About this course: This course is intended for students who are interested in sharpening their problem solving skills, and in developing

their mathematical intuition and ability to express mathematical ideas.

We will discuss problems in various areas of mathematics. Some of these  will be familiar  to most  of you and some of them are not. For those (such as problems in elementary nuber theory and combinatorics the theoretical facts you need to know are very little and we will talk about that in class. The problems will be for the most part non-routine and require a considerable amount of creativity. We will try to make the class and homework challenging but also interesting for everyone in class.

The class will be divided into groups of approximately 3 people, to accommodate students with different backgrounds and experience and I will encourage all the students to work on problems and homeworks together.

Instructor:

Hossein Namazi Math Tower 3-104 E-mail:hossein@math.sunysb.edu

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Class Schedule:  Thu 12:50-1:45 PM in Old Chem 135

Office hours:  Thu 11:40 AM-12:40 PM (It may change later in the beginning of the semester.)

 Suggested References:

• Problem Solving Through Problems, by Larson, Springer-Verlag, 1983.
• Mathematical Thinking, by D'Angelo and West, Prentice-Hall, 1997.
• A Problem Seminar, by Donald J. Newman, Springer-Verlag, 1982.
  
• Challenging Mathematical Problems with Elementary Solutions volumes I and II, by Yaglom and Yaglom, Dover Publications, 1987.
• The USSR Olympiad Problem Book, by Shklarsky, Chentzov and Yaglom, Dover Publications, 1993.

There are many other problem books that you can find in the library. You are not required to buy any of these books since we are not

going to follow a specific text closely, but it is useful to have a couple of them as a reference.
 

Homework: This is an essential part of the course. You will get an assignment each week. Typically you will be given 5 to 7 problems and

asked to come up with some ideas on how to tackle them. You will also be required to write down the solutions to one or two

problems completely. You are strongly encouraged to do the homework together with friends in your group or other groups.  

 Grading: MAT 260 is a one credit course with S/U grading. Thus on your transcript you will either get an S and one credit, or a U and no credit. The grade will not affect your GPA. You will be graded on your effort, which will be measured by class attendance and participation, and on the effort expended on homework. There is no final exam. If you wish to get an S for this class, you must keep up with the homework and tell me if you have to miss class more than 3 times in all.

Special Needs: If you have a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact Disability Support Services, ECC (Educational Communications Center) Building, room 128, (631) 632-6748. They will determine with you what accommodations are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential.
Students requiring emergency evacuation are encouraged to discuss their needs with myself and Disability Support Services. For procedures and information, go to the following web site.                                                                           
http://www.ehs.sunysb.edu/fire/disabilities/asp

 Online Resources: There is a nice web site called “Math Competitions Archive” at

http://www.unl.edu/amc/a-activities/a7-problems/problemarchive.html

in which you can find many problems of the past national and international competitions.

Beside these, look at Math Department Problem of the Month! Win fabulous prizes ($25) for solving math problems! You can also find an archive of problems and solutions of them.