COURSE PAGE:    math.msu.edu/~magyarp/math880

INSTRUCTOR:  Peter Magyar, magyarp@msu.edu

OFFICE HOURS:  Mon, Wed, Fri after class 12:30−1:30 in Wells Hall D-326 and on Zoom, and by appointment. See if I'm in anytime: call 517-353-6330 or check Zoom.

LECTURE:  Mon, Wed, Fri 11:30−12:20 in Wells Hall C-117.

TEXTS:  Main: Richard P. Stanley, Enumerative Combinatorics, Vol I (2nd ed.) & Vol II. It is well worth buying a hard copy, but also available free online. Also several supplementary texts. See the Notes on the Course Page.

HOMEWORK AND GRADING: Grades will be based solely on weekly homework assignments, usually posted on the Course Page each Monday and due the following Mon. I will grade a couple of problems selected from each assignment.

Answers should be clear, logically complete, and concise, ideally with the rigor and style of published mathematics. Typing your work with LaTeX gets you in the right frame of mind, but is not required.

Working problems is the key step in learning: everything else is preparation. I encourage you to discuss homework problems with other students, but you must write out solutions in your own words. Use a computer algebra system such as Wolfram Alpha or Mathematica whenever helpful. Please do not look up answers; but if you do get help from an outside source, give explicit credit.

ADMINISTRATIVE SCHEDULE:

• 8/28  First day of class.
• 9/4  Labor Day, no class.
• 10/21−10/24  Fall Break, no class.
• 10/18  Last day to withdraw with no grade reported.
• 11/23−11/26  Thanksgiving Break, no class.
• 12/10  Last day of class.