Tutorial 2: September 23, 2020

MAT202H5 (Discrete Mathematics)

University of Toronto Mississauga
What makes good writing?

I What does it mean for writing to be effective?

I What do you think are the characteristics of effective mathematical writing?
(e.g. when you are reading a proof.)
Some characteristics of effective writing
Math is not just calculations. It is about ideas: how these calculations come together
to tell a story.

Effective writing tells the story well.

I Correct
I Well-organized
I Steps are explained/justified. . .
I . . . appropriate to the audience
I Written in complete sentences
I Tip: use ‘for all,’ ‘therefore,’ or ‘because’ instead of ∀, ∴, or ∵
I Tip: do not chain equal signs = or right-arrows ⇒
I Concise? Elegant?
Rubric for Writing
In this class, every solution you submit in an assignment or in the term test will be assigned
two grades: one for the mathematics, and one for the writing. You are still expected to justify
your steps in the ‘regular’ part of your grade.

In the writing portion you will be graded out of two points:

I 2/2: Explanations are well-written and appropriate to the target audience, MAT202
students. Guiding text and connecting words make clear the structure of the overall
argument. Mathematical symbols are used correctly and convey ideas well. There are no
typos or proofreading errors.
I 1/2: The solution or proof is somewhat understandable, and the main argument can still
be followed. But there are minor errors in organization or the writing, or some
justifications may be unclear.
I 0/2: Problems with the writing interfere with audience understanding/most of the
solution not written in complete sentences or using words.

Note: a slightly different rubric may be used for the portfolio, where writing will have a higher weight.
Example
Question: How many arrangements of the word NEWFOUNDLAND have the three N’s
together but the two D’s apart?
What grade would you give?
Question: How many arrangements of the word NEWFOUNDLAND have the three N’s
together but the two D’s apart?
What grade would you give?
Question: How many arrangements of the word NEWFOUNDLAND have the three N’s
together but the two D’s apart?
What grade would you give?
Question: How many arrangements of the word NEWFOUNDLAND have the three N’s
together but the two D’s apart?
What grade would you give?
Question: How many arrangements of the word NEWFOUNDLAND have the three N’s
together but the two D’s apart?
What grade would you give?
Question: How many arrangements of the word NEWFOUNDLAND have the three N’s
together but the two D’s apart?
What grade would you give?
Question: How many arrangements of the word NEWFOUNDLAND have the three N’s
together but the two D’s apart?