MAT 183 - Elements of Modern Mathematics

Section 100, TTh 2:00 3:20

Syllabus for Spring 2012
Course Instructor: Professor Jeffrey Meyer
[email protected] 206F Carnegie 443-1479

Office Hours:
Wednesday 9:30 11:30; and by appointment

Course Description: This course is designed for students in the School of

Management. The course will involve no calculus, and a thorough background in high
school mathematics is the only prerequisite. The course has three main components:
Linear Algebra, Probability & Statistics, and the Mathematics of Finance.

Text: Goldstein, Schneider, and Siegel (2010). Finite Mathematics and its Applications
(2nd custom ed.). Prentice Hall, Custom Edition for Syracuse University.

Calculator: This course involves extensive use of the TI-84 graphing calculator. Each
student is required to own a TI84 calculator. The calculator will prove to be an
indispensable tool throughout the course, particularly in the Mathematics of Finance
component. Since the TI84 will be useful, if not essential, for virtually every topic, it is
important to familiarize yourself with the calculator as soon as possible. Though the
main techniques will be demonstrated in class, it is up to you to become proficient with
the calculator on your own. The TI-84 is the only calculator that may be used on a test
or the final exam without prior approval from your instructor. In particular,
calculators on cell phones are not to be used on tests or quizzes.

Quizzes and Homework: There will be regular quizzes in the recitation sections.
Homework will be done online using WebAssign. You are required to purchase your
entry code for this online system it is bundled with the custom edition of the text.
WebAssign problems for a section open the day that section is covered in class; they will
be discussed during the following weeks recitations and will be due at 11:59pm on the
Sunday of that week. Extensions of one week for illness or family problems are
automatic; further extensions only for DOCUMENTED EXTENDED ILLNESSES. If
there need to be adjustments due to changes in the lecture schedule these will be
announced and reflected in the due dates on WebAssign. There will be NO makeup
quizzes. A missed quiz will have a score of zero and the lowest two quiz scores will be
dropped. The instructions for how to initiate your WebAssign access are at the end of
this document.

The Class Key for WebAssign: syr 2400 3540

Attendance and Class Preparation: Students are expected to attend every lecture
and every recitation and are responsible for any announcements made during lecture.
Students should read the appropriate sections of the text before the class in which the
material is presented. All electronic devices other than the calculator should be
turned off and put away during class including laptop computers.

Tests: There will be NO makeup tests. For students with an EXCUSED absence, the
portion of the final exam corresponding to the missed test will be substituted for the
missing score. The FINAL EXAM will be given on Monday May 7 sometime between
8:00am and 2:30pm. Every student must take the exam at that time - no exceptions!
DO NOT PLAN TO LEAVE CAMPUS BEFORE MAY 7 at 2:30pm!

HELP! The main lecturer and your recitation instructor will hold regular office hours.
In addition, the Mathematics Department offers regular math clinics. These will start the
second week of classes and will be held in the reading room of Carnegie. A schedule of
clinic hours will be available in the math office (215 Carnegie).

Grading Policy: The grade for this course will primarily be based on the students
performance on the three tests and the final.

Exam 1 30% Final Exam 25%

Exam 2 30% Quizzes 06%
Homework 09%
Test and Exam scores will NOT be curved! Letter grades will be assigned as follows:

A 92-100% B+ 88-89% C+ 78-79% D 60-69%

A- 90-91% B 82-87% C 72-77% F 0-60%
B- 80-81% C- 70-71%

Learning Outcomes:
The ability to select an appropriate mathematical model for a given real
world problem;
The ability to understand and enunciate the limitations of conclusions
drawn from mathematical models;
The ability to effectively use appropriate mathematical technology;
A mastery of the basic properties of matrices and the ability to solve
simple matrix equations;
A mastery of the basic properties and formulas of probability and statistics
and the ability to compute simple probabilities in a statistical setting and to
interpret the results;
A mastery of the basic formulas from the mathematics of finance and the
ability to apply these formulas in a variety of settings that arise in personal
finance.
 Tentative Lecture Calendar
(Exam dates are firm, not tentative)

