Math 035
A Survey of Mathematical Thought
Summer 2006
Instructor:
Office:
Email:
Vaughn Climenhaga
430 McAllister
climenha@math.psu.edu
Office hours: Mon-Fri, 1:00-2:00 p.m.
(or by appointment)
Textbook: Mathematics: The Man-Made Universe, by Sherman K. Stein. Dover
Publications, 1999.
This course offers a survey of three broad areas of mathematics:
1. Probability, with applications to games of chance, etc. (Chapter 13)
2. Prime numbers and factorisation, irrational numbers. (Chapters 2,3,4)
3. Parity (even and odd numbers), with applications to various puzzles and problems.
(Chapters 7,14)
No prior mathematical background is assumed.
This syllabus is available on my university homepage at
http://www.math.psu.edu/climenha/math35/math35.html
Check this website regularly for further information and announcements about exams, the
course, and life in general.
Please be advised that you will need a calculator for this course, but only a very basic one
which can add, subtract, multiply, and divide. Graphing calculators are not required.
Lectures: This is a three credit hour course, with lectures every weekday afternoon from
2:20-3:35 in 173 Willard. Classes begin Wednesday, June 28, and end Wednesday,
August 9. There will be no class on Tuesday, July 4.
Grading scheme: Your grade will be determined as follows.
20%
20%
30%
30%
Test #1
Test #2
Assignments & quizzes
Final Exam
Thursday, July 13
Thursday, July 27
See below
Friday, August 11
Both tests will take place in 108 Henderson from 6:30 – 7:45 p.m. The location and time
of the final exam will be announced once the university sets the examination schedule.
The final is cumulative, the two tests are not.
There will be weekly assignments and occasional quizzes, which will be announced in
class (and posted on the website). Because solutions will be posted on the website once
the due date has passed, no late assignments will be accepted, nor make-up quizzes
permitted. Your lowest quiz/assignment grade will be dropped.