This is the home page for INFO 150. INFO 150 is an introductory undergraduate course in discrete mathematics and the mathematical method. It is primarily intended for students in the have developed it for use in a degree program in the College of Information and Computer Sciences called "Informatics", a program that teaches 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 CICS 110 and 160, but could use more exposure to mathematical thinking first.
Instructor Contact Info: David Mix Barrington, 210 CMPSCI building, 545-4329, office hours for Fall 2024 TBA
I generally answer my email fairly reliably. I will also answer this email as well, but less reliably.
TA Contact Info: TBA
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, mostly because INFO majors have no need for another R2.)
On the opposite end of the spectrum, someone who has taken MATH 132 and CICS 210 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 is the cheaper options of buying it used (I didn't see options of renting it or getting the e-book on the Amazon site, but they may exist). Do not buy the paperback "solutions manual" in place of the hardcover textbook. We'll work through most of the book, with specific sections as specified on the syllabus.
The course will meet for two lecture meetings a week, Tuesday and Thursday 4:00-5:15 p.m., in Morrill Science Center (III) room 203. There will may be graded activity in every class section, so attendance is required.
Announcements (4 July 2024):
Last modified 4 July 2024