Autumn 2018
Math 645: A Survey of Mathematical Problems I

Sign up on Piazza to our class! Piazza Class page    
Information   Assignments for Week 12   Week 11   Week 10   Week 9   Week 8   Week 7   Week 6   Week 5   Week 4   Week 3   Week 2   Week 1   Week 0.
Information about your Term Paper.
Instructor: Frank Sottile
  Office: None. This is a distance course. I am in Blocker 601K, though.
    This semester, I (Frank Sottile) am in College Station only in October and December.
    The rest of the time, I will be at the The Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics in Providence, Rhode Island.
Teaching Email: fjsteachmath@gmail.com
    This is the second-best way to contact Frank, after Piazza.
WWW: www.math.tamu.edu/~sottile
Grader: Taylor Brysiewicz tbrysiewicz@math.tamu.edu
  Use this only for turning in homeworks.
Required Texts: A Survey of Mathematical Problems, by Harold P. Boas and Susan C. Geller.
  The book is freely available, get it here.
The collection of readings needs to be bought from Copy Corner, 2307 Texas Avenue South,
  College Station, TX 77840; phone 979-693-0640 and email classnotes@copy-corner.com.
  The cost is $73.27; with tax it comes out to $79 + change (I bought a copy for myself).
  For the distance students, they will send you a copy by traditional mail or an electronic
  copy or an electonically downloadable copy. Vicki Ward, vicki@copycorner.com, is the
  person overseeing the "book" for this course.
Course Forum: We will be using Piazza as a forum for class discussion.
    I use this for many classes, and when it is working well (with many of you participating),
    it functions much like the discussion in a Seminar class, at which we sit around a table
    and discuss the material.
          For technical prolems with that site email team@piazza.com
Course webpage: www.math.tamu.edu/~sottile/teaching/18.2/645.html
On forms of address:
Not only is it always my preference to be called by my first name, Frank, it also makes sense that you as graduate students should do so. You are bona-fide adults, many with professional qualifications, and I believe that leaving honorifics at the door of our classroom facilitates discourse.
Course Description
This course is foundational for further work at this level. We will cover basic mathematical reasoning, fundamental definitions (sets, functions), and notation, as well as a selection of mathematical topics (graphs, probability, the real numbers) to introduce you to some of the breadth of ideas in mathematics.
How this course will be run
Each week, I will assign reading and homework. I will also suggest Sue Geller's 'lectures'. I will moderate our class forum on Piazza. The homework will be submitted directly to our grader, Taylor Brysiewicz tbrysiewicz@math.tamu.edu (a TAMU graduate student), who will mark it and return it to you.
There will be one term paper on a mathematical paradox, which will be due on 10 December.
       
Grading system and due dates:  
Weekly assignments   Mondays at 23:59       200
Term Paper   December 3       100

Information about the Term Paper.
This is the first time that I am teaching this course; I am following Professor Emerita Sue Geller, who created this course.
Prof. Geller 2015.
Last modified: Sun Nov 11 21:24:53 EST 2018