Syllabus for Finite Mathematics

(M1 returned for you to keep. Solutions , scoreing, and grades at the WebCT site.)
stem-and-leaf display of the M1 scores
other stem-and-leaf displays
median
population mean
population standard deviation
computing the sample standard deviation (denoted by s) on common calculators
some basic problems relating to this meeting (minimal practice for at home)
some more problems (more practice)
sample quiz Q08 which is mostly on today’s meeting

sample mean and standard deviation (concepts, computation, estimation)
quartiles
box and whisker plots
various measures of location and scale
quiz Q08. last 10 minutes of class.
some basic problems relating to this meeting (minimal practice for at home)
some more problems (more practice)
sample quiz Q09 which is mostly on today’s meeting

the standard normal distribution
the general family of normal distributions
quiz Q09. last 10 minutes of class.
some basic problems relating to this meeting (minimal practice for at home)
some more problems (more practice)
sample quiz Q10 which is mostly on today’s meeting

the central limit theorem
fundamental concepts of statistics
(This finishes the material for M2. Finish studying so that you could take M2 the next meeting even though it is meeting after next.)
quiz Q10. last 10 minutes of class.
some basic problems relating to this meeting (minimal practice for at home)
some more problems (more practice)
sample quiz Q11 which is mostly on today’s meeting

 
first bunch of reports from CHANCE NEWSLETTER
more on Excel if reports and questions do not fill the period
quiz Q11. last 10 minutes of class.
review problems to practice for M2.
sample M2
(The sample M2 is to be done after your study of the material -- just as you did with the practice M1’s. The practice M2 is to be turned in at the start of M2 for Q12 credit (100 points if signed ).)

group work to study for M2

M2 = full period closed book and notes second major exam. <---------------------------

(M2 back. Solutions, grading, and grades on the Web.)
a minus times a minus is a plus
matrix arithmetic
glance at solving simultaneous equations by substitution or elimination
geometry of solving simultaneous equations in two and three dimensions
some basic problems relating to this meeting (minimal practice for at home)
some more problems (more practice)
sample quiz Q13 which is mostly on today’s meeting

Gauss-Jordan technique of solving simultaneous equations – the algorithm
Gauss-Jordan technique of solving simultaneous equations – why it works
quiz Q13. last 10 minutes of class.
some basic problems relating to this meeting (minimal practice for at home)
some more problems (more practice)
sample quiz Q14 which is mostly on today’s meeting

 catch up meeting on Gauss-Jordan for those that have not caught on
(If you’ve caught on, you know it. You know that unless careless errors get you, you will ace the Gauss-Jordan portion of M3. You are welcome to come if you like but this is really intended for those that don’t think they will ace M3.)

the Gauss-Jordan technique of finding inverses of matrices – the algorithm
the Gauss-Jordan technique of finding inverses of matrices – why it works
solving simultaneous equations using inverses
(This finishes the material for M3.)
quiz Q14. last 20 minutes of class. {Note to myself: 20 minutes -- not 10.}
some basic problems relating to this meeting (minimal practice for at home)
some more problems (more practice)
sample M3 to be done for Q15 -- due at the start of M3

more reports from CHANCE NEWSLETTER
matrix arithmetic (array operations) in Excel

group work to study for M3

M3 = full period closed book and notes third major exam. <---------------------------

(M3 back. Solutions, grading, and grades on the Web.)
game theory -- introduction
game theory -- saddle points
game theory -- mixed strategy
some basic problems relating to this meeting (minimal practice for at home)
some more problems (more practice)
sample Q16, which relates to today’s material

game theory -- dumb moves
quiz Q16. last 10 minutes of class.
some basic problems relating to this meeting (minimal practice for at home)
some more problems (more practice)
sample Q17, which relates to today’s material

Markov chains, transition diagrams, transition matrices
quiz Q17. last 10 minutes of class.
some basic problems relating to this meeting (minimal practice for at home)
some more problems (more practice)
sample Q18, which relates to today’s material

convergence of the probability state matrix to long term probabilities
quiz Q18. last 10 minutes of class.
some basic problems relating to this meeting (minimal practice for at home)
some more problems (more practice)
sample final exam (M4). The sample M4 counts as a take home quiz (Q19).
(This completes the material of the course.)
use of Excel with Markov chains

finish up Chance News reports (The Chance News report counts as Q20.)
various applications, as appropriate
review of the course

group work for the final exam
--- --- --- meeting for the final exam: Mon 10:45-1:15, 9-May, and Thu 1:30-4:00, 12-May
M4 = comprehensive final exam <---------------------------

Why do you have to take Finite Math?

Most of you are here because you have to take this course to graduate. As I understand it, anyone receiving a bachelor’s degree from an institution supported in part by the State of Alabama must take one of Finite Math, Pre -Calculus Algebra, or Calculus.

Robert Fulghum wrote All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten and there is much truth in the title.

On the other hand, if a physician is to operate on my knee, I hope that the physician has had a lot of post-kindergarten training. When I take the time to read editorials in newspapers, magazines, and on the Web, I expect the writer to have a good background in some relevant area -- history, sociology, politics, economics, etc.

As it has been for decades, a lot of people, and I am one of them, hold the opinion that every educated person should have a feeling for what mathematics is about . That’s why you are here.

What will we do in this course?

There are disciplines that you cannot excel in unless you have mastered working knowledge of some parts of mathematics. Most professionals must know enough statistics to be intelligent consumers of estimates and hypothesis tests -- they must know both the value and the limitations of the techniques even if they have no further interest in those techniques. This is not a statistics course but one of the major purposes of the course is to provide an infrastructure in your head for really understanding statistics.

We will build a good background for statistics in this course by becoming familiar with probability. We will start by learning how to count without counting. (Example: Suppose that you count 11 guys in the classroom and 22 gals and you are asked how many people there are in the classroom. None of you will count again in order to report 33. This is an example of counting (in the sense of answering “how many”) without counting (since we didn’t go “1”, “2”, ...). This is also an example of the addition law for counting but let’s not go into that right now.)