Last updated 24 April 2011.
In order to encourage students to experiment with the concepts taught in class, homework assignments will be given on alternate weeks. They will be due in class on Fridays, at the beginning of lecture.
Since homework is a learning activity, students are welcome to discuss ideas with each other, although collaboration in the writing stage is not permitted. In other words, you may not look at the actual document that another student is handing in.
Make-up tests will be given only in the case of a documented medical excuse, a university-sanctioned absence (e.g., participation in a varsity sporting event), or a family emergency. However, this must be requested before the official start time of each test.
| Week | Topic | Reference | Work due |
| Week 1
(Mon Jan 10) |
Basic counting | Chapter 1 | Homework 1
Solutions 1 |
| Week 2
(Mon Jan 17) |
Induction; Approximation
(No class Mon Jan 17) |
Sections 2.1 and 2.2 | |
| Week 3
(Mon Jan 24) |
Inclusion-Exclusion; Pigeonhole | Sections 2.3, 2.4, and 2.5 | Homework 2
Solutions 2 |
| Week 4
(Mon Jan 31) |
Binomial coefficients | Sections 3.1 to 3.6. | |
| Week 5
(Mon Feb 7) |
Pascal's triangle: asymptotics | Sections 3.7 and 3.8. | Test 1 on Mon
Solutions | Raw scores Scaled score converter Homework 3 Solutions 3 |
| Week 6
(Mon Feb 14) |
Linear recursions | ||
| Week 7
(Mon Feb 21) |
Generating functions | Generatingfunctionology (free book),
by H. Wilf. Sections 1.1-1.3, 2.1-2.3. Additional notes from MIT's OCW, by A. Meyer. |
Homework 4
Solutions 4 |
| Week 8
(Mon Feb 28) |
More generating functions
(No class Fri Mar 4) |
||
| Spring break
(Mon Mar 7) |
No class! | ||
| Week 9
(Mon Mar 14) |
Expected value | Alternate references #1
and
#2
from MIT's OCW, by A. Meyer and R. Rubinfeld |
Homework 5
Solutions 5 |
| Week 10
(Mon Mar 21) |
More probability | Test 2 on Fri
Solutions | Raw scores Scaled score converter |
|
| Week 11
(Mon Mar 28) |
Graph theory | Chapter 7 of course text, plus
Section 10.1 of Diestel: free edition |
Homework 6
Solutions 6 |
| Week 12
(Mon Apr 4) |
Trees | Chapter 8 | |
| Week 13
(Mon Apr 11) |
Ramsey theory
(No class Fri Apr 15) |
Alt refs
#1
and
#2
from B. Sudakov's
Princeton Combinatorics course. |
Homework 7
Solutions 7 |
| Week 14
(Mon Apr 18) |
Matching | Chapter 10 | Test 3 on Wed
Solutions | Raw scores Scaled score converter |
| Week 15
(Mon Apr 25) |
Planarity | Sections 12.1 and 12.2 | Homework 8
Solutions 8 |
| Final exam
(Mon May 2) |
From 8:30 - 11:30am, in Doherty 2302. | ||
| You are visitor number since 18 December 2010. |
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