SYLLABUS ECS2305 - Discrete Math For Computing I

C.P. Bernardin
http://www.utdallas.edu/~cpb021000/
Fall 2010
M-W-F; Time: 1:30-2:20 PM, ECSS 2.312
First Class: Friday August 20, 2010

The details of this Syllabus are subject to change at any time during the course (see web for updates)

Textbook: DISCRETE MATHEMATICS

AND ITS APPLICATIONS, by Kenneth H. Rosen.
5th Edition, Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9
ISBN-13: 978-0072930337
(Hardcover)

Course Description: (3 semester hours) Principles of counting. Boolean operations. Logic and methods of
proof. Sets, relations, functions. Recurrence relations. Elementary graph theory. Students who have taken
CE/TE 3307 cannot receive credit for this course.

Prerequisites: MATH 1326, MATH 2413 or MATH 2417 ( i.e., Calculus I and II)

The following is brief, non-exhaustive list of topics in the approximate order in which they are
covered:
1) Logic, Sets and Functions
2) Algorithms
3) Sorting Approaches
4) Discrete Computing in Probability and Statistics
5) Simulating Random Variables on a Computer
6) The Algorithms of Least Squares Methods
7) Number Theory and Congruence Applications
8) Counting Prime Numbers and the Sieve of Eratosthenes
9) Numerical Computation and Linear Algebra
10) Combinations, Permutations and Counting Methods
11) Teletraffic Provisioning and the Erlang–B model (Time permitting)

Attendance: Attending the lecture sessions is required and will affect the final grade (=5%). Attendance
sheets will be collected randomly.

Homework: Homework (about 8 assignments) is 15% of your grade (Attendance + Homework = to one
test). A list of problems will be assigned in class. Working through these problems diligently will help your
grade in the course because these problems and similar ones will appear on the tests. Students are
encouraged to collaborate on these assignments. The textbook has the solutions to many problems similar
to the homework. There are also some special problems that involve elementary programming. Homework
is due on the stated due date. Late homework will be marked as a zero. Occasionally homework is lost
during the grading process. Students are required to make a copy EACH homework before submitting it. If
homework is lost before it is graded, the student must produce a copy of the original for grading or
get a zero.
Tests: There will be one test (20% of your grade) in the beginning of the semester, composed of traditional
problems taken from the book and my lectures. Although there will be no Final Exam, there will be two
tests given on the last two days of class, which will be equally weighted and cumulatively worth 40% of
your grade. The test dates will be announced at least one week in advance. There will be no makeup test
or repeated exam.

Project: There will be one multi-week computer project. The project will count for 20% of your grade (=
to one test). The project will require students to develop an elementary knowledge of programming.
Students will be expected to program in BASIC and also Microsoft Excel. (e.g., reference "Chipmunk
BASIC" for Windows, http://www.nicholson.com/rhn/basic/
For Excel: http://www.ksu.edu/stats/tch/malone/computers/excel/ and
http://www.bioss.sari.ac.uk/smart/unix/mbasexc/slides/frames.htm )

Grading Distribution:

Attendance 5%
Homework 15%
Test #1 20%
Project 20%
Test #2 20%
Test #3 20%

Instructor Office Rm 3.207 ECS Building

Course Learning Objectives:

• Ability to use and apply basic definitions and properties of logic
• Ability to specify precise meaning of mathematical statements, using quantifiers and predicates
• Ability to express an algorithm into working computer code
• Ability to use Big O notation and algorithmic complexity
• Ability to use basic counting techniques e.g. permutations, combinations, the pigeonhole principle
• Ability to analyze and interpret random data

Approximate Class Schedule

Assignment Due Date
Labor Day Holiday Mon, Sept 6
Hmwk 1 Chapt 1 Wed, Sept 8
Hmwk 2 Chapt1 pt2 Fri, Sept 17
Test 1 Chapt 1 Wed, Sept 22
Hmwk 3 Algorithms Ch 2 Wed, Sept 29
Hmwk 4 Fri, Oct 15
Project Wed, Oct 27
Hmwk 5 Mon, Nov 8
Hmwk 6 Fri, Nov 19
Thanksgiving Holiday Fri, Nov 26
FINAL EXAM Part 1 Fri, Dec 3
FINAL EXAM Part 2 Mon, Dec 6

As new assignments are made, and old assignments are collected,

the details of this schedule are subject to FREQUENT change as we
progress throughout the course (check web regularly for updates)