Math 366, Discrete Mathematical Structures I , Au09, 1130--1218, BE 394, Call No. 15074


Tutoring at MSLC On Mondays, ask for Michael, and say you're in my class.

The material below constitutes a dynamic syllabus  for the course; you are responsible for reading it. After doing so, if you have further questions, then---and only then---you are welcome to bring them up. PDF is the default format for linked documents that contain mathematical or logical symbols. Please inform me of errors or typos; such actions are recorded for possible extra credit at the end of the quarter.

The main goal of this course is for you to learn the fundamentals of reading and writing formal logical and mathematical prose: how to read definitions, theorems and proofs; write basic proofs; formulate definitions; produce examples and counterexamples; and so on. These skills are fundamental to further study in most areas of mathematics and computer science.

This course is designed and intended for students other than math majors. If you are taking this course, it is likely that your major department requires you do to so. Please direct any questions of the form ''Why do I have to learn this stuff?'' to someone in your major department.

Math 132 or 152 (or equivalent) is a formal prerequisite for Math 366.  If you do not meet this requirement, then you need my permission to be enrolled in the course. However, elementary algebra is a much more important component of the course than is calculus.  You are expected to be competent in high school algebra and precalculus, or to review as necessary on your own time. If you need help with these subjects, or just want to brush up on your math skills, the Math-Stats Learning Center (MSLC) is a good place to start.  Another valuable source of information is the Math Advising Office; see especially Math Help and Dept. Resources. For general academic skills support, try the Younkin Success Center.

Text  For what's it worth, I do not regard the answer book as worth buying.

Coverage:  Chapter 1, omitting section 5;  Chapter 2;  Chapter 3, omitting sections 7 and 8;  Chapter 4, omitting section 5;  Chapter 5, omitting section 4;  Chapter 10.1;  and Chapter 7, omitting sections 3 and 5. The pace will be quite brisk.

Professor:  C. Miller

Office Hours and Contact Information  Please see my email preferences before emailing me.

General Policies

There will be two fifty-minute exams (100 points each), a comprehensive final (200 points), and some assorted quizzes and homework (totalling approximately  100 points). Your grade is calculated as follows: First, I assign a letter grade based on the total number of points accumulated during the quarter. Second, I assign a letter grade based solely on the final. I then take the better of the two grades. This allows me to adjust for improvement: I'm much more interested in what you know at the end of the quarter than what you didn't know on the first exam. No Incompletes will be given without good cause.

ALL OF YOUR WORK MUST BE READABLE---BY ME. This refers to the English, the handwriting (or printing) and the organization. Here are the instructions for documenting your work. Read it---all of it---carefully. If you are unwilling or unable to live up to these instructions, then you do not belong in my section of  366 (nor any class I teach, for that matter). A classic reference for effective writing is The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White. A good (and very inexpensive) first book on serious mathematical writing is ''Writing Mathematics Well'', by Leonard Gillman, but there are also many free sources available on the web. See the Links section below for information on some software for producing mathematical text.

Required reading if you are going to attempt to do homework in TeX. And check out this FAQ.

Supplementary notes for the course

Exams

Homework

ADA statement

SOME LINKS

Radical Pi (the OSU Math Club)

Greek alphabet links: here , here and here.

MathWorld

MacTutor (Math history resource; fun to browse.)

Some software for producing math