Syllabus for Math 106 (Combinatorics)NEW
Fall 2010 Semester at Lycoming College
Course Content
An introduction to the analysis of counting problems. Topics include
permutations, combinations, binomial coefficients, inclusion/exclusion
principle, and partitions. The nature of
the subject allows questions to be posed in everyday language while still
developing sophisticated mathematical concepts.
Who Should be Taking This Course
This
course is designed as a possible choice for students who are looking for a
course to satisfy the mathematics distribution requirement or for students who
are not mathematics majors but have an interest in the topic of combinatorics. Math
100 (Basic Algebra) is a prerequisite for this course; students who do not
satisfy this prerequisite will have their names removed from the roster.
|
|
Instructor(s)
|
Name |
Office Location |
Office Hours * |
Office
Phone |
|
Dr. Gene Sprechini |
Academic
Center D311 |
Mon 1:30-2:30pm Tue 10:00-11:00am Wed 1:30-2:30pm |
(570)
321-4288 |
*You
may of course email your instructor for an appointment at other times
Tutoring
General
Tutoring is available for
students who want to check homework answers for errors, get help doing
homework, and ask questions about class work.
While tutors may need to give some detailed explanations to help
students with questions, it is not the tutors’ job to teach material from
scratch. (Students who miss class
should get a copy of class notes from the instructor, from a tutor, or from a
classmate. It is then the student’s
responsibility to review the material, update notes, and direct any questions
to a tutor, the instructor, or a classmate.)
Individualized
Tutoring is available for any
student who needs more help than an instructor or tutor can provide. Students desiring individualized tutoring can
visit the Academic Resource Center on the third floor of the Snowden Library,
and speak with Shanna Wheeler.
Grading
|
Item |
Point
Values and Policies |
|
Homework |
Points
from homework assignments leading up to each exam are added, up to a maximum
total of 50. Completing all homework is
strongly encouraged, even though no more than 50 points can be earned leading
up to each exam. No points are ever given for late homework for any reason. Students who miss submitting an assignment
on time can still earn the maximum 50 points leading up to the exam, if no
more than 2 or 3 other homework assignments are missed; homework exercises
not submitted should be completed for practice and answered checked with a
tutor or the instructor. At the end of each class, the assignment due for the following class is announced and
is posted in red the course schedule. A student who misses submitting more than
15 homework assignments automatically fails the course. |
|
Semester Exams |
Up
to 150 points can be earned on each semester exam given in class. For each missed exam, a grade of zero is
recorded, unless (1) the instructor is presented with documented evidence of
a medical reason for not completing the exam at the scheduled time, and (2)
arrangements to make up the exam are made within 24 hours of the originally
scheduled exam time. Exam dates are
available from the course
schedule. |
|
Quizzes |
Points
from quizzes given in class are added, up to a maximum total of 200. No missed quizzes can be made up for any
reason. Students who miss no more than
2 quizzes can still earn the maximum 200 points. Quiz dates are available from the course schedule. |
|
Final Exam |
The
final exam is worth 400 points, with 50 points coming from the homework
leading up to the final exam and 350 points coming from the final exam
administered during final exam week. |
|
Attendance |
The
final course grade percentage is reduced by 4% for each unexcused absence
after the third unexcused absence; an absence is considered to be excused
when the instructor accepts an email from the student explaining the reason
for the absence. It is the student’s
responsibility to find out what was missed in class and keep up with the
coursework. Students can get a copy of
class notes from the instructor, from a tutor, or from a classmate. A
student with more than 10 unexcused absences automatically fails the course. |
|
There
is a total of 1200 points that can be earned.
The final course grade percentage is the percentage of points earned
out of the total number of points that can be earned. The final course letter grade is determined
from the following: A
= above 93.33% A– = 90%
to 93.33% B+
= 86.67% to 90% B = 83.33%
to 86.67% B– = 80% to 83.33% C+
= 76.67% to 80% C = 73.33%
to 76.67% C– = 70% to 73.33% D+
= 66.67% to 70% D = 63.33%
to 66.67% D– = 60% to 63.33% F
= below 60% |
|
Required Materials
Each
student must have
·
a three-ring binder with a section containing a copy of
this syllabus together with the course schedule and tutor schedule, and a
section containing the textbook. (Since
students will need to use this binder every day in class, it should be kept
up-to-date and complete; also, many of the exercises assigned both in and out
of class will refer back to work done in one or more previous exercises.)
·
a calculator
which can which can perform basic mathematical operations
Course Links
Tips for Success in This Course
(1)
Keep up with the homework - understanding every homework assignment as
completely as you can is the key to grasping the course material. Even though there will be some homework
assignments that you may not be required to submit, do them anyway, since they
will help you master the material. Check
all your homework answers with a tutor before submitting an assignment.
(2)
As part of your preparation for exams, do all suggested review exercises, and
start working on these about a week before the exam date - don't wait for the
night before the exam.
(3)
Get your questions answered quickly by a tutor, a course instructor, or a
classmate. If you feel you need more
personalized assistance, go to the Individualized Tutoring link and
arrange for private tutoring.
(4)
Keep your binder up-to-date and well-organized.
General Standards and Policies
All work submitted must be of
professional quality. All paper must be
neat, without ragged edges, rips, tears, smudges, stains, etc. All answers must be clear, complete, and
concise; handwriting must be legible. If
the instructor can't read it, it's wrong.
Assignments may be down-graded if these standards are not met.
It can be very helpful for some
students to work together on daily assignments and to study together; this is
encouraged when it does not result in one student simply copying another's work
with no understanding. Acts of academic
dishonesty will result in a grade of F for the course, and a letter to the Dean
describing the circumstances. If you are
having problems in the course, talk to the instructor; don't involve yourself
in academic dishonesty. With each assignment submitted, students are expected
to write a short note at the end of the assignment indicating from whom help
was received and to whom help was given (but this does not affect the grade for
the assignment). The following is from
the FACULTY HANDBOOK in the section titled Student
Course Load:
"It
is expected that students will spend, in preparation for courses, two hours of
study time outside the classroom for every hour of credit in the
classroom."
This
means that you should be prepared to spend, on average, eight hours per week
outside of class working on a four-credit course; however, this will vary from
student to student and from course to course.
Your time will be spent reading the text, reviewing class notes, and
completing homework exercises.
If you encounter a problem while
working on assignments, do not spend more than 20 or 30 minutes trying to solve
the problem; if you cannot solve a problem in 20 or 30 minutes, even with the
help of a tutor, work on something else and show the problem to one of the
instructors of the course as soon as possible.