SYLLABUS
MAT 531-01: COMBINATORIAL ANALYSIS
Fall 2008


Time & Place: TTh 1400-1515 Petty 223.

Instructor: Paul Duvall (Office: Petty 131), Office Hours: 9:30-11:00 MW.
Email: pfduvall@uncg.edu. This document may be updated from time to time. You can always find an up-to-date version of this document as well as other information about the course at http://www.uncg.edu/~duvallp.

Text: Introductory Combinatorics (Fourth Edition), by Richard A.Brualdi

Tests: There will be

Two one-hour tests, 100 pts each;
A final exam, 150 pts; and
weekly quizzes and occasional homework, worth a total of 100 pts.
The weekly quiz will be given each Thursday, unless there is an hour test scheduled for that week. Some quizzes will be replaced by homework assignments. There will be no make-up quizzes. The final exam will be given Friday, December 12, 1530-1830.

Make-ups: There will be no make-up tests. The exam score will be substituted for any hour tests missed, provided that you have received approval before the test is given.

Cheating: Will not be tolerated. Any cases of academic dishonesty will result in the harshest penalty allowable under University policy.

Grades: Will be calculated as a percentage of the 450 pts according to the following:

GRADEAA- B+BB-C+CC- D+DD-
POINTS NEEDED428413 394380366347332317 298285270

Attendance: Classroom activities are a fundamental part of this course, and consistent attendance is expected. Students with excessive absences may be dropped from the course. Students are responsible for all matters discussed in class, including the dates and nature of tests and assignments.

Prerequisites: Students enrolled in the course are expected to have passed one of MAT 253, 295, 311, or 395 with a grade of C or better. It is important that students be comfortable with proof techniques and routine algebraic manipulations.

Drops: I will approve retroactive and late withdrawals only in the most extreme and well-documented cases. Observe University deadlines.

The Course: This course is an introduction to standard combinatorial techniques, with primary focus on counting problems.

You will find a list of suggested problems for each chapter we cover under "Notes and Problems for 531" on my web page. Most people cannot learn mathematics without giving serious attention to problems and examples. I urge you to attempt these problems and to ask about things that you find difficult.

Graduate Students: Students receiving graduate credit for 531 will be expected to show mastery of computational techniques with permutation groups. There will be additional requirements for students enrolled in 631. Contact the instructor for details.