| MCS-344 homepage | Reading and class schedule | Class problems |
| Prof. Barbara Kaiser | Proof checklist | Sample Test Problems |
Course Information
Prerequisites: The formal prerequisites are MCS-220 or MCS-236 and MCS-221 or MCS-256. More to the point, you should be comfortable
with solving hard, mathematical problems, thinking abstractly, and reading and writing proofs.
Course web site: The best source of information about
this
course is available at
www.gac.edu/~kaiser/mcs344/. There you will find a complete
syllabus,
course description, current homework assignments, and so on.
Text: Enumerative Combinatorics Through Guided Discovery, by Ken Bogart.
This book is not a textbook; instead, it is a list of problems that
are designed to encourage you to discover/create your own mathematical
ideas, theorems, techniques, and applications. You should do all of
the problems in the book. This means that you should find a
solution, write it up nicely, decide if it's correct, complete, and
clear, fix it if it isn't, and be ready to present you work in class
and answer any questions about it.
Note
that you can download the text and print it out, but remember that you
have a limited number of pages that you can print out. I will
place a binder containing a copy of the text in the lab monitors room
between Olin 327 and 329.
Classwork: Nearly all of our time in class
will be consist of students presenting their own work, explaining their
thinking, understanding their colleagues' work, and critiquing
everyone's work. Problems that we will present will be posted on
the course web page. Needless to say:
Attendance, both physical and mental, is required.
Should you need to miss a class for any reason, you are still
responsible
for the material covered in that class. You will be unable to
make up any points that you might have earned that day. As
always, I try to build enough leeway into how I grade classwork so that
you can miss up to three days of class should you have a good reason to
miss class. You do not need to tell me why you missed a class
unless
there
is a compelling reason for me to know.
Homework: In order to present your work, you must first do it. This is your homework.
You should keep a three-ring binder of all solutions you wrote as
you worked through the book. Bring this notebook with you to
class, to office hours, to problem-solving sessions with me or your
peers, etc. I will collect and grade notebooks periodically,
using a fairly casual grading system. Any work that you put in
the notebook must be done either on your own or by working
collaboratively with the other people in this course. You may not
consult with other students, faculty, books, web pages, etc.
Additionally,
you will create a portfolio of solutions that you have done on your
own, without help from any other students, faculty, books, web pages,
etc. You may consult with me on these problems and you may use
solutions that are in your notebook or class notes. The solutions
that you put in the portfolio should be samples of your very best work.
You are expected to add one problem each week. You may pick
a problem from the text or from the sample test problems (posted on the
web). Portfolios should be dropped off in the Provost's office by
4:30 pm on Friday.
Tests: We will have a midterm exam, tentatively
scheduled for Oct. 21, and a final on Thursday, Dec. 17, at
10:30 am.
Office
hours, appointments: I will hold evening office hours once or
twice a week in Olin 310. Because my schedule is quite full, I
will announce the hours for the week in class. If you need to see
me during the day, you can email or call Leslie Weber at lweber2@gustavus.edu or x7675, and ask for an
appointment with me. Be sure to tell her that you are taking my
class, how long of an appointment you need, and several times
that you are free.
Academic Integrity You are expected to to adhere to
the highest standards of academic honesty, to uphold the Gustavus Honor Code and to abide by the
Academic Honesty Policy.
Copies of the honor code and academic honesty policy can be found in the Gustie
Guide.
You will be expected to sign the honor pledge every time you hand in
homework. Notebook problems may be done collaboratively with
other students in this class, but you are expected to write up the solutions
individually and to indicate which students you worked with.
Portfolio problems must be your own work. On tests and exam problems, you are expected to work completely by
yourself, and to sign the honor pledge on each of these assignments.
The first violation of this policy will result in a 0 on that
assignment and notification of the Office of the Provost. Further
violations will result in failing the course.
Course grade:
| Homework |
25% |
| Classwork | 25% |
| Tests |
50% |