Sean Raleigh

Adjunct Professor of Mathematics, Miramar College

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Syllabus for Mathematics 245, Discrete Mathematics
Spring, 2005

Instructor:  Sean Raleigh (please call me Sean)

E-mail:  sraleigh@sdccd.net
    E-mail will be the only way to contact me outside of class. On the other hand, math questions are almost always impossible to answer over e-mail, so please restrict those types of questions to class time. Otherwise, feel free to contact me about anything else any time you need. I check my e-mail regularly.

Office:  I have no office on campus so I won’t have office hours. I promise to devote lots of class time to going over homework questions so that you won’t need additional hours from me. Also, I encourage you to form study groups to work problems and prepare for tests.

Time:  MW 5:00 p.m.–6:20 p.m.

Location:  T404

Required Text:  Discrete Mathematics, Johnsonbaugh, Sixth Edition.

Optional Text:  Practice Problems in Discrete Mathematics, Obrenic. Discrete Mathematics Workbook, Bush.
    (One of these may or may not come packaged with the main textbook.) We won't use these texts in the course.

Topics covered:  Basically we will cover chapters 1 through 8, but we'll skip several sections along the way. You are not responsible for material in sections we skip.

Homework:  Homework is due on Mondays unless otherwise indicated. We will plan to spend the first part of Mondays’ lectures working homework problems from the assignment.
    One question from each section of the book will be graded (worth 0, 1, or 2 points a piece) and the remainder of the points for the assignment will be awarded on an "all or nothing" basis. This means that you must at least attempt a majority of the problems to get credit ("majority" being subject to my judgment) and if you haven't met this standard, you will get no credit for that part of the assignment.
    Since most problems will not be graded, it is your responsibility to make sure you understand the assignment and ask questions about anything that remains unclear after working the assignment. Many of the assigned problems will be "blue" exercises, meaning that their answers (or at least hints) appear in the back of the text. This can be a blessing or a curse. The ability to check your work and make sure you are on the right track is invaluable. Nevertheless, the temptation is strong to limit yourself to doing a minimal amount of work and then copying down the answer. In a proof-based course such as this, it is also counterproductive to look at the hint or answer before making a sincere effort to attempt the problem first on your own. Keep in mind that the homework only comprises 10% of the final grade, so its purpose is to help you learn, practice, and reinforce the material you need to perform well on the exams. It is especially important for proofs that you make every effort to do the problem on your own and only use the back of the book to validate your work.
    You will be able to drop two homework assignments from your final grade.

Student Projects:  At the end of the semester, you will turn in a project which will consist of a five- to ten-page report. You will also have a 30- to 40-minute presentation to present the results of your investigation to the class. You will choose a topic fairly early in the semester and I will approve all such choices. Possible topics include anything relating to discrete math or anything that requires understanding proofs. Ideally, topics will relate to your major or field of interest. A good place to look might be sections in the book we won't be covering in the course. Also, I can suggest other topics and references.

Tests:  There will be two quizzes, a midterm, and a final. The quizzes will be short and will cover the material immediately preceding them, but the midterm and final will include questions that rely on, incorporate, or review past material.
    Quiz 1 will cover chapter 1. The midterm will cover everything through chapter 3. Quiz 2 will cover chapters 4 and 5. The final will be cumulative, but will focus a lot on chapters 6 through 8.
    You are allowed one normal sized piece of paper (both sides) as a "cheat sheet" for the midterm. You will not be allowed to use any materials for the quizzes.
    The final will be a take-home exam and you'll have one week to work on it. While collaboration is encouraged in every other aspect of the course, you must complete the final on your own, although you are welcome to consult any materials you wish.
    The dates of the tests are indicated in the course schedule.

Grading:  The grade distribution is as follows:

Your letter grade will initially be based on the following scale:

I say “initially” because I always curve the final grades. However, this won’t be a strict bell curve where the majority of the class earns a C with a few A’s and a few F’s. The ultimate grade distribution will be based on a B- average with no quotas for any individual letter grade. Also, you are guaranteed to earn at least the grade indicated on the above scale. So, for example, suppose you get 85% in the class, but the class average is 90%. You will still earn a B in the class and a large percentage of the class will be in the A range.

Academic Honesty:  Cheating will not be tolerated. This includes but is not limited to copying homework, using unauthorized materials in tests, looking at someone else’s paper during a test, collaborating with another person during the test, and other similar activities. You are all adults and you know what constitutes cheating; therefore, I will never accept an excuse of “I didn’t know.” If there’s any question as to what constitutes cheating, please ask before it becomes a problem. I reserve the right to assess a penalty for cheating as the severity demands. The minimum penalty will be a zero on that particular test or assignment. More likely, though, is that you will receive an F in the class. You will also be reported to the dean for any violation. Having said that, I encourage you to work together on the homework problems (this is not the same thing as copying another’s completed homework) and study together for tests, excepting, of course, the take-home final.

Attendance:  Attendance is required. I reserve the right to drop anyone from the class for excessive absences. Anyone who does not come at all in the first two weeks of class will be dropped.

Changes to the syllabus:  I reserve the right to change the syllabus as circumstances necessitate, but no new policy will be enforceable until after you have been notified in class.

Last modified: 01/22/05