Required: The Language of Mathematics: Making the invsible visible by Keith Devlin.
NOT Required: For All Practical Purposes, 7th Ed. by COMAP
The text that we will be following most closely is
The Language of Mathematics. It is less than $15 online and is exceedingly well written (win win). I will be assigning readings from this book periodically (check the
syllabus), and I expect that you will all have this text by the second week of classes. You can order it online.
There is also a book listed for this course:
For All Practical Purposes. I may use this book as a resource for applications of the mathematics we learn, but I
will never assign anything from this text. If you purchased this book, you can feel free to return it.
There will be a final exam. The date for this exam is listed above, as well as on
the
course syllabus.
A makeup exam will only be given under extremely rare circumstances, such
as with the death of a family member. Contact me at least 24 hours in advance
if such a rare event occurs. In the case of religious observances, please contact
me during the first week of the summer session with the specific dates of requested
absence.
No study aides (such as textbooks, notes, etc.) may be used
on the final exam. You may use a
non-graphing calculator on the final exam.
You will each read a novel and write a book report on it. The novel should be chosen from
this list, compiled by Professor Kasman at the College of Charleston. In choosing your novel, please make sure that the Mathematical Content has a rating of at least 2.5 / 5 (click each title and scroll down for it's ratings). You must choose your novel by the beginning of the second week of class (July 14th), and choices will be awarded on a first-ask-first-serve basis. Please email me your selections.
Guidelines: Within your book report you must make sure to answer the following questions:
- Is the mathematics in the book genuine or fake? (You must check the topics and facts in your book and justify your answer. A good place to start your investigation may be Mathworld or Wikipedia).
- How central is mathematics to the book?
- Would you recommend this book to a fellow mathematician?
Your report should be about 3 to 4 pages in length, 12pt font, 1.5 spacing. You must cite your novel as one of your sources, and you are encouraged to use and cite other references.
Reports are due on Thursday, August 7th in class.
Homework
Homework will be assigned every Thursday and due the following Wednesday in class. To see each homework assignment,
go the the
syllabus and click on the corresponding link (assignments will be posted on the syllabus under the day on which they are assigned).
Absolutely no late homework will be accepted, regardless of the reason.
If you know ahead of time that you will not be able to hand in a homework assignment
on the day that it is due (e.g. in the case of a religious holiday, etc.), you
should plan ahead and have the homework prepared early.
Homework must be stapled and clearly organized. Put your name and the date
in a visible place, and write your answers neatly and legibly. If I can't read
your solutions, I have no choice but to grade the problem set with a 0. A good
strategy to employ is to write a rough draft of your homework first, carefully
writing up a final draft once you have the solutions.
Readings will also be assigned periodically To see what reading has been assigned, check out the
syllabus.
Grading
Your grade will be composed of: your homework grade, your
book report grade, and your final exam grade weighted as follows:
| Grade |
% of Final Grade |
| Homework |
40% |
| Book Report |
30% |
| Final Exam |
30% |
A note on regrades: If you feel that I have graded something in error,
please see me at the end of the lecture in which the item was handed back to you
to bring this to my attention. Once a grade leaves the lecture room, the grade
is set.
Email
Email is to be used primarily to ask questions regarding
the course itself, rather than the homework problems. I will not work
out any homework problems via email: we can discuss such issues at my office
hours. That said, if I receive enough emails concerning the difficulty of
a particular problem, I will take note of this and discuss the problem in
lecture.
Group Work
Working together on homework assignments can be a
great learning experience, and can increase the efficiency with which assignments
are completed. You are encouraged to work with the students from this
class. However, while group work is encouraged, all involved students must
write up their solutions independently. Don't copy. If I encounter
any academic dishonesty (coping homework, cheating on the exam, etc.),
I will bring this to the attention of the math department.
Useful Links
The Math Department homepage
Lots of useful information about the math department, including faculty contact
information and course information.
The Undergraduate Math homepage
A repository of information for those taking undergraduate math courses.
The Tutoring
Center Free peer-based tutoring services.
Math Department List of
Approved Private Tutors