Math 281 Dave’s
Syllabus Fall 2008
There’s some irony to the name of this course.
You’ve probably taken math classes for 13 straight years and now you get to the Foundations!?! What’s all of
your math knowledge built on anyway, sand?
Nothing?
Actually your path through mathematics mirrors the historical development of those same ideas. Limits and derivatives were being used for 170 years before good definitions were developed. Various cultures talked about a concept of infinity for centuries before Georg Cantor provided the foundations for the mathematical study of infinity. (He proved a stunning fact that we will hopefully get to in this course – not only are there different sizes of infinity, but there are actually an infinite number of sizes of infinity!)
In this semester of FOM, we’ll work our way through the following topics, all of which will be vital in future math courses (and, actually, in life):
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Important Facts:
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Professor: |
Dave Kung |
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175 Schaefer Hall, x4433 (or 240-895-4433 from off-campus) |
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TA: |
Brian Caffey |
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Office Hours: |
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Where to go for help: To learn the key concepts of FOM, we’ll use a variety of classroom activities, homework, and writing assignments. Also, you’ll be expected to spend a significant amount of time reading the textbook. When you get stuck, you’ll have three main resources to draw on. The first and most important is your fellow classmates. This course will be hard – at times very hard. It will go much smoother for all of us if you start getting to know your classmates and start studying with them outside of class early in the semester. The second is me – my contact info and office hours appear above. I will also be around at other times - feel free to drop by and say hi. If you can't find me, email or call and we'll schedule an appointment that works for both of us. If an emergency comes up and you are forced to miss class, you should drop me an email (I check it very frequently). Your third resource will be your teaching assistant.
Assignments: There will be three different types of assignments: your journal, written proofs, and problem solutions.
For the journal, you may choose any type of notebook/binder/daily diary. See the separate “Guide to Writing a FOM Journal” for more details.
Written Proofs will be assigned about once a week and collected in class. You will be graded on how complete and understandable your proofs are. For your first two proofs, you will be encouraged to revise and resubmit them. This will give you some time to adjust to our expectations. We encourage you to work with others to develop your proofs but the writing must be entirely your own.
For several years we have posted a Problem of the Week on the MathCS wing. We will continue to do this and part of your grade will be based on your work on these problems. Although you may not be able to solve each one, you must turn in your work for each one – showing the progress you made toward understanding and solving the problem. Your lowest grade will be dropped before averaging the rest.
Grading:
Assessment Date Percent
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Midterm |
Friday, October 17th |
15 |
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Journal |
all semester |
15 |
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Written Proofs |
all semester |
15 |
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Problem Solutions |
all semester |
10 |
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Class Participation |
all semester |
10 |
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Take-home Final |
Due Dec. 17, 10am |
20 |
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Final Project |
Due Dec. 10th , in class |
15 |
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Total |
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100 |
The mid-term will be in class – though you may start as
early as 8am if you’d like. Anyone who
has an 8am class will be given an opportunity to have a similar amount of
time. The final will be a take-home exam
which must be done without consulting other people or other books. Please email me by Friday, September 5th
at 9am with the subject “FOM Rocks!” to indicate that you have read this
syllabus – but don’t tell anyone else.
The final project is your chance to be creative. Past projects include short films, skits,
board games, mathematical sculptures, short stories, musicals, and a