Instructor: Sorin Mitran
Class meets: MWF 11:00-11:50 AM in Phillips 385
Office hours: M 9:00-9:50 AM, W 4:00-5:00 PM, F
1:00-2:00 PM in Phillips 307
Basic concepts and techniques of mathematics shall
be studied in the context of discrete applications, i.e. problems that somehow
involve counting.
Definition, theorem, proof, logic and set theory,
relations and functions, induction, permutations and combinations, recurrence,
probability, number theory.
Mathematics: A Discrete
Introduction by Edward Scheinerman,
Second edition, Thompson Brooks Cole 2006.
Homework shall be assigned after each lecture,
typically 3-4 questions from the textbook. Students are expected to solve the
homework exercises before the next class and keep a notebook of the work
carried out. Homework is not turned in to be graded formally. Students
experiencing difficulties in solving homework questions should come to office
hours.
Verification of student comprehension of course
topics shall be carried out by online, multiple choice quizzes. A new quiz will
be available each Friday, starting in week 2 and continuing to week 13 (12 quizzes
in total). A quiz consists of 3 questions selected at random from a database of
problems representative of topic covered in the previous week. Students must
answer all 3 questions correctly, within the allotted time, to pass a quiz.
There is no limit on the number of attempts or restriction on when to take any
individual quiz. Quizzes are available through the UNC Blackboard system: http://blackboard.unc.edu
A grade shall be awarded based upon test (80
points) and final examination (20 points) results. A student may undertake
extracurricular work (10 points) on more advanced topics which expand on course
material - these shall be announced from time to time by the instructor. The
point score is mapped to a final grade according to the following table.
|
A+ |
101-110 |
B+ |
80-83 |
C+ |
68-71 |
D+ |
56-59 |
|
A |
92-100 |
B |
76-79 |
C |
64-67 |
D |
52-55 |
|
A- |
84-91 |
B- |
72-75 |
C- |
60-63 |
F |
0-51 |
After each session of 3 quizzes, an online, multiple
choice test shall be given. The test is similar to a quiz except that five
questions, each worth 4 grade points are presented. The questions are selected
at random from a database consisting of exercises encountered on quizzes and
additional problems. A test may only be attempted twice, and there is an
allotted time (10-30 minutes) for answering test questions. A student should
take a sufficient number of practice quizzes to feel confident about attempting
a test. There is a time limit on taking tests - a test must be attempted in at
most two weeks after first becoming available online. Quizzes are available
through the UNC Blackboard system: http://blackboard.unc.edu
A traditional pencil and paper final examination
shall be given on Friday, May 5, 12:00 PM in Phillips 385. The final
examination shall consist of 10 questions (2 points each) from the entire
course material and shall verify understanding of basic concepts. In solving
the final examination questions students are expected to fully present their
reasoning. Solution to final exam.