MTH 299.007 Transition to Formal Mathematics Fall 2013

Course Information

COURSE PAGE:    http://www.math.msu.edu/~magyar/Math299

INSTRUCTOR:  Peter Magyar,   magyar@math.msu.edu,   tel. 353-6330

OFFICE HOURS:  Mon, Wed, Fri 10-12, and Thu afternoon by appointment, in Wells Hall D-326. I will also be happy to discuss at the end of every class, and other times as arranged.

LECTURE:  Mon, Wed, Fri 1:50−2:40, Engineering Building 1202.

RECITATION:  Thu 5:00−6:20, Wells A-201. Leader: Alex Chandler, chand100@msu.edu . Attendance required.

TEXT: 

I will supplement the books with handouts on the Course Page.

GRADES:  Based on:
Daily homework25%
Weekly recitation quizzes 20%
Midterm exams 15% × 2
Final exam25%

Tentative grade scale:   ≥90% = 4.0 ,   ≥85% = 3.5 ,   ≥ 80% = 3.0 ,   ≥75% = 2.5 ,   ≥70 = 2.0 ,   ≥ 60 = 1.0.

DAILY HOMEWORK:  Posted on the Course Page after each lecture, with due date listed (usually two lectures from date assigned). Late HW will not be accepted. You can ask for HW help after each class, in my office hours, during recitation, and at specified Math 299 hours at the Math Learning Center.

Homework is the key to success in any math course. You cannot learn math by watching any more than you can learn a sport: you have to do it yourself. After every class, you should do an hour of reading and review, and at least two hours of homework.

QUIZZES:  Given at each recitation class on Thu (12 recitations total). There will be no makeups for missed quizzes, but I will add 2.5% (out of 25%) to your quiz score to allow for absences. The quizzes will be a good indication of your standing in the class. If you fail a quiz, seek help right away from your recitation instructor or in my office hours.

EXAMS & TOPICS: The course will consist of three parts:

  1. Sets & functions, formal logic. Midterm 1 (10/3)
  2. Proof techniques, number theory. Midterm 2 (11/7).
  3. Real numbers. Final Exam (12/9).
A detailed tentative list of lecture topics is on the Schedule. Makeup exams will not be given unless you make arrangements beforehand.

HOW TO SUCCEED: Again, the most important element of the course is the homework, and to a lesser extent the recitation worksheet problems. Everything else is preparation for that. If you can do all the homework problems thoroughly, you are almost certain of a good grade. If you neglect the homework, probably nothing can earn you more than a passing grade, not even memorizing everything in lecture and recitation.