MAT 331
Mathematical Problem Solving with Computers
Course Information (Fall 1998)
General Information:
Section 1:
| Time: |
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:50pm to 2:10pm |
| Lecturer: |
Bradley Plohr |
| Office: |
1-113 Mathematics Tower |
| Phone: |
632-8371 |
| E-mail: |
plohr@ams.sunysb.edu |
| WWW: |
http://www.ams.sunysb.edu/~plohr |
| Office Hours: |
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:30pm to 3:30pm; or
by appointment |
Section 3:
Course description:
This course serves as an introduction to computing for students of mathematics.
After a general introduction to the use of the computers, including the
use of e-mail and the World Wide Web, we will turn to more mathematical
problems. The emphasis in this course is on the ``problem solving'' portion
of the title: we will take a series of problems and look for solutions
(or approximate solutions), keeping in mind that we have access to computers.
We will discuss the problems and develop associated mathematics in the
classroom, and then we will turn to the computers to explore and work out
the solutions. The solutions of the problems should be found by the
students with a combination of experimentation and mathematical analysis
(and a few hints from the instructors).
Computers:
No previous experience with computers is needed. Classes will be held in
the Mathlab, Room in S-235 in the Mathematics Tower; this computing laboratory
contains 30 Sun Ultra workstations running UNIX (Solaris 2.6). Students
may use other computers to do their assignments, but should not expect
the instructors necessarily to be knowledgeable about every computing environment.
In solving mathematical problems, we will rely heavily on Maple,
a program that can do algebra, calculus, and graphics. Maple
is available for many computing platforms (DOS/Windows, Macintosh, UNIX,
etc.); a student
version of Maple can be purchased from Waterloo Maple for $99. You
can also use
the campus modem pool to connect to the Mathlab computers.
Texts:
The course notes
by Santiago Simanca and Scott Sutherland, titled Notes for MAT 331:
Mathematical Problem Solving with Computers, are required reading.
In addition, you might find it useful to obtain a book about basic UNIX
commands or about Maple. Most of what you need will be covered in
class, but it is often useful to have a reference at hand. Much material
will be made available through the class web page at http://www.mathlab.sunysb.edu/~mat331.
Assignments:
The course will be structured around four major projects; in addition,
there will be several exercises and quizzes. An exercise is like a homework
assignment---something that you should be able to do in at most a few hours.
Quizzes will be short and held in class.
A project is more like a term paper---you will be expected to devote
a significant amount of time to doing it. An important component of a project
is the project report. This report should contain a description of the
problem or topic, what means were used in solve it, and the solution; it
should be detailed enough so that a student who has not taken the class
can read and understand the problem and will believe that the solution
is correct.
Working together on the projects is encouraged, but each student will
be responsible for writing his own report on the project. Reports
are often acceptable for the writing requirement in your department.
Grading:
Your grade will be based on the projects, the exercises, quizzes, and in-class
participation. Projects will count most heavily; both the expository and
scientific aspects of the project reports will be graded.
Special Needs:
If you have any condition, such as a physical or mental disability, that
will make it difficult for you to carry out the work as outlined, please
notify your instructor within the first two weeks of the course so that
appropriate arrangements can be made.