CS5002: Discrete Structures (Summer 1 2022)
Course Information
Title: CS5002: Discrete Structures (Su22)When: May 9th to Jun 29th
Where: Online (Asynchronous)
Instructor: John Rachlin, PhD.
Assistant Teaching Professor
E-mail
j.rachlin@northeastern.edu
Web
https://www.khoury.northeastern.edu/people/john-rachlin/
Office Hours
(No appointment needed.)
Tue-Fri 3pm-4pm on Zoom:
https://northeastern.zoom.us/my/rachlin
Email me to arrange other times.
Teaching Assistants
Name Office Hours
See Piazza for Updates Zoom
Tuoxin ("TX") LiTue-Thu 1pm-3pm ET
Zoom
Klaida AziziTue-Thu 11am-1pm ET
Zoom
Additional Course Information
Lectures
Lectures will be pre-recorded and posted to Canvas throughout the week. I will also post lecture notes for your convenience.
Piazza
Piazza is the
discussion board for the course where you can submit
questions about the course, course logistics, or the homework.
It is also where TAs and instructors will be posting announcements.
Textbook
Discrete Mathematics: An Open Introduction (3ed) by Oscar Levin. (Recommended but not required.)
Available as a free interactive textbook online or you can purchase a paperback hardcopy on Amazon.
Homework
Rather than releasing a single weekly assignment, instead I will be posting about 3-4 problems throughout the week. This will allow you to go more at your own pace, but do make note of the due date of each problem! Write up solutions on your own and submit to GradeScope by the specified due date. No late submissions will be accepted so please plan ahead!
The most important things to remember about homeworks:
- While it is ok to verbally discuss the problems with fellow students, and to work in study groups, each student must write up their own solutions. Copying a solution from another student, or giving your solution to be copied is a serious violation of academic integrity.
- To earn full credit you have to show each step and/or explain your reasoning. Provide enough detail so that I and the TAs can follow your thought process. This is even more important than writing down the final correct answer.
- Solutions should be written neatly or typed. We can't give you credit if we can't read your handwriting!
- Posting problems to Chegg or similar sites is strictly forbidden. The penalty for posting problems to Chegg or obtaining solutions from Chegg is a zero for the assignment. If you use Chegg or similar sites a second time for any assignment, you automatically fail the course and you will be reported to OSCCR. I find that students often resort to copying answers from the Internet when they are up against the submission deadline. I strongly recommend you avoid this situation altogether and begin working on your assignments as soon as they are posted. Don't wait until the last minute! Mathematics requires time and thought.
Exams
There will be an open-book take-home final exam, tenatively schedule for Wednesday Jun 29th. There will be no midterm. The final exam must be completed entirely on your own. Collaboration or discussion of any kind, or seeking help from the Internet is expressively forbidden. Failure to abide by these guidelines on your final exam will earn all parties involved an automatic F for the class and a report to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSCCR).
Class Project
The class project is an opportunity to explore the world of discrete mathematics in a creative way. The topic of your class project is entirely up to you! It could be a program, a work of art, a musical composition, a video demonstration of a proof, a powerpoint presentation on a mathematical topic - whatever you like so long as it is a) unique, b) creative, and c) on the theme of discrete mathematics. You can submit your project anytime during the semester. A sampling of past projects will be posted to Canvas.
Academic Misconduct
Mathematics is a creative process. Individuals must reach their own understanding of problems
and discover paths to their solutions. During this time, discussions with friends and colleagues
are encouraged—you will do much better in the course, and at Northeastern, if you find people
with whom you regularly discuss problems. But those discussions should take place verbally.
If you share written work, you're breaking the rules. When you begin writing up your homework,
discussions are no longer appropriate. Each homework solution/proof must be entirely your
own work. Do not, under any circumstances, permit any other student to see any part of your
written assignment, and do not permit yourself to see any part of another student's
written assignment. This is a direct violation of the course collaboration policy.
The university's academic integrity policy discusses actions regarded as violations
and consequences for students: http://www.northeastern.edu/osccr/academic-integrity
Questions?
Contact Prof. Rachlin for any questions or logistical issues related to the course, lectures,
or recitation including matters related to illness, homework submissions, recitation
attendance, academic integrity, or any problems that might be impacting your ability to do your very best work.
Evaluation
The final grade for this course will be weighted as follows:
- Homework: 75%
- Final exam: 20%
- Creative Project: 5%
Final grades will be rounded to the nearest integer and assigned based on the following scale (e.g., 92.4999 is a 92 whereas 92.5000 is a 93.):
Letter Range A 93 - 100 A- 90 - 92 B+ 87 - 89 B 83 - 86 B- 80 - 82 C+ 77 - 79 C 73 - 76 C- 70 - 72 D+ 67 - 69 D 63 - 66 D- 60 - 62 F <60
Lecture Schedule
Note: This schedule is subject to change and will be adjusted as needed throughout the semester.
