Review Session in PDL C-36 Monday 5-7p.m.
The final is on Wednesday December 14 at 2:30 a.m.
Important dates:
The midterm is on Friday, November 11, and
the final is 2:30-4:20 a.m. on Wednesday, December 14
(check this date!).
You must use a blue book for exams.
Office Hours:
Wednesday, Friday 1:30-2:30 in Padelford C-418,
and by appointment.
The textbook is Mathematical Thinking, Problem-Solving and
Proofs, by J. D'Angelo and D. West, published
by Prentice Hall. The problems in this book are wonderful.
My goal is to cover Chapters 1--8, but not 5.
Participation.
The participation part of your grade will be
determined mainly by how well you work with your group. Regular
attendance is one aspect of this.
Office Hours.
Feel free to drop by my office; if I'm there and not
talking to someone else, I'm probably available to talk. If I'm not
there, email is a good way to contact me, since I check it pretty
regularly. I will not be in my office on most Thursdays.
Course goals.
The most important things for you to learn in
this course are: techniques of proof, how to (start to) think like
a mathematician, and how to communicate your ideas effectively.
This course is a prerequisite for several others, and as such it is
expected to train you in these skills, not in any particular fields
of mathematics. In other words, the mathematical subjects covered
in this course are somewhat secondary.
Mathematical Reasoning:
The goal of the course is to help you develop your logical
reasoning skills. The goal is not to teach any particular topic
--- the topics we encounter will be used as a
vehicle to test and develop your ability to express yourself
clearly, concisely, and accurately. You will do a lot of
writing in this course. Mathematics is precise. In most jobs
these days it is good to express yourself clearly (I am
not thinking of politics). Clear thinking is a skill that has wide
application beyond mathematics.
Examinations and grading.
I will give weekly homework assignments
and quizzes, and there will be a final exam. I will post the
homework assignments on the course web page, and they will be due
each Friday in class. There will be quizzes on most Mondays.
quizzes are worth 25% of the grade, the final is worth 30%, the
homework is worth 35%, and class participation is worth 10%.
Reading and homework.
The best way to learn mathematics is to do
it, so you should read the book and do the homework problems. I
will provide weekly reading assignments, and you will need to do
these to participate effectively in class. I encourage you to send
me email with questions about the reading. I will also assign
homework weekly. You will do these assignments in groups of five or
six students. Most of class on Mondays and Wednesdays will be spent
working in groups, and Fridays I'll spend some time lecturing and
discussing things with the class as a whole.
A good approach for homework is to first try to do a problem on
your own, and then discuss it with your group and classmates. Of
course, you are certainly welcome to ask me for suggestions.
When writing your homework solutions: if you find a solution in a
book or on a web page or from some other source, please provide a
reference. You must also use complete sentences and good grammar
when writing your solutions; if you don't, you may get no credit
for that assignment.
Quizzes.
Each Monday's quiz will be based on the previous week's
homework assignment and the current reading and homework
assignment. I will ignore your lowest quiz score when computing
your grade.
The grader for this course is Arthur Patterson.