TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-Corpus Christi
Division of Computing and Mathematical Sciences
Meeting Times & Places: TR
Professor: Dr. Alex Sadovski
Office: CI 317
Office Hours:
For more information about my schedule,
Phone: (361) 825-2477
e-mail: sadovski@falcon.tamucc.edu
This course assists students in the
transition from lower-level courses such as calculus to higher-level courses
such as advanced calculus and modern algebra. While lower-level mathematics
courses emphasize skills and techniques needed for courses outside mathematics,
higher-level mathematics courses require students to understand and write
proofs and to think more abstractly. This course introduces students to
fundamental ideas in logic and set theory needed for courses in higher
mathematics and for secondary school and collegiate teaching. Techniques of
proof, such as proof by contradiction and proof by induction, are used in
various settings, such as analytic geometry and coordinate systems. The proper
use of quantifiers, multiply quantified statements, properties of functions and
relations on sets, modular arithmetic and equivalence relations, and partial
orderings are emphasized. Examples used in this course will be taken from
number theory, combinatorics, graph theory, modern algebra, and advanced
calculus.
The following topics will be covered:
Please note that this class is a
prerequisite for MATH 4301, Advanced Calculus, and MATH 4306, Modern Algebra.
This prerequisite will be enforced. If you do not get a grade of C or better in
this course, you will need to repeat it before being permitted to take 4301 or
4306.
MATH 2414 Calculus II and
MATH 2305, Discrete Math.
A Transition to Advanced Mathematics, by Smith, Eggen and St.
Andre, Brooks/Cole, 6th ed. is required. The book Mathematics for High
School Teachers: An Advanced Perpective,
by Usiskin, Peressini, Marchisotto and
Students completing this course will learn to
do the following:
Class meetings will usually consist of a
combination of small group work and whole-class discussion, with students
presenting work at the board as well as a lecture over the material of the
course. The focus both in class and outside will be on working problems and
discussing solutions designed to lead students from an operational to
a structural understanding of the course material. (Anna Sfard defines
"operational" understanding to mean understanding at the level of
process or computation , while "structural
understanding" is defined as when students incorporate the ideas to create
a new abstract mathematical object, which can in turn be the foundation of
further mathematical objects. She has developed evidence to show that both
historically and in individual students, operational understanding must come
before structural.)
|
Type of assignment |
Weight |
|
Class participation/in-class work |
10% |
|
Paper-project |
15% |
|
Quizzes |
25% |
|
Midterm |
25% |
|
Final |
25% |
Letter grades will be assigned according to
the table:
|
Grade |
Range |
|
A |
86 to 100 |
|
B |
76 to 85 |
|
C |
66 to 75 |
|
D |
50 to 65 |
|
F |
below 50 |
Class participation/in-class work: As noted above, class meetings will consist of
small-group work and whole-class discussion. You will self-assess your
participation three times over the course of the semester using a rubric I will
hand out. I reserve the right to alter your self-assessment if I feel it is
much too high or too low.
Quizzes: No open books and notes. Quizzes are on understanding
of the basic material of the course.
Midterm
and Final: I will discuss these in more detail as the times for them
approach. The midterm will be given outside of class time so as to allow
a longer period of time for you to take it. To compensate you for the time
spent on the midterm, there will be no class meetings that week. Dates for the
midterm and final are:
See attachment
IX.I Official Part
Attendance: This is probably obvious, but since 10% of
your grade is based on in-class work, unexcused absences will have a negative
effect on your grade.
Missed midterm/final: If you are unable to attend the midterm or the
final and you wish to make it up, I need to hear from you no later than 24
hours after the missed test or final. You should be able to provide
adequate documentation of why your absence was necessary. If you wait
more than 24 hours to contact me, you will also need to provide adequate documentation
of why you were unable to meet the 24-hour deadline. As an example,
"I was called out of town unexpectedly on business" might be a valid
reason to miss a test, but it is not an adequate reason to miss the
24-hour notification requirement.
Students with disabilities: The Mathematics Program complies with the Americans
with Disabilities Act in making reasonable accommodations for qualified
students with disabilities. If you need disability accommodations in this
class, please see me as soon as possible. Please have your accommodation
letter from TAMU-CC Services for Students with Disabilities Office with you
when you come see me. If you suspect that you may have
a disability (physical impairment, learning disability, psychiatric disability,
etc.), please contact the Services for Students with Disabilities Office
(located in Driftwood 101) at 825-5816. It is important that you
contact them in a timely fashion as it may take several days to review requests
and prepare accommodations.
1 Attendance required, exceptions are sickness, job and
family emergencies, but I will not use class roll at any time, because it is
your responsibility to be in class and attend to the process of learning (see
also II.2.).
2 Please, print your
name on all assignments and tests: your professor is not a decoding device.
3 If you have questions you MUST ask, you have the right to
interrupt lecture or discussion at any time (see also II.1).
4 I am always open for all questions and discussions during
the class and office hours. You can always arrange meeting with me at any other
time suitable for both sides.
5.
No multi-choice
tests, all tests will consist of problems you have to solve from the beginning
to the end. Partial credit will be given for any parts of problems solved. The
policy is open books and notes, no
talking, no cheating.
6.
No open
books and notes during quizzes.
7.
Papers must be turned on time.
8.
There is no social promotion in my classes. Grades are given only for knowledge acquired (see also II.9.).
II. Unofficial
part.
II.1. There
are no "stupid" questions, there are only bad teachers.
II.2. All
you do, you do it for yourself, not for the professor.
II.3. Do not be concern about grades, be concern
of knowledge, because grades are the steepest increasing function of knowledge
(here is an example of math language).
II.4. Do not be afraid of problems, let them be
afraid of you.
II.5. Only doing nothing may be without
mistakes. If you don’t make errors, you don’t learn anything.
II.6. Do not be nervous - it may be only worse.
II.7. Common sense is the base of all decisions,
together with knowledge they can do almost everything (even pass this course!).
II.8. Keep your particles together.
II.9. The only valid excuse
for not knowing the subject is a
sudden death.