Math 3396 Combinatorics Fall 2009
Section 001, Meeting in D234, MWF 9-9:50am


Sarah Holliday Office: D230
Phone: 678-915-3421 E-mail: shollida@spsu.edu

Office Hours:
MWF 10:00 - 10:50, TR 12:00pm - 1:30pm and by appointment.


Text:
Introductory Combinatorics, fifth edition by Richard Brualdi.


Technology:
You may NOT share calculators during quizzes or exams. The use of cell phones, pagers, text or other messaging devices is not allowed during class.


Prerequisites:
A grade of C or higher in MATH 2345 or equivalent.


Course objectives:
Upon completing this course students should be able to:
1. Use ordinary generating functions to count unordered selections with restrictions.
2. Prove identities combinatorially.
3. Apply theorems on graph coloring and planarity to existence problems.


Homework, Quizzes and Examinations:
Homework will be assigned daily, but will not be collected without advance warning. Questions on homework problems can be answered in Office Hours and/or in class. Quizzes will occur frequently, and occasionally without warning. Quiz questions will typically come from homework problems. There will be four in-class tests, and a final


Grading Policy:
Each test is valued at 10% of the total grade, the quizzes and homeworks total to 45% and the final exam is the remaining 15% of the grade.

Honesty:
Be sure you read the relevant section and know and understand the potential penalties in the University Academic Regulations in the current undergraduate catalog or on the campus web site.


Absence:
If I am contacted with an acceptable excuse before the date of the quiz or exam, then a makeup can be arranged. An acceptable excuse is in writing, contains the student's name, the date of the absence, a signature from a faculty member sponsoring the trip, contact information for the faculty member, and a brief mention of the nature of the trip.


Special needs:
I will attempt to accommodate all students with special needs to the best of my ability, but it is the responsibility of the student to make their needs known to me. Students with disabilities who believe they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact the counselor working with disabilities at 678-915-7244 as soon as possible to better assure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.


Dates:
First day of class = Monday August 24, 2009
Labor day holiday = Monday September 7, 2009
First test = Friday September 11, 2009
Second test = Friday October 2, 2009
Midterm = Tuesday October 13, 2009
Third test = Friday October 30, 2009
Fourth test = Friday November 20, 2009
Thanksgiving break start = Wednesday November 25, 2009
Last day of class = Thursday December 10, 2009
Exam week start = Saturday December 12, 2009


Assistance:
For help with your homework, or questions about the lectures, you have a lot of options. I will take a limited number of questions during class, as time permits. I am available in my office for help during my posted office hours, and any unscheduled time my door is open. For additional help, there are campus-wide resources I will announce as soon as I have the details.


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