Math 464 (sect 001) - Theory of Probability - Prof. Kennedy - Fall '10

Course home page: www.math.arizona.edu/~tgk/464_10/index.html

Instructor: Tom Kennedy (Professor, Mathematics)
email: tgk@math.arizona.edu (Please include 464 in the subject line)
Office: Math 204, Phone: 626-0197

Office hours: will be announced in class and posted on the web.

Textbook: The text for the course is Probability - An Introduction by Geoffrey Grimmett and Dominic Welsh. It is concise, well written and resonably priced, but a bit short on examples. The book Introduction to Probability by Charles Grinstead and Laurie Snell is at the other extreme - less mathematical, more examples, more discussion. It can be downloaded for free. Other probability books

Material covered: Chapters 1-8 of Grimmett and Welsh.

Place and time: TR 2-3:15, Modern Languages 314. (Note that this web page incorrectly had 315 originally.)

Prerequisites: The official prerequisite, Math 322 or 323, is meant to insure that you have the "mathematical maturity" needed for the course. If you have not had one of these course you must talk with me.

Homework: Homework is the most important part of the course. The only way to learn mathematics is by doing it. Homework assignments will be posted on the web as a pdf file. You should feel free to work together on the homework. I encourage this, provided you are truly working on it together. Just watching someone else do it and then copying the answers will almost surely lead to a disaster when you take the exams.

Homework grading: Homework will be assigned almost every week. It will typically be assigned on Thursday and due the following Thursday. Homework is due at the start of class. No late homework will be accepted. Your lowest two homework scores will be dropped.

Exams: There will be two in-class exams and a comprehensive final. The final is Tues, Dec 14 from 2-4 pm in the same room as the classes. The exams are tentatively scheduled for Oct 7 and Nov 18.

Grading: The weighting for course grades will be An overall course average of 90% or better will be an A.
An overall course average of 80% or better will be at least a B.
An overall course average of 70% or better will be at least a C.
An overall course average of 60% or better will be at least a D.

Missed Exams: If you miss one of the two in-class exams for a legitimate reason, your grade will be computed by weighting the homework 25 %, the other in-class exam 25 % and the final 50 %. A make-up exam will not be given for one missed exam. In the highly improbable event that you miss both in class exams for legitimate reasons, I will give a make up for the second exam at my convenience. For a missed exam I may ask for documentation of the legitimate reason, e.g., a note from student health if you are sick.

Dropping the course: September 17 is the last day to drop without a grade. October 15 is the last day to withdraw with a grade of W. After October 15 you need the Dean's signature and this requires extraordinary circumstances.

Incompletes: The University General Catalog says that incompletes may be awarded only at the end of the semester, when all but a minor portion of the course work has been satisfactorily completed. It should not be awarded if the student must repeat the course. The Mathematics Department vigorously enforces this policy. In this course, the only scenario I can envision that would lead to a grade of incomplete is that you cannot take the final exam due to illness.

Attendance: You are responsible for all announcements made in class including announcements of exam dates, homework due dates, as well as all material covered in class.

Accomodations based on disability: Students planning to use accommodations based on disability for this course should privately identify themselves to the instructor by the end of the first week of class. These students must also provide the instructor with a letter of identification from the Disability Resource Center. This letter should include information about any accommodations you will need for the class, including accommodations for test taking.