Complete Homework, Quiz, and combined (tests plus homework) statistics posted. (Click the "Statistics" tab on the banner.)
Final Exam at 8 am on Tuesday, December 4.
The first chapters of the instructor's Linear Algebra lecture notes are available online (Nov 11). Please report any errors by email.
Homework and test statistics have been posted (Oct 28, 9pm). Click "Statistics" on the banner.
Test dates and grade composition posted (click "grading" tab on banner).
Course description has been added (9-28). Click tab on banner.
Please send email to the instructor with answers to these questions, even if you are only sitting in on the course, did not register, or have an unusual status. Your answers to these questions will help me better to plan the course. Please write "CMSC 37110 data" in the subject.
This course intends to introduce the students into the ways of mathematical thinking, from intuition to formal statement and proof, through a number of interconnected elementary subjects most of which should be both entertaining and useful in their many connections to classical mathematics as well as to real-world applications.
Through a long series of examples, we practice how to formalize mathematical ideas and learn the nuts and bolts of proofs.
High-school level familiarity with sets, functions, and relations will be assumed.
The list of subjects includes quantifier notation, number theory, methods of counting, generating functions, finite probability spaces, undirected and directed graphs, basic linear algebra, finite Markov Chains (a class of stochastic processes).
Sequences of numbers will be a recurring theme throughout. Our primary interest will be the rate of growth of such a sequence (asymptotic analysis). From calculus, the notion of limits (especially at infinity) is required background. "Asymptotic thinking" about sequences is also the bread and butter of the analysis of algorithms, the subject of a course offered in Winter.
Office hours: by appointment (please send e-mail)
Teaching assistants:
Sourav Chakraborty sourav(at)cs(dot)uchicago(dot)edu.
Raghav Kulkarni raghav(at)cs(dot)uchicago(dot)edu.
The TAs hold office hours Monday, Wednesday 5:00-6:00pm in Ry-162 (the "Theory Lounge").
Classes: TuTh 9:00 - 10:20 am, Ry-276
Tutorial: Th 4:30 - 5:20 pm, Ry-276. Attendance mandatory unless waived by instructor.
Your primary text will be your course notes, so please make sure you don't miss classes. If you do, you should copy somebody's class notes and discuss the class with them.
Instructor's Discrete Mathematics Lecture Notes (PDF)
Instructor's Linear Algebra lecture notes (PDF)
Printed text:
J. Matoušek, J. Nešetříl: "Invitation to Discrete Mathematics," published by Oxford University Press, ISBN# 098502079.
(Note: the text is out of print. A few copies will be available to
share; possibly more copies can be obtained on the web.)
Recommended reference (undergraduate text):
Kenneth H. Rosen: Discrete Mathematics and its Applications (n-th edition, n=2,3,4,5,...)
Grades are based on frequent Homework (posted), tests, and class participation.
Grade composition: homework 25%, two midterms 16% each, a quiz 8%, final exam 30%, class participation 5%
The tests are closed-book; no notes permitted. Calculators are permitted for basic arithmetic (multiplication, division) but not for more advanced functions such as g.c.d.
October 23 Tuesday: first midterm
November 13 Tuesday: second midterm
November 27 Tuesday: quiz
December 4, 8-10am: final exam