Week
Dates
Topic
Reading
1
May 9-13
Binary and Logic
Ch 0.1 to 0.2, Ch3
2
May 16-20
Boolean Algebra and Set Theory
Ch 0.3
3
May 23-27
Combinatorics
Ch1
4
May 30-Jun 3
Probability Theory
n/a
5
Jun 6-10
Sequences and Recurrences
Ch2
6
Jun 13-17
Algorithms and Growth of Functions
n/a
7
Jun 20-24
Graph Theory
Ch4
8
Jun 27-29
Review and Final Exam
Inclusive Class (Please read this carefully)
Northeastern University values the diversity of our students, staff, and faculty; recognizing the important contribution each makes to our unique community.
Respect is demanded at all times throughout this course. In the classroom or in office hours, everyone is to be treated with dignity and respect. You are encouraged to point out any mathematical mistakes that I might make - believe me I will make a few - and I do not consider such corrections and observations as a sign of disrepect! However, insulting or berating my teaching assistants or taking on a disrespectful or abusive tone in effort to win back points on your homework will simply not be tolerated and may have you un-enrolled from the class. In addition, you will be making yourself ineligible to ever TA a future class at Northeastern - an unfortunate lost opportunity valued by potential employers. We realize everyone comes from a different background with different experiences, cultures, and abilities. Our knowledge will always be used to better everyone in the class.
We strive to create a learning environment that is welcoming to students of all backgrounds. If you feel unwelcome for any reason, please let us know so we can work to make things better. You can let us know by talking to anyone on the teaching staff. If you feel uncomfortable talking to members of the teaching staff, please consider reaching out to your academic advisor.
Northeastern is committed to providing equal access and support to all qualified students through the provision of reasonable accommodations so that each student may fully participate in the learning experience. If you have a disability that requires accommodations, please contact the Disability Resource Center http://www.northeastern.edu/drc/, DRC@northeastern.edu, 617-353-2675. Accommodations cannot be made retroactively and to receive an accommodation, a letter from the DRC or LDP is required.
| j.rachlin@northeastern.edu | |
| Web | https://www.khoury.northeastern.edu/people/john-rachlin/ |
| Office Hours (No appointment needed.) |
Tue-Fri 3pm-4pm on Zoom: https://northeastern.zoom.us/my/rachlin Email me to arrange other times. |
Teaching Assistants
| Name | Office Hours See Piazza for Updates | Zoom |
|---|---|---|
Tuoxin ("TX") Li |
Tue-Thu 1pm-3pm ET | Zoom |
Klaida Azizi |
Tue-Thu 11am-1pm ET | Zoom |
Additional Course Information
Lectures
Lectures will be pre-recorded and posted to Canvas throughout the week. I will also post lecture notes for your convenience.Piazza
Piazza is the discussion board for the course where you can submit questions about the course, course logistics, or the homework. It is also where TAs and instructors will be posting announcements.Textbook
Discrete Mathematics: An Open Introduction (3ed) by Oscar Levin. (Recommended but not required.)Available as a free interactive textbook online or you can purchase a paperback hardcopy on Amazon.
Homework
Rather than releasing a single weekly assignment, instead I will be posting about 3-4 problems throughout the week. This will allow you to go more at your own pace, but do make note of the due date of each problem! Write up solutions on your own and submit to GradeScope by the specified due date. No late submissions will be accepted so please plan ahead!The most important things to remember about homeworks:
- While it is ok to verbally discuss the problems with fellow students, and to work in study groups, each student must write up their own solutions. Copying a solution from another student, or giving your solution to be copied is a serious violation of academic integrity.
- To earn full credit you have to show each step and/or explain your reasoning. Provide enough detail so that I and the TAs can follow your thought process. This is even more important than writing down the final correct answer.
- Solutions should be written neatly or typed. We can't give you credit if we can't read your handwriting!
- Posting problems to Chegg or similar sites is strictly forbidden. The penalty for posting problems to Chegg or obtaining solutions from Chegg is a zero for the assignment. If you use Chegg or similar sites a second time for any assignment, you automatically fail the course and you will be reported to OSCCR. I find that students often resort to copying answers from the Internet when they are up against the submission deadline. I strongly recommend you avoid this situation altogether and begin working on your assignments as soon as they are posted. Don't wait until the last minute! Mathematics requires time and thought.
