MATH 135 Algebra for Honours Mathematics, Fall 2013
Course Outline
Changes to this syllabus for the St. Jerome’s sections are noted in several locations.
Objective To develop the vocabulary, techniques and analytical skills associated with reading and writing
proofs, and to gain practice in formulating conjectures and discovering proofs. Emphasis will be placed
on understanding basic logical structures, recognition and command over common proof techniques,
and precision in language. These skills will be developed through working with elementary number
theory, complex numbers and polynomials.
Instructors and Sections All lectures are held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. To reach an
instructor by phone, dial 519-888-4567 followed by the extension below. To send an email to an
instructor, add @uwaterloo.ca at the end of their username.
Section
001, 010
002
003
004
005
006
007
008
009
011, 012
Time
09:30-10:20
12:30-01:20
09:30-10:20
08:30-09:20
10:30-11:20
01:30-02:20
02:30-03:20
12:30-01:20
08:30-09:20
11:30-12:20
Location
STJ 2009
PHY 145
B1 271
B1 271
MC 2066
MC 2065
MC 2066
B1 271
QNC 2502
STJ 2009
Instructor
J. Resch
K.C.L Chan
J. Koeller
R. Willard
M. Akash
M. Akash
R. Moosa
W. Kuo
S. Furino
JP. Pretti
ext
28211
33494
35128
35565
33508
33508
32453
37202
38672
36477
office
STJ 1005
M3 2131
MC 6522
MC 5058
M3 2129
M3 2129
MC 5049
MC 5059
MC 5095
STJ 1004
MC 6518
email
jresch
kclchan
jakoelle
rdwillard
makash
makash
rmoosa
wtkuo
scfurino
jpretti
Course Notes The course notes are entitled Reading, Writing and Discovering Proofs. We would be
using version 0.2.7 for this term. You are required to obtain a copy of the correct version of course
notes as you will be assigned reading from these notes. The course notes may be obtained from the
UW BookStore located at South Campus Hall.
Two supplementary textbooks are also useful: An Introduction to Mathematical Thinking by William
Gilbert and Scott Vanstone, and How to Read and Do Proofs, Fifth Edition by Daniel Solow. Both
supplementary books are on reserve in the library.
Website Go to the University of Waterloo’s LEARN (D2L) website http://learn.uwaterloo.ca/ to find
news, assignments, solutions and information about this course. We will not be using the discussion
forum on D2L. If you are unable to login, please contact tech support at d2lhelp@uwaterloo.ca.
Discussion Forum You may sign up for the course discussion board as a student by following the link
piazza.com/uwaterloo.ca/fall2013/math135. You will need your uwaterloo.ca email address to
join the forum. You may discuss course materials and assignments on Piazza. This board will be
monitored closely to provide timely responses and to prevent abuse.
Assignments There are 10 assignments, each is worth 1% of the course. Assignments are due at 8:30AM
on most Wednesdays, the schedule is on the course web page. Assignments need to be handed in
at the correct drop boxes outside MC 4066. No late submissions will be accepted, regardless of
circumstances. Assignments submitted to the wrong drop box will not be graded. Uncollected work,
excluding final exams, will be destroyed at the end of the examination period.
Assignments are due at 9:30AM and must be handed in to the drop boxes near STJ 2009.
MapleTA Quizzes There are seven Electronic Assignments (MapleTA Quizzes), each worth 0.25% of
the course. These quizzes are due according to the schedule posted on the course web page (D2L).
These electronic assignments will be available at https://maple-ta.uwaterloo.ca/ If you have
any technical difficulties accessing these assignments, please contact mapleta@uwaterloo.ca. Please
do not contact your instructors regarding technical issues. Further instructions about MapleTA is
available on (D2L).
Midterm Exam A midterm examination will be held from 7:00PM-8:50PM on Monday, October 7, 2013.
The exam material and rooms will be communicated through in-class announcements.
Final Exam A 2.5 hour final examination will be held during the examination period. The examination
schedule will be posted later in the term.
Grade Computation The final grade will be computed as a combination of
Electronic Assignments: 1.5%, Written Assignments: 8.5%, Midterm: 25%,
Final Examination: 65%.
Note that it is possible to accumulate up to 1.75% for Electronic Assignments and 10% for regular
assignments, but the final grade for each of these will only be calculated out of a maximum of 1.5%
and 8.5% respectively. This allowance is made to cover illness, absence, late enrolments, misplaced
assignments and similar situations.
Final Examination: 60%. Small Group Problem Sessions 2%. Instructor Assignment Marking 3%.
The description and logistics of these last two components will be detailed in lecture.
An alternate grading scheme may be available depending on the overall class statistics near the final
exam. The instructor will decide the details of such a scheme. If an alternate grading scheme is
applied to your grade, the final grade will not be lower than that you would have obtained by using
the original grading scheme described above. To qualify for an alternate grading scheme, you must
pick up your midterm by the end of week 10.
Office Hours and Tutorials Your instructor will indicate office hours. All tutorials will begin on the
second week of lectures. Please read the announcement on D2L regarding Tutorial schedules and
locations.
Tutorials begin the first week and will sometimes include the introduction of new material.
Calculators No calculators are allowed in the course.
Academic Integrity : In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University
of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.
Check http://www.uwaterloo.ca/academicintegrity/ for more information.
Grievance : A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has
been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70, Student
Petitions and Grievances, Section 4,
http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy70.htm.
When in doubt please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide
further assistance.
Discipline : A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity to avoid committing
academic offenses and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether
an action constitutes an offense, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offenses (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about ”rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course
professor, academic advisor, or the undergraduate associate dean. For information on categories of
offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71, Student Discipline,
http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy71.htm.
For typical penalties check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties,
http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/guidelines/penaltyguidelines.htm.
Appeals : A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances (other
than a petition) or Policy 71, Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student
who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72, Student Appeals,
http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy72.htm.
Office for Persons with Disabilities : The Office for Persons with Disabilities (OPD), located in Needles Hall, Room 1132, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum.
If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with
the OPD at the beginning of each academic term.