MATH 1316

Course Outline
Math 1316 Survey of Contemporary Math
Index 259252, Hines 204
Spring Semester 2004

Time: 11:00 – 11:50 ASB 332

Instructor: Max Warshauer

Website: www.txstate.edu/~mw07

E-mail: max@txstate.edu

Office: Academic Support Building (ASB) 110  Texas Mathworks

Phone: 245-3439 (office) 396-8281 (home)

Office Hours: 10 – 11 MWF  Other times by appointment

RequiredText: Excursions in Modern Mathematics, Fifth Edition
Peter Tannenbaum


ISBN 0131001914

Make-up Policy: No make-up tests will be given without prior arrangement.

Attendance Policy: Students should attend class unless absolutely necessary to miss. We will work on homework and problems in class that are part of the final average below.

Test Dates:
Midterm Wed. March 10 100 points
Final Fri. May 7 11:30 – 2:00 100 points

Daily Grade: Homework will be assigned every class period. Students are encouraged to work together on the assignments, and also write up their own individual solutions. These should be kept together in a homework folder. Short quizzes, homework and classwork will be part of the daily grade.

Bonus: Students may write a short article for Math Explorer Magazine
(grades 4-8). The form of the article is open-ended. This can add up to 5 points to the final average.

Final Average: [(Midterm) + (Final) + 2 (Daily Grade)]/4 + Bonus
 
Drop Policy: The final date to withdraw with NO RECORD assigned is Feb. 4. If you drop after Feb. 6, your grade will be determined using the formula above. This may result in an “F” in the course. If you drop the course, it is important to stop by and see me to verify whether you will receive a “W” or “F”. The final date to drop is April 22.

Disability Needs: Students with special needs, as documented by the Office of Disability Services, should identify themselves at the beginning of the semester. We will be happy to work with any students with special needs.

Academic Honesty Policy

Course Description:
The goal of this course is for the student to develop a background in mathematics and how it can be applied in practical settings. To do this, we will discuss a wide variety of topics and problems.

We will begin by discussing mathematics itself as a foundation of science. This will lead us to analyzing problems carefully, particularly applications involving logic problems and paradoxes. Following this, we will consider a collection of problems in discrete math using counting, combinations, and permutations. Next we will discuss algebra, coordinate systems, and problems in geometry. The goal of this first part of the course is for students to experience the joy of exploring problems carefully and precisely using mathematics, and to develop the background to use mathematics as a tool to analyze a wide variety of topics.

Students will be assigned topics to study carefully and in detail, such as the mathematics of voting, fair division, apportionment, etc. Study groups will make presentations to the class on their selected topic. Each study group will be responsible for engaging the class in learning their selected topic.