Course overview
CSE 16: Applied Discrete Mathematics
Instructor: Owen Arden
UC Santa Cruz
Winter 2023
The search for truth
How do we know when something is true?
- We are convinced by a persuasive argument!
- What is the basis of persuasion?
- Trust in the source
- Consensus of peers
- Sound reasoning based on facts
we already know to be true
The truth behind the
calculations
- Mathematics is about more than computation.
- This course is an intro to the theoretical side of
math
- How
mathematicians
anyone can
- verify theorems
- create new mathematical theories
Course topics
- Logic
- Proofs
- Sets
- Functions
- Induction and Recursion
- Counting
- Relations
Textbooks
- The primary textbook will be the online Discrete
Mathematics ZyBook.
- Subscribe by going to the first assignment and
following the instructions.
- Book of
Proof, Richard Hammack, Third Edition. 2018. Available online for
free.
- Good auxilliary material. Some homework assignments
may come from here.
Course structure
- Online
interactive ZyBook textbook
- ZyBook reading assignments
- Read assigned sections and complete
participation activities
- Due before each lecture
- Weekly-ish quizzes in discussion sections
Course structure (cont’d)
- Homeworks (8)
- Some online through ZyBooks
- Some on paper (turn in to Gradescope as pdf)
- Exams (3)
- 2 Midterms, 1 Final
- During class time
(or assigned final exam
slot)
Grading
| ZyBook readings (~20+) |
5% |
Average |
| Homework (8) |
35% |
Median |
| Quizzes (~8) |
20% |
Median |
| Exam (3) |
40% |
Max of median or final |
- Late homework is subject to a 20% late penalty for
each day late, up to a maximum of three.
- Why median? Missing or bombing a couple of
homeworks or quizzes—or an exam–will not clobber your grade. However,
there will be no make-up quizzes or exams, so only skip
something if it cannot be avoided.
Resources and support
- Check this calendar often: it will be updated when sessions are
cancelled or added.
Info Channels
- Use Ed Discussion for Q&A (monitored by staff)
- Try not to email staff directly. Better to create a
“Private thread” (visible to staff only). Due to a large volume of
email, emailing Prof. Arden directly will likely result in a delayed
response. A private thread ensures that your question or issue can be
responded to quickly.
- If you feel like a publicly posted question has
been overlooked, create a private thread to politely bring it to the
attention of staff.
- Use Discord for interactive discussions (and
memeing)
- It’s fine to ask questions here, but it may not be
as actively monitored. Course staff may monitor during slow office
hours, but not guaranteed.
- In general, course announcements will be made
through Ed Discussion.
Getting started with ZyBooks
- Go to Canvas
- Click on a ZyBooks assignment (eg “Reading 01”)
- Follow instructions to begin subscription.
- Demo
