Math 203: Finite Mathematics
11:50 – 1:00, Ivers 214
Concordia College, Spring 2012
Dr. Anders Hendrickson
[email protected]
http://www.cord.edu/faculty/ahendric/
Ivers 234G
299-4742
Textbook: Finite Mathematics & Its Applications, by Goldstein, Schneider, and Siegel,
supplemented with handouts
Course Website: http://www.cord.edu/faculty/ahendric/203/
Bookmark this page! Your homework assignments will be posted here, along with
copies of all handouts and computer slideshows.
Office Hours:
My official office hours are Tuesday 1:00–2:00, Wednesday 3:00–4:00, Thursday 8:15–
9:15, and Friday 2:00–3:00. These are of course a minimum, not a maximum: you can
also often catch me in my office at other times. If you want to be sure to find me, just
email me or catch me after class, and we’ll set up an appointment.
Catalog Description and Prerequisite:
The course examines combinatorics, probability, statistics, matrices, systems of linear
equations, linear inequalities and mathematics of finance.
Prerequisite: High school higher algebra.
Curriculum Goals:
Success in this course will help you “responsibly engage the world” because
• You will better understand mathematics, a language used (and sometimes abused)
in psychology, sociology, politics, economics, business, natural science, and elsewhere.
• You will learn not only to think rigorously and thoroughly, but also to communicate your thoughts clearly and precisely.
Attendance:
You are expected to attend all classes. Material will be covered in class that is not
covered in the book! Absences due to emergencies, illness, or college activities are
excused, but please let me know in advance so we can arrange makeup work. Absence
on the date of an exam, without prior arrangements, results in a zero score.
Finite Math Syllabus - Spring 2012
11:50 – 1:00
Page 2 of 4
Etiquette:
You are expected to treat me and your fellow students with respect. In particular,
• Silence your cell phone ringers and remove your headphones before class starts.
• Do not read newspapers or other extraneous material in class.
• Do not send or receive text messages while in class.
Every time I see you violating these rules, I will immediately dock 5 points
from your final course grade.
Academic Integrity (Cheating is Pathetic):
All exams, quizzes, and homework assignments are subject to Concordia’s policy on
academic integrity (http://www.cord.edu/academic/catalog/integrity.html). In
particular, quizzes and exams are to be completed without any assistance from others.
This should not need saying, but cheating will not be tolerated. It is an offense against
God, against me, and against your classmates who work honestly. If I find evidence
of cheating on a test or homework assignment, you will receive zero points on that
assignment.
Calculators:
A calculator is required for this course; I recommend a scientific calculator like the
TI-30 or TI-83 that has parenthesis buttons ( and ) . A graphing calculator, while
expensive, is by far the easiest to use. Cell phones may not be used as calculators on
exams. Do note that on many problems you must give an exact answer, not just a
decimal approximation, and I reserve the right to make some problems, assignments, or
exams calculator-free. Most importantly, don’t make the calculator your main tool —it
cannot take the place of careful thought.
Homework: (Read this!!)
Homework will be assigned and corrected almost every class period. The homework
assignments will be announced in class and posted on the course website. If you
happen to miss class, you are responsible for looking up the homework on the website.
Homework assignments are due at the beginning of the next class period. (After it
is collected, I may answer a few questions about the problems, so make notes on a
separate sheet of paper about what puzzled you most!)
You may—indeed, you are encouraged to—cooperate with classmates to complete the
homework, but you must write up your own solutions to hand in.
Homework exercises are to be written neatly, and multiple pages must be stapled
together before you come to class. Do not use paper from a spiral notebook unless you
tear off the ragged edge cleanly. Put your name on the paper. Messy, unstapled, or
ragged homework will lose points; nameless homework receives no points.
Late homework will not be accepted, excepted when necessitated by lengthy
Concordia-sponsored events such as tours. To accommodate illnesses, family emergencies, etc., your three lowest homework grades will be dropped at the end of the
semester. The remaining total homework grade will be scaled to 100 points.
Finite Math Syllabus - Spring 2012
11:50 – 1:00
Page 3 of 4
Applied Projects:
During the course of the semester there will be three group projects, which will be
completed in pairs outside of class time. You will have at least three weeks to complete
each project.
