2024 Spring Course Syllabus - Mathematics 3031.001

Course: Mathematics 3031.001.

Course Title: Probability Theory I.

Credits: 3.

How this course will be taught: In person.

Time: MWF 1:00-1:50 pm.

Place: Wachman 308.

Instructor: Luke Peilen.

Instructor Office: Wachman 544.

Instructor Email: luke.peilen@temple.edu

Instructor Phone: Please contact me via email! You can expect a response of time of under 3 hours during the week and by the next week day on weekends.

Office Hours: We will have 3 drop-in hours each week, where you should feel free to come by with any questions. Times TBA, will be determined by student and instructor availability during the first week. I will also be available to meet by appointment.

Prerequisites: Calculus II.

Course Materials: Introduction to Probability (Cambridge University Press; 1 edition, November 2, 2017) by Anderson, Seppalainen, and Valko, ISBN-13: 978-1108415859. The text is available new at the university bookstore for 70.99, and there is a rental option for 35.50. The text is also available on the internet; if the text fee is prohibitive, please reach out to me and we can find an alternative solution.

Course Goals: The course aims to introduce students to the basic ideas, techniques and results in probability theory. Students will develop probabilistic intuition and problem-solving skills, and strengthen their mathematical reasoning and exposition.

Topics Covered: Axioms of Probability and Random Sampling; Conditional Probability, Bayes' formula and Independence; Discrete and Continuous Random Variables; Distributions, Expectation and Variance; Normal and Poisson approximation of the Binomial Distribution; Moment generating functions; Law of Large Numbers and Central Limit Theorem.

Course Grading: Participation: 5%; Homework: 10%; Quizzes: 10%; Midterm 1: 20%; Midterm 2: 20%; Final Exam: 35%.

Exam Dates: Midterm 1: Monday, 2/26. Midterm 2: Monday, 4/8. Final Exam: Wednesday 5/1, 10:30 am-12:30 pm.

Attendance Policy: Attendance is strongly encouraged, since a critical aspect of your learning is engaging with the class; this will factor into students' participation grades. This will be assessed by various in-class participation assignments, which are discussed below.

Attendance and Your Health: To achieve course learning goals, students must attend and participate in classes, according to your instructors' requirements. However, if you feel unwell or if you are under quarantine or in isolation because you have been exposed to the virus or tested positive for it, you should not come to campus or attend in-person classes or activities. Students have the responsibility to contact their instructors to create a plan for participation and engagement in the course as soon as they are able to do so and to make a plan to complete all assignments in a timely fashion when illness delays their completion.

Homework: Homework will be assigned on Fridays and collected the following Friday. Late homework will not be accepted, but your lowest two homework scores will be dropped.

Quizzes: Quizzes will take place biweekly on Mondays when there is no exam. The quizzes will take 15-20 minutes, and feature 1-2 problems of comparable difficulty to the homework. Your lowest quiz score will be dropped.

Participation: Each week we will discuss solutions to problems from the homework assignments. Since one of the goals of the course is improving mathematical communication, you will be required to present solutions to two homework problems during the course of the semester! Your participation grade will be based on completion of this assignment.

Calculators: No calculators will be allowed or needed on any exams or in-class quizzes.

Make-up Policy: There will be no regularly scheduled make up exams. In the case that you are unable to take an exam as scheduled, please contact me ASAP to make alternate arrangements!.

CANVAS: This is a registered CANVAS course. Please check CANVAS daily for important announcements!.

Disability Statement: Any student who has a need for accommodations based on the impact of a documented disability or medical condition should contact Disability Resources and Services (DRS) in Howard Gittis Student Center South, Rm 420 (drs@temple.edu; 215-204-1280) to request accommodations and learn more about the resources available to you. If you have a DRS accommodation letter to share with me, or you would like to discuss your accommodations, please contact me as soon as practical. I will work with you and with DRS to coordinate reasonable accommodations for all students with documented disabilities. All discussions related to your accommodations will be confidential.

Academic Freedom: 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 (opens in new tab/window).

Add/Drop Policy: Students will be charged for a course unless dropped by the Drop/Add deadline date. Check the University calendar (opens in new tab/window) for exact dates.

During the Drop/Add period, students may drop a course with no record of the class appearing on their transcript. Students are not financially responsible for any courses dropped during this period. In the following weeks prior to or on the withdrawal date students may withdraw from a course with the grade of "W" appearing on their transcript. After the withdrawal date students may not withdraw from courses. Check the University Calendar (opens in new tab/window) for exact dates. See the full policy by clicking here (opens in new tab/window).

AI Policy: The use of generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, DALL-E, etc.) is not permitted in this class unless specifically announced for a particular assignment; therefore, any use of AI tools for work in this class may be considered a violation of Temple University's Academic Honesty policy and Student Conduct Code, since the work is not your own. The use of unauthorized AI tools will result in a grade of zero on the assignment; a second offense will be reported to the Student Conduct Board.

Incomplete Policy: The grade "I" (an "incomplete") is only given if students cannot complete the course work due to circumstances beyond their control. It is necessary for the student to have completed the majority of the course work with a passing average and to sign an incomplete contract which clearly states what is left for the student to do and the deadline by which the work must be completed. The incomplete contract must also include a default grade that will be used in case the "I" grade is not resolved by the agreed deadline. See the full policy by clicking here (opens in new tab/window).

Student Support Services: The following academic support services are available to students (all links open in a new tab/window):
    The Math Consulting Center
    Student Success Center
    University Libraries
    Undergraduate Research Support
    Career Center
    Tuttleman Counseling Services
    Disability Resources and Services
If you are experiencing food insecurity or financial struggles, Temple provides resources and support. Notably, the Temple University Cherry Pantry and the Temple University Emergency Student Aid Program are in operation as well as a variety of resources from the Division of Student Affairs.