Math 216-03 – Fall 2016
Discrete Structures, 3 credits
Instructor: Vlad Oles ()
Office Hours: WF 9:10 – 10:30 AM @ MLC (Cleveland 130), and by appointment
Text: Discrete Mathematics with Applications, Susanna S. Epp, 4th Ed., Brooks Cole
Room/Time: MWF 8:10 – 9:00 AM, Todd Hall 413
Prerequisite: Math 107, Phil 201
Final Exam: Friday, Dec 16, 3:10 – 5:10 PM. Note: University policy prohibits early final exams.
The policies established in this syllabus are subject to change. Any changes will be formally announced in class. It is the student's responsibility to attend class and be informed of any changes.
Form of Instruction: This is a lecture course with weekly homework assignments and written exams.
Course Goals and Learning Outcomes: The goal of this course is for students to develop an understanding of the mathematical structures and problem solving methods associated with each of those structures for the set of topics listed in the Course Content section of this syllabus. Students will demonstrate their understanding of these structures and their mastery of problem solving methods through the solution of problems using mathematical techniques appropriate for each specific topic. Primary assessment of these outcomes will be by written examination with secondary assessment by quizzes and homework assignments.
Assignments and Exams: There will be three in-class midterm exams and the scheduled final exam which will be cumulative. Homework will be assigned and collected weekly on Wednwsdays. Homework is due at the time it is collected in class. Homework will be graded on correctness for selected problems and on being complete (show your work!), organized, and neat. Homework papers should be stapled (not paper-clipped, not torn-folded) at the upper left corner with the student's name, course number, and section number in the upper right corner of each page.
Grading Policy: Course grades are based on a point system. The grading scale will be the standard 90-80-70 percent scale. However, at the discretion of the Instructor, the grading scale may be “relaxed” if deemed appropriate. The scale will never be harder than the standard scale. Total points will be determined by a weighted average of the student’s scores on Homework and Quizzes, Midterm Exams, and the Final Exam as shown below. Further, if doing so will improve the student's total points, the lowest Midterm Exam score will be weighted only 10% and the Final Exam score weighted 40% (on a proportionate grading scale basis) except in the case of a 0 for academic dishonesty.
Homework and Quizzes 10%
Midterms (three at 20% each) 60%
Final Exam 30%
Late Work Policy: Except under the most extreme circumstances and at the sole discretion of the instructor, late work will not be accepted and will receive a score of 0. However, the lowest two Homework/Quiz scores are excluded from the point computation. For an excused missed midterm exam, the accommodation is at the discretion of the instructor and is normally a re-weighting of the remaining components making up the students grade.
Attendance Policy: Attending class and being aware of course announcements and lecture content is the student's responsibility.
Calculator Policy: You may need a scientific calculator for some exams and quizzes. There may be some exams or parts of exams where calculators are not allowed.
WSU Safety Measures: Washington State University is committed to maintaining a safe environment for its faculty, staff, and students. Please visit http://safetyplan.wsu.edu and http://oem.wsu.edu to access the Campus Safety Plan and emergency information. You should also become familiar with the WSU Alert Site, http://alert.wsu.edu/ , where information about emergencies and other issues affecting WSU will be found.
Students with Disabilities: Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. If you have a disability and need accommodations to fully participate in this class, please either visit or call the Access Center (Washington Building 217; 509-335-3417) to schedule an appointment with an Access Advisor. All accommodations MUST be approved through the Access Center. For more information contact a Disability Specialist on your home campus. Pullman Campus contact info: http://accesscenter.wsu.edu , .
Academic Honesty Policy: Academic integrity will be strongly enforced in this course. Any student caught cheating on any assignment will be given a zero on the quiz or test and possibly a grade of F for the course. All violations of academic integrity policy will be reported to the Office of the Dean of Students. Cheating is defined in the Standards for Student Conduct WAC 504-26-010 (3). It is strongly suggested that you read and understand these definitions and other policies regarding academic honesty: http://conduct.wsu.edu/ .
Course Content: This course covers selected topics in discrete mathematics. Discrete mathematics forms the foundation for many structures in computer science and provides solution techniques for many problems in computer science. These topics include formal logic, validity of arguments, elementary number theory, mathematical induction, elementary set theory, an introduction to combinatorics and discrete probability theory, and an introduction to graphs and trees as well as applications of these topics. These topics correspond to sections of our text as listed in the approximate weekly schedule shown below.
Week 1 Language of Mathematics and Intro to Logic Sections 1.1 through 2.2
Week 2 Valid and Invalid Arguments and Application to Circuits Sections 2.3 through 2.4
Week 3 Circuits for Adding and Intro to Quantified Statements Sections 2.5, 3.1 and 3.2
Week 4 Arguments with Quantified Statements and Intro to Proof Sections 3.3 through 4.1
Week 5 Exam #1 + Direct Methods of Proof in Number Theory Sections 4.2 and 4.3
Week 6 Direct and Indirect Methods of Proof Sections 4.4 through 4.6
Week 7 Two Classical Theorems, Algorithms, Sequences Sections 4.7, 4.8 and 5.1
Week 8 Mathematical Induction Sections 5.2 through 5.4
Week 9 Exam #2 + Recursion and Intro to Set Theory Sections 5.6, 6.1 and 6.2
Week 10 Boolean Algebras, Relations and Equivalence Relations Sections 6.4, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3
Week 11 Introduction to Probability, Counting Methods Sections 9.1 through 9.5
Week 12 Counting Topics, Expected Value, Conditional Prob. Sections 9.6 through 9.9
Week 13 Exam #3 + Intro to Graphs, Paths, Circuits Sections 10.1 and 10.2
Week 14 Matrix Representation, Graph Isomorphism, Trees Sections 10.3 through 10.6
Week 15 Spanning Trees and Shortest Paths Section 10.7
Math Learning Center: Successful students make use of available resources, so don't struggle when help is just a few steps away! We want you to succeed, we're here for you, and we have FREE tutoring available in the Math Learning Center (Cleveland 130) and the computing lab in Thompson Hall (Room 1). Tutoring begins August 22nd. http://www.math.wsu.edu/studyhalls/welcome.php