Instructor: Dr. Dalibor Froncek
Office:
Phone: 7958
e-mail:
dfroncek(a)d.umn.edu
where (a)@@
Web Page: http://www.d.umn.edu/~dfroncek/
Office Hours: M 1:00 – 2:00, W 3:00 – 4:00, F 1:00 – 2:00 and
by appointment
Textbook:
First Look at Graph
Theory by John Clark and Derek Allan Holton, ISBN:
9810204906
Course
Content and Goals:
This course should really be called An Advanced Introduction to Structural
Proofs via Graph Theory. Rather than learning many facts and memorizing
definitions and theorems, we will learn how to prove simple (and not-so-simple)
theorems that deal more with objects and their structure than with what you
have seen so far in other math classes, unless you already took some discrete
math proof based course.
This is not
a course where you would learn many algorithms or applications. It is
intended to enhance your general mathematical thinking and reasoning, to learn
how to work in groups on simple research projects, and how to present them
effectively in writing.
Assignments:
There will be assignments from almost every
class. Problems assigned between Monday and Friday will be
posted on the web and are due on the following Wednesday class except
for the weeks when there is a test. There will be NO make-up assignments;
however, the lowest assignment score will be dropped. An assignment is assumed
to be your own work! Therefore, you can collaborate with other people
when preparing for the assignment, but you have to work alone when you are
actually doing it. Also, you cannot use any kind of solutions to assigned
problems that can be found in manuals, on Internet, or elsewhere.
Additional
homework:
There will be homework exercises from almost
every class. The problems will be posted on the web
but are not to be turned in.
Tests:
There will be three tests. Tentative dates are
weeks 4/5, 10, 14/15. The material to be covered in the tests will be announced
in class. The tests can be open book and/or take home or a (group) project.
Typically, Test 1 is a 2 hour in-class test, Test 2 is
a “Perfect Proof”, and Test 3 is a take-home test. In-class tests may be given
at evening time periods to give you extra time for
completing the test without too much stress.
Missing an exam is a
serious matter. In order to schedule a make-up exam, you must have a written
medical excuse. Let me know of your absence before the exam takes place.
Final
Exam:
The Final Exam can be either a cumulative one or
a project. It can be either in class or take home. This will be determined by
December 1. Most likely it will be a group research
project. It will be due on the date of the scheduled final exam on Friday,
December 19.
Grading:
Your grade in this course will be based on:
Tests =
60% (20% each)
Assignments =
20%
Final Exam
= 20%
Bonus points (details in class)
Graduate and undergraduate students will be evaluated equally. There will be no difference in
assignments, tests, final exam, or the grading scale.
Grading scale:
Your grade in this course will be determined as
follows:
91–100 A
86–90
A–
81–85
B+
76–80 B
71–75
B–
66–70
C+
61–65 C
56–60
C–
50–55 D
below
50 F
Special
Needs:
I am happy to provide appropriate and fair
accommodations for students with documented special needs —such students must
meet with me early in the semester to make arrangements.
Cell
Phones:
Cellular telephones and other communication
devices are prohibited during quizzes and exams. Having any communicating
device out during an exam will be considered cheating and result in an
immediate zero. Also note it is discourteous and a distraction to have ringing
phones during class time. If you do not turn off your ringer you may be asked
to leave the room.
Pictures
and videos:
Photographs and video cannot
be taken without prior instructor’s consent. If a verbal consent is
given, they cannot be made public (e.g., on internet) without written consent
of instructor and UMD administration.
Policies:
All students at the UMD must be in compliance
with the student conduct code in the policies and procedures section of the
2005-2007 University Catalog, specifically in this course with regards to
scholastic dishonesty. Academic integrity is of utmost importance and all
procedures and sanctions will be followed as per the university catalog.
The
All forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited,
including (but not limited to):
1.
submission of
false records of academic achievement
2.
cheating on
assignments or examinations
3.
submitting
sentences or ideas as your own without proper acknowledgment or citation
(plagiarizing)
4.
altering,
forging, or misusing a University academic record or forging the signature of
any member of the University community
5.
taking,
acquiring, using, or circulating test materials without faculty permission
6.
acting alone or
in cooperation with another to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly grades,
honors, awards, or professional endorsement
7.
facilitating
academic dishonesty by helping another student to violate the academic
integrity policy, such as providing course work for another student to turn in
as his or her own effort or taking an exam for another student
8.
presenting as
one’s own a plot, succession of ideas, or list/outline of another without
proper acknowledgment
9.
attending a
class, completing an assignment, or taking a quiz/test in the name of another
student
10.
copying, editing,
using, or deleting computer files without permission
11.
altering or
viewing computer records, dispensing or releasing information gained via
unauthorized access, modifying computer programs or systems, or interfering
with the use or availability of computer systems or information
12.
bribing or
attempting to bribe, promising favors, or making threats with the intention of
affecting a grade, a record, or an evaluation of academic performance
13.
purchasing or
otherwise presenting work as your own when it was done by another person
14.
submitting the
same paper or generally similar papers to meet the requirements of more than
one course without the approval and consent of all faculty members of all such
courses
15.
depriving another
student of necessary study or research materials or in any way impeding another
student’s work and pursuit of education
16.
submitting
falsified data, such as bibliographic resources and experimental data or
altering graded academic work/quizzes/tests and resubmitting them in order to
get a higher grade (fabrication)
17.
intentional use,
misuse, or alterations of University materials or resources in an attempt to
make them inaccessible to others (e.g., altering passwords, unauthorized use of
computer accounts, violation of library procedures, intentional misuse or
destruction of educational materials)