MA121A,: Introduction to Mathematical Proofs (Fall 2020)

Calendar Description

An introduction to proofs and to mathematical writing. Methods of proof, such as direct proofs, proofs by contradiction, contrapositive proofs, counterexamples and mathematical induction. Examples of proofs will be illustrated using sets, functions and elementary number theory. Use of precise mathematical language will be emphasized.

 

Exclusions

MA120.

Instructor

Ping Zhang (DPhil)
Office hours: Tuesdays 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.; Thursdays: 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. with Zoom Meetings on MyLS
or by appointment. The Zoom meeting details are posted on MyLS..
E: pzhang@wlu.ca

Lab Coordinator

Erica Marshall
E: emarshall@wlu.ca

Lectures

The Designated Lecture Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 10:00 – 11:20 a.m. Although the lectures are
asynchronous, these hours must be reserved by students for this course only because some synchronous
activities, such as midterm tests, the welcome Zoom meeting, additional office hours and special
sessions for FAQ’s, will be scheduled or announced on short notice in these time slots.

Textbook

The course package is available in the Laurier bookstore: B. Secord, S.J. Stack, D.C. Vaughan and T. Balfour: Logic and Algebra, 3^rd Edition.

Calculators

No calculator is allowed on the midterm tests and the final examination.

MyLearningSpace

Materials related to this course and the full course outline will be posted on the MA121 MyLearningSpace website. You are responsible for checking here on a regular basis for important announcements.

Evaluation

A final mark out of 100 will be calculated as follows:

• WeBWorK Assignments: 5%
• Labs (tutorial and written quizzes): 20%
• Midterm Tests (20% of the higher mark + 10% of the lower): 30%
• Test 1 - Thursday, Oct 22, 10:00 – 11:20 a.m. (class time)
• Test 2 - Thursday, Nov 19, 10:00 – 11:20 a.m. (class time)
• Final Examination (2.5 hours; exact date, time and location to be announced): 45%

The midterm grading policy is designed to accommodate slower learning pattern or accidentally
abnormal performance, and encourage progress. Due to the accumulative nature of the learning
outcomes of this course, an alternative grading scheme that replaces the sum of the midterm tests and
final exam percentages by a 75% final exam may be applied at the end to encourage substantial
progress .
Students must earn at least 40% on the final exam to be eligible to pass the course.
The final mark will be converted to a letter grade in accordance with the conversion table of the
2020/2021 Undergraduate Calendar

This document is a summary of the course outline for MA121 and is provided for the convenience of students.