Discrete mathematics provides the language and abstractions required to reason about many concepts in computer science. Most topics studied in a high school mathematics curriculum (such algebra, trigonomtry, and calculus) are concerned with continuous phenomena. These subjects form the foundation for the physical sciences and engineering. Discrete mathematics, on the other hand, underlies the science and technology of the computer age. Discrete mathematics is concerned with mathematical structures that are composed of distinct pieces or processes that are composed of individual steps. Since the native language of computers is expressed in binary (0's and 1's), it is natural that the formalism we use to describe them is discrete mathematics.
In this course, you will learn the mathematical tools to solve certain classes of problems, such as how to prove a recursive algorithm computes the correct value, how to encode messages using commonly used cryptographic protocols, or how to calculate the probability of events in discrete structures. In addition, you will expand your mathematical language so that when you encounter new problems in computer science, you will have the tools to describe, analyze and understand those problems.
Lecture will be held MWF 3:00-3:50 in EH 1200. You are responsible for anything said in class, including class announcements. If you have to miss lecture for any reason, please ask one of your classmates to fill you in on what you missed.
There are four discussion sections for this class. Each section meets two hours per week. This is an important time to get questions answered about homework problems. No new content will be given in discussion and we do not take attendance, but you are highly encouraged to attend as it will give valuable practice on problems.
Students in this class are encouraged to speak up and participate during class meetings and on Piazza. Because the students in the class will have a diversity of backgrounds and experiences, every member of this class must show respect for every other member of this class.
We will be using i>Clicker and/or REEF in this lecture. I will typically give several multiple choice questions during each lecture and you will answer them via your i>Clicker or mobile device. Your participation in these activities will count towards your participation grade for the course (1.5% of your total course score). You must either get an account with REEF ($15 for 6 months) or use an i>Clicker ($56 for the device). I will be sending out detailed instructions about this some time during week 1. We will be using them on a trial bases during week 2 and for course credit during weeks 3-10.
We will use an online question and answer service called Piazza. You will all have an account. The link to the to the course page on Piazza is: https://piazza.com/uci/fall2016/ics6d/home. If you have a question about course content, you can go to see if it has already been asked by another students. If not, you can post the question yourself. The course staff will be checking Piazza several times a day to update answers to questions posted there. There is also a way for students to collectively edit a response to a question and for instructors to indicate whether the answer is a good/correct answer.
Piazza is also a good place to post general adnministrative questions about the class. If you send me an email with a technical or administrative question about the class, I am likely to refer you to Piazza.
Important class announcements will also be posted on Piazza. You are responsible for checking for course announcements at least twice a week. Only time ciritical announcements will generate an email.
Before posting a question on Piazza, you should look through the course materials or previous Piazza posts to see if you can find the answer to your question. If your question is about the technical content of the course, check the text. If you have an administrative question, check the course web page (either the home page with the schedule or this course information page).
Piazza provides a way for you to post anonymously. However, your posts will only be anonymous to other students. The instructors will be able to see the name and uciNetID of any individual who posts to Piazza.
Tbe best way to get your questions answered is by coming to lecture, office hours or discussion and asking them there. In particular, office hours and discussion are the best place to ask questions that require a longer answer or some diaglog to get resolved.
The table below shows where to go to for different kinds of questions. Please try to follow the directions there. I really do want to be available for significant problems or issues that may arise. I also really enjoy meeting students in my office hours. However, with a class this size, the amount of email generated from smaller, routine questions can be overwhelming, so I would like you to try and find answers through other sources first.
| Question type | Example | Where to go | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Questions about course content | What's the difference between (x,y) and {x,y}? |
Try and find the answer to your question through the course materials. If your question is not answered, then Post on Piazza |
|
| General administrative questions | What topics does test 1 cover? |
Check the course web page (schedule and course information) first. If your question is not answered, then Post on Piazza |
|
| Questions on how your HW or test was graded. | I don't understand why I didn't get full credit on the first question. | For homework, send an email to the reader who graded that homework. For tests, contact the TA or reader who graded that test, either by email or going to the TA's office hours. There will be a note pinned to the top of your Q&A feed in Piazza indicating who graded which homework assignment or test. Contact information for the course staff is listed here.) | |
| Minor bug in the text. | Shouldn't the last line of this animation be x2 instead of x1? | Use the feedback button in the text. | |
| Technical problem you are having with the text. | Why doesn't the text show 100% progress for Section 1.2? I think I did all the activities in the section. | support@zyBooks.com |
Note that the first three categories count relatively little towards your grade. Also, in each category there is some "slack" built into the grading so that you can miss some portion of the work and still get full credit. In exchange, all deadlines are strictly enforced and I do not accept even legitimate reasons for missing work. I understand that everyone occasionally has valid reasons why they can not complete their work. The slack in the grading is there to accommodate those situations.
I am frequently asked whether I curve the grades. The answer to this question will always be "I don't know". First of all, no letter grades are assigned to scores until I calculate a final course percentage for each student. I generally do aim to have the A's fall in the 90-100 range and the B's in the 80-90 range, etc. Sometimes I am a bit more generous that that, depending on the distribution of scores. Occasionally I give a test or final that is harder than I expect. In those circumstances, I will sometimes make a problem count as extra credit. The best strategy for success is not to think too much about your grade but to continually do your best to understand the material in the class.
