When we are covering sections with a lot of proofs, I will assign one proof problem for you to turn in each week. Since it takes quite a while to get the hang of proof writing, your first proofs will probably have many errors and lose lots of points. To encourage you to learn from your mistakes, I will allow you to re-write each proof homework for some of the points lost back.
Most of the homework will be practice problems assigned from the text, and they will not be collected or graded.
The list of practice problems can be found on blackboard.
Note that the odd numbered problems have answers in the back of the book.
It is essential that you do these problems.
Learning, development, and growth require time and sustained effort.
Most of the knowledge and skills you obtain from this
course will come from the time you spend with
these problems.
Furthermore the quiz problems will often closely resemble (or even be copied from)
the problems from the text.
Tentative Exam Schedule:
Exam 1: 10/11
Exam 2: 11/22
Final Exam Schedule:
Monday December 16, 8:00am - 10:30am.
Calculators:
Calculators will useful while doing the homework
(especially if you want to check
that your answer matches the one in the back of the book),
however graphing calculators (or cell phones, iphones, etc) are
not allowed during quizzes and exams. Furthermore it will
never be necessary to have a calculator for a quiz or exam.
Attendance Policy:
Missing class is a very bad idea. Anyone who misses more than
25% of classes starting in week 2 may be removed from the course.
ADA (American with Disabilities Act) Statement:
Students Diagnosed with a Disability-All individuals who are diagnosed with a disability are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. As such, you may be entitled to certain accommodations within this class. If you are diagnosed with a disability, please make an appointment to meet with Accessibility Resources, 133 Milne Library, ext. 2137. All students with the necessary supporting documentation will be provided appropriate accommodations as determined by the Accessibility Resources Office. It is your responsibility to contact Accessibility Resources and concurrently supply me with your accommodation plan, which will inform me exactly what accommodations you are entitled to. You will only receive accommodations once you provide me with an Accessibility Resources accommodation plan. Any
previously recorded grades will not be changed.
Emergency Evacuation Procedures:
In the event of an emergency evacuation,
classes meeting in this building are directed to reassemble in the IRC Lobby so that all persons can be accounted for.
All students are also encouraged to register for NY Alert at
http://www.oneonta.edu/security for immediate notification of campus emergencies on or near the campus.
Getting Help
You are expected to spend anywhere between 6 and 12 hours per week
outside of class on the material.
The amount of time necessary to pass, or obtain the grade you expect,
depends heavily from person to person.
Typically, a student spending less than 6 hours per week outside the class
should expect to earn a "C" or worse.
If you are struggling with the material, be aware that you have options:
(1) Struggle a bit. Part of the learning process is the internal struggle
of trying to understand how all of the pieces fit together. It can
be frustrating, but it can also be rewarding. If you make progress,
however slow, then it is time well spent.
If you feel that your time is not productive, then you should talk to me,
or other students, about how you can make better use of your study time.
(2)
Visit my office hours. It is part of my job to be available to help
you understand the material. There is not enough time in the classroom to get
everything across, and you are not expected to do it all on your own.
(3) Find alternate instructional material online. Different people have
different styles, and while you might have found my way of discussing something
to be confusing, there may be someone else out there who can discuss it in
a away that makes sense to you. There are a number of free text books,
lessons, and video lectures available online. Feel free to ask me about other sources.
(4) Visit the tutors in CADE. They have drop in tutoring for this course 1 night each week.
(5) Talk to your fellow students who are taking or who have taken the class.
Learning is a social activity; you are not expected to do it all on your own.
(6) If after availing yourself of the above options, you still find that you are struggling regularly to understand the material, find a regular tutor.
If you are in this situation, you will likely have to spend significant extra
time on the material to ensure a passing grade.
Tentative Schedule.
| Date | Section | Topic | Textbook Problems
(not to be collected) Do these if you want to succeed! |
| 8/26 | 0.1 | What is Discrete Mathematics? | |
| 8/28 8/29 |
0.2 | Mathematical Statements | 1-19 odd |
| 8/30 9/4 |
0.3 | Sets | 1,2,6,8,10,12,14,17,19,21,23,25,28,29 |
| 9/5 9/6 |
0.4 | Functions | 1,3,5,8,10,12,14,16,19,21,25,27,29,30 |
| 9/9 9/11 |
1.1 | Additive and Multiplication Principles | 1-13 odd, 14 |
| 9/12 9/13 |
1.2 | Binomial Coefficients | 1-13 odd |
| 9/16 | 1.3 | Combinations and Permutations | 1,3,4,5-13 odd |
| 9/18 9/19 |
1.4 | Combinatorial Proofs | 1-13 odd |
| 9/20 | 1.5 | Stars and Bars | 1-11 odd |
| 9/23 9/25 9/26 |
1.6 | Advanced Counting using PIE | 1-14 |
| 9/27 9/30 |
2.1 | Describing Sequences | 1-19 odd |
| 10/2 10/3 |
2.2 | Arithmetic and Geometric Sequences | 1-13 odd, 14,15 |
| 10/4 | 2.3 | Polynomial Fitting | 1-11 odd |
| 10/7 | 2.4 | Solving Recurrence Relations | 1-13 odd |
| 10/9 10/10 10/16 10/17 |
2.5 | Induction | 1-13 odd, 14,15,16,17-29 odd |
| 10/11 | Exam 1 | ||
| 10/18 10/21 |
3.1 | Propositional Logic | 1-19 odd |
| 10/23 10/24 10/25 10/28 10/30 10/31 |
3.2 | Proofs | 1-21 |
| 11/1 11/4 |
4.1 | Graph Theory: Definitions | 1-15 odd |
| 11/6 11/7 |
4.2 | Trees | 1-15 odd |
| 11/8 11/11 |
4.3 | Planar Graphs | 1-15 odd |
| 11/13 11/14 |
4.4 | Coloring | 1-13 odd |
| 11/15 | 4.5 | Euler Paths and Circuits | 1-11 odd |
| 11/18 | 4.6 | Matching in Bipartite Graphs | 1-6 |
| 11/20 11/21 11/25 12/2 |
5.2 | Introduction to Number Theory | 1-18 |
| 11/22 | Exam 2 | ||
| 12/4 12/5 |
5.1 | Generating Functions | 1-15 odd, 16 |
| 12/6 | Equivalence Relations | ||
| 12/9 | Review |