Math 311 X Intro to Higher Math - "Spring" 2013

Instructor: Jim Reineck, 208 Mathematics Building, 645-8774, reineck@buffalo.edu. My office hours are TuTh 11:00-12:20, and by appointment. Please do not hesitate to make an appointment if you have questions. Just ask me after class and we can set up a time.

TA: David Trabucco.

Course website: http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~reineck/m311.html.

Assignments
Chapter 7 Homework Solutions

Location: The lectures are TuTh, 12:30-1:50, in 150 Mathematics.
Recitation is Thursday, 4-4:50, in 150 Mathematics.
There is no quiz the first week.

Text: The "Introduction to Higher Mathematics" booklet by Adam Sikora. Version January 21, 2012.
Supplemental text (optional): Mathematical Proofs, A Transition to Advanced Mathematics by Chartrand, Polimeni, and Zhang.

Course Description: The topics covered are Proofs and how to 'do' them presented in context of

• Natural Numbers
• Integers
• Induction
• Sets
• Functions
• Rational Numbers
• Real Numbers
• Algebraic Numbers
• Cardinal Numbers

This course will (probably) be unlike any previous Math course you have taken. You will learn how to do proofs, and you will be expected to do new proofs on homework and exams. Many of you will find this very difficult. Here are some suggestions to help you.

• Learn the precise wording of the definitions. Understand examples and nonexamples. In Math 142 you may not have known the definition of series since all you were tested on was determining convergence. In this class you will need to know the definition.
• Learn the precise statements of the theorems. Understand the simpler proofs and the main ideas of the more complicated proofs.
• The early material will seem very easy. In some sense, the mathematical concepts are, but this is the ideal time to become accustomed to understanding proofs.
• Don't expect to look at a problem and solve it immediately, as you did may have done for most Calculus problems. If you can't solve a problem immediately, come back to it after a few hours or the next day. (Note that this is somewhat difficult to do if you are trying to solve the problem an hour before it's due.)
• Discuss problems with me, the TA, or other students.

Prerequisite: Math 241 (or equivalent).

Homework: Due Tuesdays in lecture. Homework counts towards your grade. No late homework will be accepted, but the 2 lowest scores will be dropped without penalty. Each homework assignment will consist of a large number of problems, of which only 4 problems (not specified beforehand) will be graded. Each assignment is worth 40 points. You may work jointly on homework with other members of the class, but you must write up the problems on your own.

Quizzes: There will be a short quiz most Thursdays in recitation on the recent material. No makeups will be given, but the 2 lowest scores will be dropped without penalty. Unless specifically announced in class, there will be a quiz.

Exams: There will be three exams held during class. The third exam will be on the last day of class, April 26th. The other dates, and topics covered, will be announced well in advance of the exam. There will NOT be a final exam during the examination period.
Makeup exams will be given, but only in the case of illness or emergency. Imminent failure is not an emergency. If you need to miss an exam due to illness, you must notify me before the exam, and get documentation of the illness from a doctor or health service before the makeup. It is up to you to know the dates of the exams and the material covered in the exams. Please note that I may cover topics which are not in the outline, and may use notation different from that in the outline.

Grades: There are 600 points possible:
Exams: 100 points each
Quizzes 100 points (i.e., quizzes will be normalized so that a perfect score on all of the quizzes gives a total of 100 points).
Homework 200 points (i.e., the homework score will be normalized so that a perfect score is 200 points).

There will be a curve for each exam and for the homework and quiz scores. Basically, if your sum is greater than or equal to the sum of the A cutoffs, you will receive an A. If your sum is between the sum of the B cutoffs and the sum of the A cutoffs, you will receive a B, etc. However, I will use +/- in the final grades. If your sum is just below (e.g. within 5 points) of the A cutoff, you will get an A-. If you are just below this, you will get a B+, etc. Incompletes will be given only in the most extreme emergencies, e.g. surgery the last week of the course. Please note that you must be passing the course to receive an incomplete.

Making up an Incomplete from another 311 section: If you are making up an incomplete from another 311 section by taking this course, do not register for the course. You must file a petition form with the Department of Mathematics; go to the Math office, 244 Math. This should be done as soon as possible, since the paperwork must be completed by Tuesday, January 24th.

Important Dates:

Sat Jan 19th - Last day to drop the course without financial or academic penalty.
Tue Jan 22th - Last day to add the course.
Tue Mar 11th, Th Mar 13th - Spring Break, no class.
Fri Mar 29th - Last day to resign from the course - an 'R' appears on transcript.
Thu Apr 25th - Last day of the course and Third Exam.

Students with disabilities: If you have a diagnosed disability (physical, learning or psychological) which will make it difficult for you to carry out the course work as outlined, or requires accommodations such as recruiting note takers, readers or extended time on exams and/or assignments, please advise me during the first two weeks of the course so that we may review possible arrangements for reasonable accommodations.

The exams will be
Thursday, February 21st.
Thursday, March 28th
Thursday, April 25th.