The test for this class is a web-based interactive, animated offering as your "textbook". You are required to have an account for the course. The material includes interactive exercises which will count towards your grade. The directions for subscribing can be found at:
Your reading for this class is associated with your subscription for the Fall 2016 offering of ICS 6D, so you will need a new subscription even if you have had a previous subscription to the Discrete Math zyBook for some other class. However, if your subscription to the Discrete Math zyBook occurred in the last year (or currently for another class), you will be automatically given a 50% discount.
If you drop the class in the first two weeks, you can contact support@zyBooks.com to get a full refund for the text.
Each reading assignment (except for the first two weeks) is due at 3PM the day it is assigned. The reading assigned for Sept 26 and 28 (from Chapters 1, 3, and 4) is review and is not for credit. The reading for Sept 30-Oct 7 is due at 3PM Monday October 10. Every action through your zyBook is automatically timestamped. When I compile grades for reading, I determine how much of your reading was completed by a particular day and time, so the deadlines are automatically enforced.
You are required to complete all the activities labeled Participation Activity by the time the reading is due. The problems labeled Challenge activity are part of the homework and are due later than the reading.
You can determine how much of the reading has been completed by looking at your zyBook dashboard. Please familiarize yourself with this interface and make sure that you have 100% completion by 3PM for the sections assigned each lecture day.
In calculating your total course credit for reading, each section of the material is equally weighted and I drop the five lowest percentages before taking the average percentage. The percentage is based on whether you eventually got the question correct, not whether you got the question correct on the first try.
There will be three tests given during the quarter. Each of these covers a different set of topics covered in the course. The final exam will be cumulative and will cover all the material covered during the entire quarter. The tests will be given in class during the normal scheduled lecture time. The dates of the three tests and the final exam are:
There will be assigned seating for the tests. When you arrive in the classroom, you need to get a test from one of the course staff. Each test is marked with a row and seat number. You are required to sit in the seat indicated on your test. It is a violation of the academic honesty policy to swap tests with any other student after you have received your test or to sit in a seat other than the one designated on your written test. We will also be checking your student ID when you turn in your test or exam.
You can find tests from previous quarters in which I have taught ICS 6D on the old web pages for those classes. From my home page, click on "Past Teaching". I do not provide solutions to previous tests. I also do not provide solutions to tests from this quarter. The TAs and I are always willing specific questions about the problems on thoese tests, but it is your responsibility to bring those questions to us. In particular, discussion is an ideal time to go through solutions to old tests.
No electronic devices (including calculators) are allowed in tests or exams. There should be no visible screens during a test or exam. Laptops should be closed and tablets should be in a closed folder or stowed in a bag. Phones should be stowed in a bag or pocket so that they are not visible at all.
Missed tests or final exam:
Homework is due every Wednesday, starting in week 2. The homework will consist of a written portion and an electronic portion.
The electronic portion consists of the problems labeled Challenge Activity embedded in the reading. These activities are automatically corrected as you do them. You can redo these problems as many times as you want with no penalty. You will receive full credit on a challenge activity if you eventually complete the activity correctly by the time it is due.
The written portion should be submitted electronically before 3:00PM on the day it is due. Absolutely no late homework assignments will be accepted. . You will be submitting your homework to a system called GradeScope which assists us in grading and giving you feedback. In order to submit your homework, you will need to create a scanned pdf, store it on your computer and then submit it to your gradescope account. Everyone who is enrolled in the course will have a gradescope account by the end of week 1. I will be updating the gradescope roster every morning through week 2, so if you add the class after week 1, you will have a gradescope account within 24 hours. Instructions on how to create a scanned pdf file of your homework and how to upload it can be found at:
There is also a video demo at:
It is important that you use a scanning app (such as Scannable or Genius Scan) to create the pdf of your homework. A desktop scanner can also produce a good scan. Please note: You may not just take a photo of your homework an upload the jpeg or embed the jpeg in a pdf file. If your homework is not readable by the readers, they will not grade it and you will receive a 0 for the assignment.
You will notice that the homework counts very little towards your grade. It is important to do the homework because it enables you to learn the material but a missed homework will not have a big effect on your grade. Also, I will drop the lowest homework score in calculating your final grade.
Grades for the assignements and tests will be posted through EEE. If you have questions regarding grading, please see the reader or TA who graded that assignment. The readers and TAs will be posting on Piazza when test grades and homework scores are ready so you will know who graded which assignments.
The solutions to the homework problems will be made visible to you after the due date.
After lecture, I will post the board notes generated during lecture. The purpose of posting the notes is to the reduce the amount of note taking you need to be doing in class. The best way to learn this material is to attend class and concentrate on what is being said. Having the board notes provided means that you can spend more time thinking about the content of the lectures and less time copying down what is being written.
The board notes are not intended to be a perfectly readable transcript for everyting that took place in class. You will still have to take some additional notes based on the discussion in class. The board notes are definitely not a substitute for attending class. They merely serve to reduce the amount of writing you need to do while you are in class. If you are sitting in lecture and you can not read something I have written, please raise your hand and ask for clarification.
If you are unable to attend class for some reason, you should not expect the board notes to be sufficient to decipher the material I covered. You need to contact a fellow classmate to get his or her notes and possibly follow up in discussion with questions.
The Bren School of ICS and the University have already established an academic honesty policy. Read it.
Violators of academic honesty policies are subject to the penalties described in the Bren School of ICS policy. They are also subject to an immediate course grade of F, and you will not be allowed to drop the course to avoid the grade. Also be aware that a single documented case of academic dishonesty may preclude you from switching into computing majors, registering for computing minors, joining the ICS Honors Program, and graduating from a computing major with honors.