Spring 2016 : MATH 381 Discrete Mathematics (section 5)
Lectures: MWF 8:00-8:50am in room Phillips 385.
Instructor: Saray Shai, Chapman 444.
Office hours: MWF 12:30-1:30pm, and by appointment.
Email: sshai@live.unc.edu
Sakai site: MATH381.005.SP16
Overview
The purpose of this course is to learn how to think and communicate mathematically, while developing the ability to understand, create and prove mathematical arguments. Being able to handle abstract concepts and reason logically is an important prerequisite for more advances course in mathematical sciences as well as many real-world jobs. The topics covered include formal logic and proof methods; sets and functions; modular arithmetic, prime numbers, and divisibility; the principle of mathematical induction; relations; counting methods; and discrete probability theory.
Course Prerequisite
You must have earned a passing grade in MATH232 (or an equivalent) to register for this class.
Textbook
Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications, by Kenneth H. Rosen, Seventh Edition, McGraw Hill, 2012. A custom (cheaper) abridged version for UNC is available from the bookstore. There is also a Student Guide, by Jerrold Grossman. The course will roughly cover the following sections from the book:
Chapter 1: 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.7, 1.8
Chapter 5: 5.1, 5.2
Chapter 4: 4.1, 4.2, 4.3
Chapter 2: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3
Chapter 9: 9.1, 9.3, 9.5
Chapter 6: 6.1, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5
Chapter 7: 7.1, 7.2
I will occasionally use some examples and exercises from the book “Introduction to Mathematical Thinking” by Keith Devlin.
Homework and Exams
Homework assignments will be posted on Sakai each Friday. You are free and highly encouraged to work together on these problems, but please write out your own solutions (due the following Friday 3pm). One of the main objectives of this course is for you to learn to communicate clearly using the language of mathematics. Some problems will ask for a proof, others will ask for a calculation, but in most cases you should formulate your statements using complete sentences.
There will be three midterms, held in class on Monday 15th February, Monday 21st March and Monday 18th April.
The final exam will take place on Tuesday 3rd May at 4pm.
Grading Scheme
Your overall score will be composed of homework (14%), midterms (17% each), and the final exam (35%). Corresponding grades are: A = 90-100, B = 80-89, C = 70-79, D = 60-69, F = 59 or below.
Honor System
Students in this course are bound by the UNC Honor System. You may (and probably should) work together on homework and when preparing for exams, but homework papers should be written up by each individual alone and should properly credit any sources used. Exams will be closed book individual efforts. Students are asked to sign the Pledge at the end of each exam to attest that they followed the Honor System while taking it.
Attendance
Please come to class prepared to learn! It is a good advice in general, but in this course it is particularly important: learning to think a different a way is a lot harder to learning a new technique and few of us can do it alone. You should try to contribute to the class discussion and discuss the course material regularly with other students. Please refrain from using cell.