Syllabus for MAD 2104 U03, Fall 2011 (Ref #83675) Last modified on

Professor:  Steven M. Hudson. Phone: 305-348-3231. 
Office Hours: TW 3:30pm to 4:30pm in DM 419B - or by appt  [or see Christopher in DM 409A]
E-mail: hudsons@fiu.edu , Home Page: http://www.fiu.edu/~hudsons
Text: Discrete Mathematics and its Applications, By KH Rosen, 6th Edition (most of Chs. 1, 2, 4, 5 and 8-11).

Partial Schedule:  See  the Schedule and Homework page for more details, updates and announcements.

8/23 - First lecture, in PC 214, 2pm to 3:15pm
9/1 - The first of 6 quizzes  [thru approx Ch 1.3]
9/8 - Homework 1 due [Ch 1.1 thru Ch 1.5 approx].
10/31 - Last day to drop the course (without refund) But check this.
11/24 - TDay, no class.
11/29 - All late homework, excuses, etc. must be in
12/1 - Last lecture / review.
12/8 [Thurs 12pm - 2pm] - the final exam covers the entire course.

If you have written short proofs in a previous class, such as Geometry, you may have a small advantage here. If not, consider some extra practice or reading - for example, Velleman's paperback, How to Prove It. Your semester grade will be based on your average score - not on improvement, effort, etc. Incompletes will not be given, except in special cases such as last-minute medical emergencies.

Percentages of course grade - Six quiz scores, totalling 50%. I will drop the lowest quiz grade, so the best five are 10% each. Final exam, 40%. The homework (HW) average counts10%. Each student will have a score between 0 and 100% at the end of the course. Letter grades will be assigned approximately as follows; 

 A 85-100%,   B 75-84 %,   C 65-74 %,   D 55-64 %, F 0-54 %. 

(+'s and -'s will be used). I will set the official scale at the end of the semester, after all grades are in, but will usually announce a revised unofficial scale after each quiz.

Expectations: You are expected to spend at least 10 hours a week outside of class, on homework, reading the text and other forms of study. Do NOT fall behind! The lectures are intended to give you a light introduction to the material (with attention to the rough spots). The reading and HW will go a bit beyond the lectures. If you have trouble with these, you are expected to ask questions either to me or our Learning Assistant, Christopher (hours tba, but most likely on Thursdays in DM 409A). Explore this website [eg follow the links on my main page].

You will need to write fairly simple proofs, with clear sentences and good explanations. I will try to help you learn this by giving examples in lectures and thru web pages, but you may need to spend some extra time developing this skill. Christopher and I can also meet with you about proofs.

Various Policies:  There will be 6 homeworks (HWs), which should prepare you for the quizzes. Do the HWs by yourself and turn them in on  stapled loose leaf paper. For maximum credit be neat, show all your work, and explain your reasoning. Late homework (accepted up to 2 weeks) is worth half the normal credit. Homework is due at the beginning of the class - then we may discuss some of the harder problems upon request.

Christopher will grade each HW briefly, based mainly on a few selected problems. This may produce a few inaccurate weekly scores, but the HW averages at the end are usually accurate. If you feel otherwise at the end, you can bring all your HW back to me for review. Or, you can opt out of the HW entirely by writing me a note during the first week of classes.

Quizzes usually consist of 1-2 problems similar to the previous HW, and 1-2 conceptual questions, such as  True-False, a textbook proof and/or a definition. They also cover the lectures and reading up to approx 1 week before the Quiz. 

The Main Rules:

Electronic devices, including cell phones, must be turned off during class.
If you cannot arrive and leave on time, see me and explain.
If you miss an entire class, get notes from a classmate.
If you must miss an quiz, see me beforehand, if possible, and document your excuse.
In general, there are no make-up quizzes (but see me).
If you must turn in homework late for a good reason, write a note of explanation at the top.
If you find a grading error, write a note to me at the top of your paper and return it promptly.

I will try to identify any cheating that may occur in the course. To avoid unfounded suspicion, please show all your work, turn in any scratch paper you use in exams, and avoid sitting next to your study partners during exams. This covers the basics, but read over My Policies (the long version) so that you are not surprised by anything, and so you know your options.

LINKS:

Schedule and HW 
Exam Page - practice quizzes, keys, etc 
Back to my main page

Help tutoring, websites, online tutorials, advice etc
[This link may be out of date - please see me if you are interested in this]