent in discussing them. This
course also serves as an
introduction to mathematical proof, so early on in the term, we will
discuss
logic, and the process of reading and writing mathematical
proofs. By the end of the term, you will be able
to prove simple
mathematical statements about the topics we have covered. Lastly, this
course emphasizes
mathematical problem solving. You will be able to
solve problems using the ideas that we have discussed.
Syllabus: Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
Class meets MW, room: 110 Fenton, 2:00-3:20 pm plus
discussion sections.
If you missed a class, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to find out
what did we do.
First Midterm Exam: 2:00-3:20 pm, Wednesday October 22nd, 2014
Second Midterm Exam: 2:00-3:20 pm, Wednesday November 19th, 2014
Final Exam: 2:45-4:45 pm, Wednesday December 10th, 2014
Important: There will be no makeup for these exams, except
for documented medical emergencies.
You must bring photo ID to all
exams.
Discussion Sections.
Every student must be enrolled in one of the
four discussion sections for Math 231,
which are held Wednesday and
Thursday evening. The discussion section will be led by Travis VanDevanter, a GTF with the mathematics department,
309 Fenton, 6-4743,
tvc[at]uoregon.edu
The discussion sessions are devoted to
discussion of theoretical topics and solving problems. It
will include a discussion of homework problems, group work on the
homework problems, and peer review of other
students' mathematical
writing. Grading will be by active participation in the discussion
sections.
Assignments. Weekly assignments will be posted on
the homework webpage collected
in class on Wednesdays,
and returned to you in your discussion
sections. Not all of the assigned problems will be graded. In order to
succeed in the course, it is extremely important to keep up with the
homework, as well as to do problems from
the textbook. I encourage
you to work and study in groups. However, please do make sure that the
work you hand in is your own. Allow yourself time to write up the
solutions on your own, in your own words, without copying from work
that you did in the group. This is to avoid plagiarism or other forms
of academic misconduct;
to this end, I suggest you review the
Student
Conduct Code.
Grading:
Grades will be computed from the following totals:
Discussion Session=5%, Homework=15%,
First Midterm=20%, Second Midterm=20%, Final Exam =40%.