Exams
There will be an open-book take-home final exam, tenatively schedule for Wednesday Jun 29th. There will be no midterm. The final exam must be completed entirely on your own. Collaboration or discussion of any kind, or seeking help from the Internet is expressively forbidden. Failure to abide by these guidelines on your final exam will earn all parties involved an automatic F for the class and a report to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSCCR).Class Project
The class project is an opportunity to explore the world of discrete mathematics in a creative way. The topic of your class project is entirely up to you! It could be a program, a work of art, a musical composition, a video demonstration of a proof, a powerpoint presentation on a mathematical topic - whatever you like so long as it is a) unique, b) creative, and c) on the theme of discrete mathematics. You can submit your project anytime during the semester. A sampling of past projects will be posted to Canvas.Academic Misconduct
Mathematics is a creative process. Individuals must reach their own understanding of problems and discover paths to their solutions. During this time, discussions with friends and colleagues are encouraged—you will do much better in the course, and at Northeastern, if you find people with whom you regularly discuss problems. But those discussions should take place verbally. If you share written work, you're breaking the rules. When you begin writing up your homework, discussions are no longer appropriate. Each homework solution/proof must be entirely your own work. Do not, under any circumstances, permit any other student to see any part of your written assignment, and do not permit yourself to see any part of another student's written assignment. This is a direct violation of the course collaboration policy. The university's academic integrity policy discusses actions regarded as violations and consequences for students: http://www.northeastern.edu/osccr/academic-integrityQuestions?
Contact Prof. Rachlin for any questions or logistical issues related to the course, lectures, or recitation including matters related to illness, homework submissions, recitation attendance, academic integrity, or any problems that might be impacting your ability to do your very best work.Evaluation
The final grade for this course will be weighted as follows:
- Homework: 75%
- Final exam: 20%
- Creative Project: 5%
Final grades will be rounded to the nearest integer and assigned based on the following scale (e.g., 92.4999 is a 92 whereas 92.5000 is a 93.):
| Letter | Range |
|---|---|
| A | 93 - 100 |
| A- | 90 - 92 |
| B+ | 87 - 89 |
| B | 83 - 86 |
| B- | 80 - 82 |
| C+ | 77 - 79 |
| C | 73 - 76 |
| C- | 70 - 72 |
| D+ | 67 - 69 |
| D | 63 - 66 |
| D- | 60 - 62 |
| F | <60 |
Lecture Schedule
Note: This schedule is subject to change and will be adjusted as needed throughout the semester.
| Week | Dates | Topic | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 9-13 | Binary and Logic | Ch 0.1 to 0.2, Ch3 |
| 2 | May 16-20 | Boolean Algebra and Set Theory | Ch 0.3 |
| 3 | May 23-27 | Combinatorics | Ch1 |
| 4 | May 30-Jun 3 | Probability Theory | n/a |
| 5 | Jun 6-10 | Sequences and Recurrences | Ch2 |
| 6 | Jun 13-17 | Algorithms and Growth of Functions | n/a |
| 7 | Jun 20-24 | Graph Theory | Ch4 |
| 8 | Jun 27-29 | Review and Final Exam |
Inclusive Class (Please read this carefully)
Northeastern University values the diversity of our students, staff, and faculty; recognizing the important contribution each makes to our unique community.
Respect is demanded at all times throughout this course. In the classroom or in office hours, everyone is to be treated with dignity and respect. You are encouraged to point out any mathematical mistakes that I might make - believe me I will make a few - and I do not consider such corrections and observations as a sign of disrepect! However, insulting or berating my teaching assistants or taking on a disrespectful or abusive tone in effort to win back points on your homework will simply not be tolerated and may have you un-enrolled from the class. In addition, you will be making yourself ineligible to ever TA a future class at Northeastern - an unfortunate lost opportunity valued by potential employers. We realize everyone comes from a different background with different experiences, cultures, and abilities. Our knowledge will always be used to better everyone in the class.
We strive to create a learning environment that is welcoming to students of all backgrounds. If you feel unwelcome for any reason, please let us know so we can work to make things better. You can let us know by talking to anyone on the teaching staff. If you feel uncomfortable talking to members of the teaching staff, please consider reaching out to your academic advisor.
Northeastern is committed to providing equal access and support to all qualified students through the provision of reasonable accommodations so that each student may fully participate in the learning experience. If you have a disability that requires accommodations, please contact the Disability Resource Center http://www.northeastern.edu/drc/, DRC@northeastern.edu, 617-353-2675. Accommodations cannot be made retroactively and to receive an accommodation, a letter from the DRC or LDP is required.