What's new | Course info | Texts | Grading, test dates | Policy on collaboration | Homework | Tests | Handouts | Stat |
Quiz 3 posted (click "Tests" on the banner)
Statistics of HW 1--8 combined scores posted (click "Stat" on the banner; compare with the green numbers on your graded HW-8 set)
Old news LAST CLASS Friday, April 13, 12:00 - 2:15 pm.
Final exam rules: no text, no notes, no scap paper, except that a set of Week 3 class notes will be distributed at the exam for your reference. (Week 3 only, because of the more advanced nature of the Week 3 material.)
Class notes and homework sets 9 and 10 posted (April 12, 6am) (click "Homework" on the banner). Includes some updates compared to preliminary version of the Class 9 notes previously distributed by the TA.
Puzzle set 3 posted (click "Homework" on the banner)
Quiz 2 posted (April 5, 11:40 am) (click "Tests" on the banner).
Homework set 8 - final version posted (April 10, 3:35pm) (click "Homework" on the banner). WARNING: some updates made compared to preliminary version previously posted and distributed by the TA.
Homework set 7 posted (April 5, 11:30 am) (click "Homework" on the banner).
Solutions to Homework sets 1 and 2 posted (April 1, 10:30pm) (click "Homework" on the banner).
Puzzle set 2 posted (April 1, 2pm) (click "Homework" on the banner).
Homework set 4 posted (March 30, 5pm) (click "Homework" on the banner). Warning added to definition of unimodality (March 31, 9pm).
Hw 1-2 and Quiz-1 statistics posted (click "Stat" on the banner).
Quiz-1 posted (click "Tests" on the banner).
Classes begin at 9:15 am (starting March 27).
Teaching Assistant: David Rule; e-mail: {lastname}(at)math(dot)uchicago(dot)edu.
Course description (updated on April 1 to synchronize with actual course content)
The focus of the course is the often unexpected interaction between basic combinatorial principles and disciplines (counting, binomial coefficients, pigeon hole principle, Ramsey Theory, extremal set theory) with the elements of various branches of mathematics; number theory in the first place. Simple properties of binomial coefficients are used to study the density of prime numbers among all integers; quadratic residues are used to construct explicit universal graphs. The tools include asymptotic estimation and notation, discrete probability, linear algebra. Mathematical puzzles will pepper the course.
The instructor hopes that the course will be fun in
many ways. The instructor is aware that students
in the class come with a variety of backgrounds
and he will do his best to cater to the needs of each
student. Whether you have had substantial prior
exposure to combinatorics and linear algebra or not,
you will neither be bored nor be left behind.
Go to top
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.
There will also be frequent handouts and web postings. Please always check this website.
Printed texts:
1. J. Matoušek, J. Nešetříl: "Invitation to Discrete Mathematics," published by Oxford University Press, ISBN# 098502079.
2. László Babai, Péter Frankl: "Linear Algebra Methods in Combinatorics," preliminary version 2, September 1992.
Please pick up text #2 from Donna Brooms at the Computer Science Dept. main office, Ryerson 152.
Online text: instructor's "Discrete Mathematics" lecture notes in PDF (preliminary draft).
Grading will be based on class participation (10%), homework assignments (40%), and tests (quiz 1: 15%, quiz 2: 15%, quiz 3: 20%).
Test dates:
Quiz Zero: Monday, March 25 ("placement test," no grade value)
Quiz One: Thursday, March 29
Quiz Two: Thursday, April 5
Quiz Three: Friday, April 13