Prerequisites. Two years of high school algebra and one year of high school geometry.
Text. Mathematics: A Practical Odyssey by Johnson and Mowry (5th edition).
The course covers most of Chapters 1-4, and parts of Chapter 7.
Topics include logic, sets, counting, probability, statistics,
and Markov chains.
Objectives. The primary goal of this course is to expose students to topics in mathematics that are usable and relevant to any educated person. The course introduces a few of the main ideas in finite mathematics and their applications to real-world problems.
Calculator. A calculator which has at least the capabilities of a TI-30 is required.
Attendance policy. Regular attendance is expected.
Exams. There will be two in-class exams and a two-hour final exam. Exam 1 will cover Chapters 1 and 2, Exam 2 -- Chapter 3 and the beginning of Chapter 4. The final will be cumulative, but the material of Chapters 4 and 7 will be emphasized.
Exam 1: Monday, February 16.
Exam 2: Monday, March 29.
Final Exam: Wednesday, May 5, 1-3 p.m.
All students must plan to take exams at the scheduled times. There will be no make-up exams.
If you miss a midterm exam for unavoidable reasons, such as illness or a family emergency,
the midterm score will be replaced by 2/3 of the final exam score. Otherwise, the score
for the missed test will be zero.
Note: Books and notes cannot be used on
any tests.
Homework. Daily homework will be assigned for each section we cover. These assignments will not be collected.
Quizzes. There will be a quiz each Wednesday, except for the exam weeks. Quiz problems will be similar to (and sometimes identical to) previously assigned homework problems. There will be no make-up quizzes, but the two lowest scores will be dropped.
Final grade computation. Your final score will be calculated as follows:
Quizzes: 30%
Exam 1: 20%
Exam 2: 20%
Final Exam: 30%
Your letter grade will be determined according to the following scale:
A: at least 90%
B: at least 80% but below 90%
C: at least 70% but below 80%
D: at least 60% but below 70%
F: below 60%
The requirements and the policies may be modified as
circumstances dictate.
Such changes will be provided to the students in class and in writing.