John Travis
MCC 315
925-3817 (voice mail)
travis@mc.edu (email)
COURSE TOPICS | Class Photos | Textbook
| Course Description | Course
Meetings | Grading
Textbook: A Transition to Advanced Mathematics,
5th edition, by Smith, Eggen and St. Andre; Brookes/Cole Publishing Company.
Course
Outline: Mathematics as a course
of study falls somewhere between a science and an art. However, special characteristics
distinguish mathematics from the humanities and from other sciences. Particularly important is the kind of
reasoning that typifies mathematics. The natural or social scientist generally
makes observations of particular cases or phenomena and seeks a general theory
that describes or explains the observations. This approach is called inductive
reasoning and is tested by making further observations. If the results are incompatible with
theoretical expectations, the scientist usually must reject or modify the
theory.
A mathematician frequently uses inductive reasoning
to describe patterns and relationships among quantities and structures. The
characteristic thinking of the mathematician, however, is deductive
reasoning, in which one uses logic to draw conclusions based upon
statements accepted as true.
The goal of this course is to give the student a
working knowledge of the basics of logic and the idea of proof, which are
fundamental to deductive reasoning.
Meetings: This class meets as scheduled. You
are expected to be in class on time. A student cannot miss more than 25% of the
class meetings and receive credit for the course. Further, attendance will be
necessary in order to understand the material and make a good grade. The
student is responsible for work and material missed when absent. Cheating in
any way will be properly rewarded according to University policy.
Grading: There will be at
least two exams during the semester. Selected homework problems and writing
assignments will be collected and graded, their average counting as an exam
grade. Your final average will be computed by using the average of all the exam
grades. The grading scale:
A=90-100
B=80-89
C=70-79
D=65-69
F=0-64
Aim now for the desired grade. Finally, all graded
work will be returned to the student for keeping. If there were any question
later about your grade, you would be expected to show these papers.