Math 113: Combinatorics

Math 113, Lecture 2: Combinatorics - Fall 2007

Instructor: Karel Pravda-Starov, office hours: MW 10.30am-11.30am, W 2pm-3pm (or by appointment) in MS 5634. There will be no virtual office hours.
Teaching assistant: Siwei Zhu, office hours: Tues 12.00pm-1.00pm and Thrus 1.00pm-2.00pm
Textbook: Alan Tucker, Applied Combinatorics, 5th Ed., Wiley, ISBN 9780471735076
Prerequisites: Math 32B, 33B
Lecture: 12.00pm-12.50pm MWF, MS 5138
Discussion: 12.00pm-12.50pm Thrusday, MS 5138
Examinations: There will be two midterms on Monday, October 22th, 2007 and Monday, November 19th, 2007 during class, and a final exam on Tuesday, December 11, 2007, 11.30am-2.30pm.
Grading: The final grade will be based on the exams and homework with the following weights: final (50%), midterm 1 (20%), midterm 2 (20%) and homework (10%). If you miss a midterm the final will count for 70% of your grade. There will be no make-ups.

Discussion sections: The discussion sections (Thrusdays at 12am) are conducted by Siwei Zhu, and are an integral part of the course. Siwei Zhu will discuss homework problems that have been turned in, correct other exercises and answer questions on a more personal basis and at greater length than it is possible during the lecture. You should take advantage of these discussions to make deeper your understanding of the lectures.

Homework: It is very important that you do the assigned problems carefully and promptly. Homework will be assigned each Friday. It will be due at the beginning of the lecture the following Friday, and will be returned to you a week later during the discussion. You may discuss homework problems with other students, the TA or me before they are turned in.
Please provide the following information on top of each homework page: Name, Class (Math 113), Lecture (2). Homework must be stapled and legible. Clearly enumerate the problems and box or highlight your answer. Late homework will not be accepted. Try to work on all the assigned problems. Each homework assignment is worth 12 points (unless otherwise noted): four points are given for completeness (i.e. all exercises have been worked out or at least attempted in earnest yields four points, one or more exercises missing yields zero points) and the other eight points are given for exercises which are picked to be graded and worked out correctly. The two lowest homework scores will be dropped.

Questions concerning homework problems: During lectures and discussions you are encouraged to ask questions concerning the presented material and problems. For questions concerning homework problems that are still due please see me or the teaching assistant during our office hours.

Exams: The times and dates for the exams are fixed and make-up exams will not be given, so please plan now to be present for the exams. If you know possible conflicts, please see me within the first two weeks of the quarter. You must bring a picture ID to the exams. No notes, books, mobile phones, calculators or other electronic devices may be used during exams. Before exams are returned, I will take a random selection of exams to be copied. So when you come back for a regrade, make sure that you have not added anything later on the exam which was not there originally. Be aware that a regrade means that your exam will be graded from scratch, and it is possible that you will receive a lower score than the original one, if I decide that the original grade was too high. Final Exams are kept for one quarter, stored for a second to be picked up and recycled soon thereafter. All scores and final grades will be available on the my.ucla gradebook.

Help: Besides the instructor's and TAs' office hours additional help is available in the form of private tutoring. If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss academic accommodations, please contact me (within the first two weeks of the quarter, if possible).

Academic Integrity: Cheating, plagiarism, copying, or any other type of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Expect such matters to be referred to the Office of the Dean of Students. Working together on homework assignments is encouraged, but each class member must write up each problem individually.