Math 51 (#19499)/COEN 19 (#19553)

MWF 1 pm in OConnor 106

Syllabus

Discrete Mathematics
Farris, Spring 2015

What is Discrete Mathematics? Mathematics is generally seen as having two halves: discrete
and continuous. You studied continuous mathematics in calculus, where you learned what it
means for a function to be continuous. You remember that the definition of continuity involves
limits, which in turn involve the infinite continuum of real numbers. Calculus acquired its
favored place in math because it solved important problems: getting spacecraft to the Moon,
making sure that dams are strong enough, predicting electrical currents in circuits. Engineers
still need to solve these problems, but the rise of computers has highlighted our need for the
other half of mathematics. Discrete mathematics, which avoids the infinite continuum, is vital
for anyone hoping to solve the distinctly 21st-century problems that technology presents.
Text: Kenneth H. Rosen, Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications, SCU Custom Edition. At
our bookstore, this text is packaged with electronic access to the text and online homework
system. You must connect to this system to turn in the online component of homework. Access
can be purchased separately; read more at our Camino site. We will study selected topics from
Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the original text. Section headers with the original section
numbers appear in the book, so I will continue to use these. Please disregard the chapter numbers
in the Table of Contents.
This course is associated with two Pathways: The Digital Age and Paradigm Shifts. You can find information
about Pathways on the Core Curriculum website. You may use a representative piece of work from this course for
the Pathway materials you will submit later. It is recommended to keep electronic copies of your work using
Dropbox or Google Docs, in addition to saving copies on your own computer or flash drives. When you assemble
your Pathway materials, it will help to have a range of choices available.

Class requirements: Attendance and participation are required at every class meeting. I ask you
to be fully present, to behave professionally, and to stay for the whole period, except in special
circumstances. Please let me know in advance if you must miss class. No electronic devices are
permitted in class. You must ask questions when you do not understand. This takes bravery,
but your willingness to ask questions is vital to our course.
Assessment and grading: Exams will be Friday, 4/24 and Friday, 5/15. Each counts 20% of
your grade. Final exam is Monday, 6/8 at 1:30. University policy states that the final exam can
only be taken at this time. The final counts 40% of your grade. Homework due almost every
class period counts 20% (half online, half paper). Department policies: No late homework can
be accepted for any reason and all exams must be taken at the scheduled time. (If you miss a
mid-term, I will weigh your other work more heavily.)
Calculators and computers: Often it is helpful to use a machine of some kind for assistance
with messy computations. You are welcome to do this on your homework; for some problems it
is quite necessary. However, exam questions are designed to test your knowledge of concepts,
rather than tax your ability to do arithmetic. On exams, you will have to do arithmetic at the level
of 60 x 70 = 4200, and calculators will not be allowed.
Contact me: O'Connor 314, 554-4430, http://math.scu.edu/~ffarris, ffarris@scu.edu
Office hours: MWF 9:30-10 AM and 2:30-3 PM, Tu 2:003 pm, and by appointment. These are
meant for everyone in the class. Coming to office hours to talk about our course should be a regular
part of your schedule. MWF times last 30 minutes, so please be prompt and ready to work.

Homework: Homework is central to your learning. Since we have the luxury of a wonderful
human grader, your homework will come in two parts: online and paper. Online homework is meant
to help you master the routine parts of the material: definitions and basic skills. You sometimes will
have two chances to score points on a problem; even if your answers are incorrect you will receive a
lot of support. I hope that this system will ensure that everyone in the class masters the basics.
Because online homework is designed to prepare you to do the paper homework (which includes
non-routine problem-solving), all online homework will be due at 8 pm on the evening before the
paper homework is due. Ideally, you will complete the online homework on the same day the
material is presented in class.
Paper homework is always due at the start of class. For this part of the assignment, your style of
presentation counts as part of your grade. When we get to proofs, you must use complete
sentences, with good spelling and grammar. Some of these homework assignments could serve
as part of your Pathway submission. The homework should match fairly closely with examples
that were shown in class, but you must also expect to read the section before beginning the
homework. Please include in the top left of each homework assignment your name, the course
number, assignment number, and due date. And fold the assignment so that this information
appears on the outside. For example:
Chris Student
Discrete Math
Assignment #1
1 Apr 15
Assignments for paper homework will be posted at our class Camino site, as well as the Rosen
site, listed by date due. Note once more that chapter numbers correspond to those on the
page headers, not the ones in the Table of Contents. Our first assignment is
#1 4/1

1.1/ 4, 8, 20, 34, 36e

Academic Integrity: The penalty for cheating is a failing grade for the course, and the University may take further
disciplinary action. All of the work that you turn in should be your own, and not that of a classmate or copied from
another source. See http://www.scu.edu/studentlife/resources/integrity.cfm for further information.
Disability Accommodation Policy: To request academic accommodations for a disability, students must contact the
Disability Resources Office located in Benson 216 (554-4111; TTY 554-5445). Students must provide
documentation of a disability to Disability Resources prior to receiving accommodations.

Goals & Objectives

In this course, students will grow in mathematical maturity," specifically, the ability to create
and comprehend mathematical arguments. By the end of the course, you should be able to:
i) express, analyze, and manipulate factual statements using propositional logic; ii) construct
proofs using rules of inference and different methods such as direct, indirect, by contradiction,
by cases, and various forms of induction; iii) define mathematical objects using integers, sets,
functions, relations; and iv) count objects with certain properties using summations and
recurrences.