CMPSCI 190DM: A Mathematical Foundation for Informatics

David Mix Barrington

Fall, 2015

This is the home page for CMPSCI 190DM. CMPSCI 190DM is an experimental version of an introductory undergraduate course in discrete mathematics and the mathematical method. I am developing it for possible use in a new degree program in the School of Computer Science called "Informatics", a program that will teach computational thinking at a less technical level than the Computer Science majors. The intended audience for this course is students who intend to pursue computing, perhaps in programming courses for majors like CMPSCI 121 and 187, but could use more exposure to mathematical thinking first.

Instructor Contact Info: David Mix Barrington, 210 CMPSCI building, 545-4329, office hours for Fall 2015 Tue 11-12, Wed 2:30-3:30, and Thu 2-3. I generally answer my email fairly reliably.

TA Contact Info: There is no TA or grader for this course.

The material of the course does not overlap much with that of the conventional pre-calculus and calculus courses, but it will demand some basic skill in calculation. There is no formal prerequisite, but an average high-school math background will be useful (e.g., the University's R1 gen-ed requirement). (This course does not carry gen-ed credit itself, though I expect that future versions will be R2 courses.)

On the opposite end of the spectrum, someone who has taken MATH 132 or CMPSCI 187 probably has too much mathematical maturity to be in the appropriate audience for this course.

The textbook for the course is Discrete Mathematics: Mathematical Reasoning and Proof with Puzzles, Patterns, and Games by Douglas E. Ensley and J Winston Crawley. The UMass Amazon virtual bookstore has been informed about the book. It's pretty expensive, but there are the cheaper options of buying it used, renting it, or getting the e-book. We'll work through most of the book, with specific sections as specified on the syllabus.

The course will meet for three lecture meetings a week, MWF 11:15-12:05 in room 327 of the Engineering Lab (ELAB). There will be graded activity in every class section, so attendance is required.

• Course Requirements and Grading
• Homework Assignment Page (with assignment #26)
• Exam Directory (with practice final exam and solution)
• Questions and Answers on Homework (none yet)
• Syllabus (Lecture-by-Lecture Schedule)

Announcements (20 November 2015):

• (20 Nov) I have just posted the text and solutions for the third midterm. They will be returned in class later this morning. The scores ranged from 27 to 78 with a median of 59.5. The scale was A = 85, B = 70, C = 55, D = 40, F = 25.
• (15 Nov) The solutions to that exam are now also up.
• (12 Nov) The practice third midterm is up.
• (9 Nov) The next midterm is a week from Wednesday in class. I will try to have a practice midterm posted by sometime Wednesday, so we can discuss it Friday and Monday.
• (1 Nov) I drafted an assignment for Monday but forgot to post it, and I think now it's too late. I've posted an assignment due on Wednesday covering sections 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3.
• (25 Oct) I have posted the second midterm and its solution. The scores of the seven people who took the exam ranged from 98 to 59 with a median of 93, so I will keep the announced scale of A = 90, C = 60. I'll return the exams in lecture tomorrow, and collect the homework that I assigned on Friday. We'll begin talking about Chapter 3.
• (20 Oct) The solutions to the practice second midterm are now up. I also forgot to assign homework for tomorrow's class.
• (17 Oct) The practice second midterm is up.
• (16 Oct) The practice for the second midterm might be up tomorrow instead of tonight. The homework for Monday is now up.
• (13 Oct) Tomorrow's homework is now up. I plan to have the first midterm text and solution posted by tonight, and the second practice midterm by Friday. Remember that the second midterm is a week from Friday, in class.
• (25 Sept) So I am off to Germany after class today. The practice exam solution is up now. The real exam will be Monday during the class period -- Larkin Flodin, one of my TA's for CS 250, will proctor it. It will be similar to the practice exam except that the point breakdown for the four questions will be 20-20-25-35 instead of the practice exam's 15-30-25-30. Remember that there is no class next Wednesday or Friday -- we will start up again on Monday 5 October with section 2.1 of the book. I will have grade exams to return on Wed 7 October. While I am away I will have some access to email but don't be surprised if I don't see something for up to 24 hours.
• (20 Sept) The practice first midterm is posted in the exam directory. I will post solutions to this exam on Wednesday. Note that the add/drop date is tomorrow -- please email me if you want to talk about whether you should take the class.
• (9 Sept) The first assignment is posted on the homework index page. The questions are similar to ones in section 1.1 of the book, but not the same so please read what is there carefully.
• (6 Sept) I emailed the registered students today. Please get the textbook as soon as possible, and please contact me if you would like to discuss whether this is the right course for you this term.
• (6 Sept) The syllabus and the requirements and grading page are now posted.
• This is a preliminary version of the web page. The course has run twice previously, each with only a handful of students, so I am excited about our current double-digit enrollment. Please email me if you would like to talk about the course and whether it is right for you. I'll have more material on this page as we get closer to term. If you have questions about the Informatics program, now being operated in cooperation with BDIC, please contact Dr. Michelle Trim, the undergraduate advisor for the program.

Last modified 13 December 2015