MATH 280-01 Problem Solving for Math Competitions
Syllabus for Fall 2010
Fridays 3:00 – 3:50pm (1 s.h.)
325 Gildemeister
Prerequisite: Technically none, though a good understanding of pre-calculus (Math120), calculus (Math160 and/or Math165), and discrete math (Math210) will be helpful.
Text: None.
Instructor: Dr. Eric Errthum Office: 124A Gildemeister Hall
Winona Email Username: eerrthum Office Phone: 474-5775
Grading: Attendance 150
points
Class
Participation / Presentations 150
points
MAA Team
Contest Participation 30
points
Putnam
Competition Participation 30
points
--------
360
points total
Grades: A = 80% (288 pts), B = 70% (252 pts), C = 55% (198 pts), D = 40% (144 pts)
Course Goal: The main goal of this course is to HAVE FUN solving math problems. The secondary goal of this course is to fill out your mathematical toolbox, both by dusting the rust off of stuff you haven’t seen in a while and by seeing some new things. Lastly, the hope is to prepare students to represent Winona State in regional and national math competitions. We will do all of this by studying the problems and solutions from previous competitions and other problem sources.
Class Structure: Each class will end
with students given a set of competition style problems to consider outside of
class. Each student will also be given a solution to one of the problems in a
sealed envelope which they may open (or not) at any point. The following class
will then consist of students taking turns explaining the solution to their
problem at the board or getting help from other students for parts of the
solution they may not have understood. Other students are encouraged to help
fill in the gaps, critique the solution, offer alternate solutions, etc. in a
constructive and polite manner. Then, of course, the class ends with another
round of problems and solutions handed out.
Grading: Grades for the presentations will be based on how well you are prepared; demonstrated either by showing what you understand or by showing what you don’t understand (yet demonstrating that you thought a lot about it). You do not have to understand every mathematical aspect of your solution, though doing so is awesome. If you’re having trouble getting started on a problem, come see me during my office hours for hints. Grades for the competitions do not depend on your score, only on whether or not you participated.
Helpful Links: Problem List: http://course1.winona.edu/eerrthum/math280
Course Webpage: http://course1.winona.edu/eerrthum/10fall/Math280Syllabus.htm
MAA Team Contest: On Saturday,
November 13, the MAA North Central Section Team Contest will be held.
Students work together in groups of 3 on a set of 10 problems. (Last year we
had 6 teams competing!) The contest is administered on the WSU campus during
the Saturday morning. Coffee, juice and donuts will be supplied.
Putnam Competition: The William Lowell Putnam Competition is an annual mathematics competition for undergraduate students in the United States and Canada that has been held since 1938. (The overall winner gets a scholarship for Harvard graduate school.) Last year we had two students with positive scores and one of them was in the Top 500 in the nation and top 10 in Minnesota! Students work alone on 2 sessions of problems, each with 6 questions. Sessions are 3 hours long and separated by a lunch break (9am-noon and 2-5pm). The competition is administered on the WSU campus and will take place on Saturday, December 4. Coffee, juice and donuts will be supplied.
Credit: If you have taken this course before for credit, you can do so again. Also, if you’re interested in participating in this class or any of the competitions without officially signing up for the class, great! All are welcome to participate!
Time: Currently, this class is scheduled to meet at 3:00pm on Fridays. However, if this time does not work for a majority of students who want to participate, I am open to moving it to a different time slot, though most likely it will have to be in the late afternoon or early morning to guarantee we can find an open room.