Quizzes and Exams:
Quizzes may be given throughout the semester, at my discretion. There will be four
in-class exams, currently scheduled for Wednesday, February 2; Friday, February 17;
Friday, March 16; and Monday, April 2. Absence on the day of an exam results in a
zero score, unless you have made prior arrangements with me as soon as you know of
the conflict and I agree that the conflict is worthy of a make-up exam. (For example,
family vacations, Caribbean cruises, and hockey tickets are not valid conflicts.) The
final exam will be held on Thursday, May 3 from 11:00 to 1:00 p.m. Following college
policy, there will be no alternate times provided to take the final exam. Do not
make any travel arrangements to leave campus, whether for breaks or at the end of
the semester, that endanger your ability to take the exams. “My parents bought the
ticket” is not a valid excuse.
Extra Credit:
I offer three principal sources of extra credit in this course.
• First, on some of the homework assignments I will designate one or more problems
as extra credit (“XC”) problems.
• Second, the department offers a colloquium series some Tuesdays at 2:45 p.m.;
you can earn up to 10 extra credit points by attending one of the colloquium
talks and turning in a two-page written report about the colloquium. (If you
have another class at 2:40 on Tuesday, you may watch the colloquium on video
instead; look for the link on the course website.) Your report should have two
sections: in the first, you should summarize the material presented; in the second,
you should give some of your own reactions to the material. The report is due
in class the Monday following the colloquium. You may earn a limit of 20 extra
credit points this way.
• Third, throughout your textbook you will find “Chapter Projects” (see the table
of contents). You may earn extra credit by completing those projects in written
form; the amount of extra credit awarded will depend both on the difficulty of
the project and on how well you complete it. You may earn up to 30 extra credit
points this way. All projects must be turned in to me by April 23.
Additional resources:
If you would like some extra help in this class, you have a couple of options. First, there
will be a tutor for Finite Math available every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday in Ivers
218 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Second, the Academic Enhancement and Writing Center
(AEWC) offers free math tutoring Sunday through Thursday of every week from 7:00
to 9:00 p.m. in Fjelstad B06. The AEWC has even more tutoring options available if
you’re willing to commit to meeting with a tutor two hours per week; contact them at
299-4551. Finally, call or email me, or stop by my office! I want you to succeed in this
class.
Finite Math Syllabus - Spring 2012
11:50 – 1:00
Page 4 of 4
Mae Anderson Alumni Lectures:
In honor of the centennial of Concordia’s Mathematics Department, and in memory of
Mae Anderson, one of the early chairs of the department, several math and computer
science alumni will be returning to campus on January 20 to talk about their work!
The talks will be held in Ivers all day long on January 20, and you are encouraged
to come to some of them to learn how mathematics is used in the worlds of business,
science, and academics. In particular, I am canceling class that day so that you can
have more time to attend one of the talks.
Schedule:
Class meets every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11:50 to 1:00 in Ivers 214,
with just a few exceptions. Please make note of the following special dates:
Wednesday, January 11
Friday, January 20
Wednesday, February 2
Friday, February 17
Monday, February 27
Wednesday, February 29
Friday, March 2
Friday, March 16
Monday, April 2
Friday, April 6
Monday, April 9
Monday, April 30
Thursday, May 3
First day of class
No class – Mae Anderson alumni lectures
Exam 1
Exam 2
No class – Spring break
No class – Spring break
No class – Spring break
Exam 3
Exam 4
No class – Good Friday
No class – Easter Monday, and my birthday
Last day of class
Final exam, 11:00 to 1:00 p.m.
Grading Scale:
Grades will be computed according to the scale below. If at any point during the
semester you wish to know your current grade, please come to my office.
Quizzes & Homework
Group Projects
Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3
Exam 4
Final Exam
Total
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
700
points
points
points
points
points
points
points
points
651–700
630–650
609–629
581–608
560–580
539–559
511–538
490–510
469–489
441–468
420–440
0–419
(93-100%)
(90-92%)
(87-89%)
(83-86%)
(80-82%)
(77-79%)
(73-76%)
(70-72%)
(67-69%)
(63-66%)
(60-62%)
(0-59%)
A
A−
B+
B
B−
C+
C
C−
D+
D
D−
F