***************************************************************************
YEAR COURSE OFFERED: 2016
SEMESTER COURSE OFFERED: Fall
DEPARTMENT: Mathematical and Computer Sciences
COURSE NUMBER: MTH 4600
NAME OF COURSE: Problem Solving
NAME OF INSTRUCTOR: John Carter
CONTACT EMAIL*: [email protected]
OFFICE: SCI 1015
*My office phone is the absolute worst way to contact me, don’t use it. I will not answer email on weekends, after 5pm, or before 10 am. Feel free to email me outside of those times, I will get to it, just don’t expect an immediate answer.
***************************************************************************
The information contained in this class syllabus is subject to change without notice. Students are expected to be aware of any additional course policies presented by the instructor during the course.
Office Hours:
Monday and Wednesday 10am-11am, or by appointment
Learning Objectives:
To provide the student with an introduction to the joys of mathematical problem solving by actually solving problems. Students should strive to improve their ability to solve mathematical problems through hands-on practice and obtain an understanding of the strategies, tactics, and tools of the problem solver as illustrated by the textbook and the instructor.
Major Assignments/Exams:
• Attendance
• AMT’s
How you will be graded:
There will be two equally weighted components to your grade: attendance and written papers. Fifty points of your grade will be based on attendance, each absence will result in a deduction of three points from the possible fifty points. Three “tardies” will be evaluated as the equivalence of an absence. You are tardy if you arrive in class after attendance has been taken. The other fifty points of your grade will be based on five assigned papers. Four of these papers will be a written discussion of problem solutions presented in class. The fifth paper is a personal review of your problem solving behavior and how it has changed through the semester. Each paper will be graded on a 10 point scale. After a paper is submitted and returned you have the option of rewriting the paper and resubmitting it. The final grade on a paper is either the original grade or the average of the original and the resubmission. A sixth assignment may be submitted for extra credit if you wish. Your final grade will be determined according to the traditional “60-70-80-90” scale.
Optional Reading:
Schoenfeld, Alan H., Mathematical Problem Solving, Academic Press, 1985.
Recommended Reading:
A copy of Euclid’s Elements
