Fall 2008 Course Syllabus
Course: 0823.001.
Course Title: Mathemtics for a Digital World.
Time: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 11:40--12:30.
Place: Barton Hall Classroom (BB) 407.
Instructor: Conrad, Bruce P.
Instructor Office: Wachman Hall, room 616.
Instructor Email: bruce.conrad@temple.edu
Instructor Phone: 215-204-2896.
Office Hours: Mondays, Fridays 10:10-11:00; Wednesdays 16:00-16:50. You are welcome to make an appointment if you can't get to my office at these times.
Prerequisites: Mathematics placement.
Textbook: \emph{For All Practical Purposes 7th Ed.,} by COMAP W.H. Freeman, ISBN 0-7167-6901-8. You will also need a scientific calculator (Texas Instruments model 30Xa or similar).
Course Goals: To introduce you to some practical aspects of mathematics that, while not widely known, are interesting and not too hard to learn. By learning about these topics, I hope you will hone your critical thinking skills.
Topics Covered: \begin{itemize} \item Statistics \item Probability \item How to decide a multicandidate election \item Apportionment \item Error-correcting codes \item Information Science \item Personal finance \item Natural resource management \end{itemize}.
Course Grading: Test 1, 10\%; Test 2, 15\% each; Quizzes, 20\%; class participation, 10\%; project, 20\%; Final Exam, 25\%.
Exam Dates: Test 1: October 1. This will cover chapters 5, 7, and 8. \\ Test 2: November 10. This will cover chapters 9, 14, 16, and 17.\\ Final: December 19. 14:00--16:00. \\ For all exams, you will need to bring your calculator, and you may bring up to 2 $3 \times 5$ index cards with notes of your choice, written, if you like, in microscopic fonts on both sides.
Attendance Policy: Please attend each class. Your class participation is valuable to you and to the other students in the class. If it is impossible for you to get to a class meeting, please email me in advance.
Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible. Contact Disability Resources and Services at (215) 204-1280, 100 Ritter Annex, to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.
Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The University has adopted a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy # 03.70.02) which can be accessed here.
Students will be charged for a course unless a withdrawal form is processed by a registration office of the University by the Drop/Add deadline date given below. For this semester, the crucial dates are as follows:
- The first day of classes is Tuesday, September 2.
- The last day to drop/add (tuition refund available) is Monday, September 15.
- Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 27.
- The last day to withdraw (no refund) is Monday, November 3.
- The last day of classes is Wednesday, December 10.
During the first two weeks of the fall or spring semester or summer sessions, students may withdraw from a course with no record of the class appearing on the transcript. In weeks three through nine of the fall or spring semester, or during weeks three and four of summer sessions, the student may withdraw with the advisor's permission. The course will be recorded on the transcript with the instructor's notation of "W," indicating that the student withdrew. After week nine of the fall or spring semester, or week four of summer sessions, students may not withdraw from courses. No student may withdraw from more than five courses during the duration of his/her studies to earn a bachelor's degree. A student may not withdraw from the same course more than once. Students who miss the final exam and do not make alternative arrangements before the grades are turned in will be graded F.
The grade I (an "incomplete") is reserved for extreme circumstances. It is necessary to have completed almost all of the course with a passing average and to file an incomplete contract specifying what is left for you to do. To be eligible for an I grade you need a good reason and you should have missed not more than 25% of the first nine weeks of classes. If approved by the Mathematics Department chair and the CST Dean's office, the incomplete contract must include a default grade that will be used in case the I grade is not resolved within 12 months.