Tuesday Sections Thursday Sections

Jan. 17 2.1, 2.2 Jan. 19 2.3, 2.4
Jan. 24 2.4, 2.6 Jan. 26 5.2, 5.3
Jan. 31 5.3, 5.4 Feb. 2 5.4, 5.5
Feb. 7 5.5, 5.6 Feb. 9 No Class
Feb. 14 6.1, 6.2 Feb. 16 6.3, 6.4
Feb. 21 Review Feb. 23 Exam 1
Feb. 28 6.4, 6.5 Mar. 1 6.6
Mar. 6 7.1, 7.2. 7.3 Mar. 8 7.3, 7.4
Mar. 13 Vacation Mar. 15 Vacation
Mar. 20 7.5, 7.6 Mar. 22 7.7
Mar. 27 8.1 Mar. 29 8.2
Apr. 3 8.3 Apr. 5 10.1, 10.2
Apr. 10 Review Apr. 12 Exam 2
Apr. 17 10.2, 10.3 Apr. 19 10.3, 10.4
Apr. 24 10.4 Apr. 26 10.4
May 1 Review, Last Class
Monday, May 7 Final Exam

IMPORTANT: You must notify me using an official notification form (from

MySlice) by Jan. 27 if you will miss a test due to a religious obligation!

University and Department Policy Statements

Students with Disabilities: If you believe that you need accommodations for a
disability, please contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS),
http://disabilityservices.syr.edu,
located in Room 309 of 804 University Avenue, or call (315) 443-4498 for an
appointment to discuss your needs and the process for requesting accommodations. ODS
is responsible for coordinating disability-related accommodations and will issue students
with documented disabilities Accommodation Authorization Letters, as appropriate.
Since accommodations may require early planning and generally are not provided
retroactively, please contact ODS as soon as possible. You are also welcome to contact
me privately to discuss your academic needs although I cannot arrange for disability-
related accommodations.

Making arrangements with ODS takes time. DO NOT wait until just before the
first test.
Academic Integrity: The Syracuse University Academic Integrity Policy holds students
accountable for the integrity of the work they submit. Students should be familiar with
the Policy and know that it is their responsibility to learn about instructor and general
academic expectations with regard to proper citation of sources in written work. The
policy also governs the integrity of work submitted in exams and assignments as well as
the veracity of signatures on attendance sheets and other verifications of participation in
class activities. Serious sanctions can result from academic dishonesty of any sort. For
more information and the complete policy, see
http://academic integrity.syr.edu

EXERCISES
The following exercises from the text are selected to help the student understand the
material. Problems in WebAssign will be similar to problems in this list.

Linear Algebra
2.1 17, 19, 25, 27, 31, 37, 38
2.2 9, 15, 23, 26, 27, 30, 35, 36
2.3 7, 15, 17, 21, 26, 33, 37, 43, 46, 47, 49, 51
2.4 11, 15, 16, 17, 19, 27, 31
2.6 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 16, 19

Counting
5.2 2, 3, 5, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17
5.3 5, 7, 13, 15, 17, 19, 23, 25, 41, 43, 45
5.4 11, 17, 19, 23, 24, 25, 31, 33, 37, 52*
5.5 5, 7, 11, 21, 25, 27, 32, 34, 38, 41, 52, 59, 76
5.6 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 17, 19, 23, 30, 31, 36, 46

Probability
6.2 1, 3, 7, 9, 11, 15, 19, 24
6.3 2, 3, 4, 7, 10, 17, 19, 23
6.4 1, 3, 9, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22, 35, 36
6.5 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 22, 23, 30, 39
6.6 4, 6, 7, 8, 13, 15, 20, 24

Statistics
7.2 1, 7, 9, 10, 22
7.3 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 19
7.4 2, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 24, 26
7.5 1, 3, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13
7.6 1, 3, 5, 7, 25, 26, 31, 33

Markov Processes
8.1 1, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15
8.2 1, 5, 7, 14, 15, 16, 18
8.3 3, 5, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

Mathematics of Finance
10.1 1, 4, 6, 8, 11, 15, 19, 23, 37, 40, 49
10.2 1, 4, 7, 9, 11, 14, 17, 19, 21, 25, 27*, 36, 41
10.3 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 17, 20, 21, 27
10.4 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32,
34, 36, 38, 42, 44, 46, 48
 WebAssign Registration Instructions for
MAT 183-001 Spring 2012

1. Go to www.webassign.net.

2. Click on LOG IN on the left side of the page.

3. Click on I HAVE A CLASS KEY.

4. Enter the class key by entering syr in the first box, 2400 in the second box, and

3540 in the third box; then click SUBMIT.

5. Make sure you see my name there (Jeffrey Meyer) and then click on

Yes, this is my class.

6. Select I need to create a WebAssign account.

7. Enter a user name and password of your choice, enter the required identifying

information. Then click on Create my Account.

8. The next page confirms your information, so click on Log In Now.

9. You should be logged in now. Select Purchase an access code online if

you need one, or if you have one with your new textbook that you purchased at

the SU book store, you can click on the left hand button to enter that.

Or, you can continue for about 10 more days until you are able to get an access

code (if you plan on getting it with a new textbook, for example).