Math 13 (44400) - Spring 2008
An Introduction to Abstract Mathematics
Lecturer Neil Donaldson
(home
page)
Office MSTB 296
Office Hours Wed &
Fri 8.15-9am & 10-11am
Phone 824-5508
Email
ndonalds@math.uci.edu
Lecture Times MWF
9-9.50 am, MSTB 122
Discussion Sessions
TuTh 9-9.50 am, MSTB 122
Teaching Assistant
Kyriakos Kypriotakis
Office RH 535A
Office Hours TuTh
1.30-2.30 pm
Tutoring Center F
2.30-4.30 pm
Email
kkypri@math.uci.edu
Syllabus Course Text &
Structure
- We will be covering large parts of chapters I--V of Foundations of Higher
Mathematics: Peter Fletcher & C. Wayne Patty, 3rd
Ed, Brooks Cole
- LaTeXed notes will appear semi-regularly, so buying the
book is not
obligatory, though it will help you. The notes will not be as
thorough as the book and are no substitute for attending
lectures.
- Homework Questions will be
set each week, some of which are to be handed in each week.
Though some of the questions will be taken from the course
text, all questions, and selected answers will be posted on
the website, so you don't need the book for this either.
Assessment
- A rough breakdown of the grading is as follows ---
depends on resources available: Final Exam 40-50%, Midterm
20-30%, Quizzes/Homework - the rest!
- Only the questions you are asked to hand in on the weekly
homework will count and be marked. If you especially want
your answer to another question to be graded, please
indicate! The best thing to do with extra questions is to
bring them to office hours where they can be discussed.
- The course is primarily about Proving things and being
Rigorous - thus
practising proof construction by attempting the homework
questions is the only way you will get a good grade. Just
trying the easier example questions from the book or waiting
til the week before the final to begin studying will not get
you through. This doesn't mean that you should
photographically memorise proofs, rather you should be trying
to build your own.
-
The final exam will be in class on Wednesday June 11th at 8am, and will be
comprehensive. This course, and my approach it, will be a
little different to that which you'll have experienced in
most of lower division:
- I try very, very hard to write exams that will be
extremely difficult for those who don't understand the
course and have merely memorised a few types of examples
questions. Your mission is to convince me that you've
been paying attention and that you understand the course
material, not that you can copy simple questions with
different numbers in them. Make no effort to understand
things and you'll end up with a very depressing
percentage; I routinely hand out grades of <15% for
people who thought they could treat Pure classes like
calculus. Make an effort to really understand what's
going on and work steadily through the course, and the
final will be easy :)
- I try to set exams that will effectively separate a
class. An average of 60-65% is most likely.
- I have a good idea what sort of work constitutes an
A, and what constitutes a pass. I then carve up the
intervening letter grades equally. This is not the
same as curving, where the top 10-15% get an A, etc.,
etc.. If I feel that everyone deserves an A then they
will get one. If no-one deserves an A then no-one gets
one.
- Because I don't curve, you are not in competition
with your classmates. Talk to them and compare approaches
to questions; you will learn more discussing with other
people that you will from me.