COSC 030 Math Methods Jeremy Bolton Ph D

COSC 030: Math Methods Jeremy Bolton, Ph. D Assistant Teaching Professor

Outline I. Welcome! II. Course Overview III. Course Expectations IV. Grading V. Assignments VI. Ethics VII. Goals

Welcome! • • COSC-030 – Math Methods Instructor: Jeremy Bolton, Ph. D. Assistant Teaching Professor Department of Computer Science Email: jeremy. bolton@georgetown. edu Office Hours: Daily hours will be entered on Course calendar (or by appointment) • • TAs: TBD (see Course calendar for office hours)

Course Summary • This course, designed to be taken concurrently with COSC-052, covers mathematical tools and principles that are valuable to the computer scientist. Topics include: propositional and predicate logic; mathematical proofs, including induction; counting and basic probability theory; logarithmic and exponential functions; elementary graph theory; and "Big-O" notation and asymptotics. • This course prepares computer science majors and minors for subsequent course requirements. COSC 030 is a demanding course and will require a notable amount of time. Expect to spend 10 -14 hours each week, or more, studying and solving problems.

Course Website • http: //jeremybolton. georgetown. domains/courses/mm/

Goals • Provide fundamental mathematical concepts necessary for a CS track – Each concept / topic will be extended in your upcoming courses • Prepare you for overall expectations moving forward in a CS track

Course Structure • The class will be run using an inverted (or flipped) format. The lectures are recorded and the students are expected to watch the recorded lectures before attending class. The time in class will be dedicated to solving problems relying on the concepts from lecture. • Suggested weekly schedule (recipe for success): 1. 2. 3. 4. Complete assigned readings from text (1 – 2 hours) Watch corresponding lecture(s) (2 - 3 hours) Attempt/Complete Practice Problems (2 - 3 hours) Attend Class (2 - 3 hours) 1. Extra Credit! (You will need it!) 5. Attempt/Complete Assignments (2 - 3 hours)

1. Complete assigned readings from text • READ (the words). Rosen does a good job explaining concepts. – Try Hammack to supplement. • Step through the many examples. • Do NOT focus on memorizing (equations)! • While studying, take notes and/or write down questions (to be answered in class or office hours).

2. Watch corresponding lecture(s) • Watch the pre-recorded lectures – Links found on course website. • Take your own notes. • Write down questions (to be answered in lecture or office hours. )

3. Attempt/Complete Practice Problems • Suggested practice problems are listed on the course website. • I suggest about 10 per Rosen Section. • I encourage you to practice in (study) groups; HOWEVER, you should also practice alone.

4. Attend Class • Example day in class 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Extra Credit Quiz (~15 min) Quick Review of topics (~ 10 min) Q+A (~ 10 min) Examples / Group Exercises (~ 20 min) Challenge Problem: Similar to Exam or HW question (~ 15 min) • Come with questions • Take Notes

5. Attempt/Complete Assignments • I encourage you to do this last. • Treat the Assignments as exams and attempt to complete them WITHOUT the use of notes / text. – This will • mimic an exam scenario – are you prepared? ! • help to identify any deficiencies in understanding – review the corresponding concepts • Digitize and submit via Canvas

Test your Understanding • Do you understand? – Can you have an intelligent conversation about the topic? – Can you explain the topic to a friend? – Can you design your own practice problems and answer them? – Can you prove that an answer is correct?

Study Methods • Things TO DO – – Study throughout the term (Do not “cram”). Follow the recipe! Test your understanding! Put in the time (You get out what you put in) • Things NOT TO DO – Do not “memorize” equations (instead “understand” concepts) – Do not “study for exams” – Do not undermine your own education

Grading and the “Curve” • Due to the challenging nature of the course, the grading scale is unconventional. – Essentially a “pre-curve” has been set – You are in “competitive collaboration” • General Observations

Extra Credit • Quiz / In-Class Exercises – Extra credit will be awarded for performance in-class quizzes / exercises

Questions • Up next: tour of course website and review of syllabus.