Course Page

Syllabus

Schedule

Important Dates

MATH 3170-001: Combinatorics

Fall 2020

MWF 11:30 am-12:20 pm, REMOTE (Zoom)


Syllabus


Text:  A Walk Through Combinatorics: An Introduction to Enumeration and Graph Theory by Miklós Bóna (4th edition).

Course description:  Covers basic methods and results in combinatorial theory. Includes enumeration methods and graph theory. Emphasizes applications.

Prerequisites: MATH 2001 or MATH 2002.

Lectures and Group Work: This is an active learning course. During lectures we go over most of the material in class, but you will also be asked to read the book (or other assigned document) for the rest of the material and for additional examples and worked problems. About two thirds of the class time will be spent with group work, where you will solve problems in groups of 4-6. In most weeks, lectures will take place on Monday, and group work on the other two days of the week. For more details see the page Schedule. Before each class, this page will show

  • a brief summary of the lecture and the corresponding reading assignment [for lecture meetings];
  • the worksheet used [for group work meetings].
This course is taught remotely (synchronously on Zoom). You will need an internet capable device (desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone) with a working camera and microphone to attend this course. A summary of the Math Department's general expectations for remote classes can be found here. I will not take attendance for this class, and I will not require `camera-on' during classes. However, I do encourage you to turn on your camera when you ask a question during a lecture or talk to your classmates during group work.

I intend to record the lectures and post the recordings to Canvas so that you can review the lectures afterwards and, if desired, participate in the lecture portions of the course asynchronously. Group work will not be recorded.

Homework and Quizzes:  There will be regularly assigned homework and quizzes. They will be assigned via Canvas. As a rule, quizzes will be assigned after lectures (usually, but not exclusively, on Mondays), and will be due by the beginning of the next class (usually on Wednesdays, see Schedule). Homework will be assigned on Fridays, and you will have 9 days to submit your solution. No late work will be accepted. The two lowest homework scores and quiz scores won't count towards the final grade. No make-up will be given for homework or quizzes.

Exams:  There will be one mid-term exam:

  • October 16 (Fri), 11:30-12:20 am,
and a final exam
  • Dec 13 (Sun), 1:30-4:00 pm.
Make-up for the midterm will be given only
  • for unavoidable absences, and
  • during the period October 19‒30.
In all other cases, if you miss the midterm, the result of your final exam will count for your midterm as well.

No make-up will be given for a missed final exam. If you miss the final for reasons that are beyond your control, and you have a passing grade for the rest of the course (i.e., for homework, quizzes, and midterm), then you may request a grade of `Incomplete'. The eligibility criteria are described in the University Catalog.

If the final exam is cancelled in response to inclement weather or other emergencies that result in a campus closure, then in accordance with the Final Examination Policy, course grades will be assigned based on graded work completed up to the end of the term (i.e., homework, quizzes, and the midterm).

For the two exams we will be using the Proctorio Online Exam Proctoring Service. If you have not used Proctorio before, please read about it here. I will be giving a practice quiz so you can become familiar with using Proctorio, and surface any issues you may encounter with Proctorio. If you have concerns about your ability to use or consent to use Proctorio, please contact me as soon as possible, but at least two weeks before the exam to discuss alternate arrangements.

Work Uploaded for Grading to Canvas: Some of your homework and exam solutions will have to be uploaded to Canvas so that they can be graded. Work uploaded to Canvas will be accepted only if

  • the file is uploaded in pdf format, and
  • the background is white and the writing is dark enough so that the work is readable after printing.
Work that does not meet these requirements will not be graded.

Limits of Collaboration: I recommend that you first attempt to solve the homework problems alone, using only your textbooks and your notes. If you need more help, you may consult other books or persons (including me). However, I require that you write your homework solutions unaided.

  • All outside sources (e.g., books other than the text for the course, collaboration with classmates, consultation with other persons, information found on the internet) used in homework solutions have to be acknowledged.
  • No student is allowed to see another's written work before that work has been graded.
  • No collaboration of any type is permitted on exams and quizzes.
Grading:  You will be graded on your written work, which will be judged on the basis of correctness, completeness, and legibility. Some of the problems will ask you to justify your answer or give a proof. In these cases strings of formulas or diagrams without explanation will not be accepted.

Your final grade will be determined by the scores of your homework, quizzes, mid-term exam, and final exam. To combine these items the following weights will be used:

  • Homework: 25%
  • Quizzes: 25%
  • Midterm exam: 20%
  • Final exam: 30%.
There will be no extra credit assignments.

Getting Help: Don't wait until it is too late if you need help.

Ask questions!

I am available during my office hours and many other times. If you can't see me during office hours, then make an appointment with me to see me at a different time.

Campus Policies: On the web page of Required Syllabus Statements you will find details about

  • classroom behavior,
  • requirements for COVID-19,
  • accommodation for disabilities,
  • preferred student names and pronouns,
  • the honor code,
  • sexual misconduct, discrimination, harassment and/or related retaliation, and
  • religious holidays.

If you need special accommodation provided by any of these policies, please inform me as soon as possible (preferably within the first two weeks of class).

If a short term illness or COVID-19 procedures prevent you from submitting required work, please alert me before the due date of the work so that we can discuss options for making up missed work. You are not required to disclose the nature of your illness.

Warning: If a student discloses to me that they have tested positive for COVID-19 or are having symptoms of COVID-19 or have had close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, I am required to submit that information to the Medical Services Public Health Office of CU for the purposes of contact tracing.