IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

Mathematics 2010-2: Introduction to Proofs

Class Information:

  • Instructor: Jonathan Smith, 496 Carver, 4-8172 (voice mail)
  • e-mail tag: jdhsmith at the university address. Avoid Canvas messaging!
  • Office Hours: Mon. 8:50 - 9:40 am; Wed. 8:50 - 9:40 am; Fri. 8:50 - 9:40 am, 2:15 - 3:05 pm (subject to change).
  • Finals Week Office Hour: Mon. 1:30 - 3 pm.
  • Academic grade points: 80% for in-class assignments and homework (last due Monday 5/4); 20% for the final (Wed. 5/13, 7:30 am). Additional points for attendance at random times.
  • Important notes: Accessibility statement   Free expression statement
    Class absence memo   AI policy

Textbooks:

Study Plan:

  • Regular attendance, fulfillment of homework assignments (with the techniques of the class}, and active participation in class are the prerequisites for success. Except in extreme circumstances, no accommodation can be given for failure to meet these responsibilities.
  • The definitive version of the material will be presented in class; it is often not the version in the textbooks.
  • Taking notes in class and building a personal concept list are strongly recommended. Passive lecture attendance and video-watching are not generally helpful.

Prime Learning Objective: To understand that "If you are unsure about the correctness of a solution, then you do not yet have a solution." [Lebl, https://www.jirka.org/ra/]

Syllabus: Sets, logic, proofs in algebra and calculus.

Assignments

Note: In these assignments, (BP) and (BA) refer to the versions of the textbooks from the links above. The day-to-day assignments, referring to reading sections and exercises from the textbooks, are for completion singly or in self-organized groups between successive classes, ready for active discussion in class on the target date. Each assigned problem should be attempted.

Link to syllabi of previous semesters.