Math 100 - Spring 2005

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

(Last updated: Monday, January 24, 2005)

QUESTION: What is the textbook for the course?

ANSWER: There are 4 books you should buy:

  1. Basic Concepts of Mathematics and Logic by Michael C. Gemignani (Dover)
  2. Mathematics: The Man-Made Universe by Sherman Stein (Dover)
  3. The Cartoon Guide to Statistics by Larry Gonick and Woollcott Smith (HarperResource)
  4. From Here to Infinity by Ian Stewart (Oxford University Press)

You will also be given other readings online. You will not be reading all parts of every book! We will cover most of topics in Gemignani, and most of Gonick and Smith; Stein (which overlaps Gemignani) will be used for supplementary problems, and a few additional topics. The delightful book by Stewart will be used to provide context for some topics. By the way, the UH Bookstore has indicated that there might be some delay in getting one or more of these books, especially the Stewart book. You can find all of these at most online bookstores, and even with shipping the price at some of these might be less than the UH Bookstore price. Please make sure that you have the Gemignani book (and possibly the Stein book) by the first week of class.


QUESTION: Four textbooks! Thats so much!

ANSWER: Deal with it.

QUESTION: But so expensive!

ANSWER: The COMBINED cost of these books is around half what a standard Math 100 textbook would have cost. When deciding what to use for this class, I had visits from sales representatives from several textbook publishing houses. As you might imagine, this class can be a lucrative revenue stream for publishers. I was underwhelmed by the proferred books (which often seem to be written under the assumption that Math 100 students are idiots, rather than intelligent people who might happen to have a weak mathematics background), and overwhelmed by their price. I knew, however, of many suitable, well-written books covering various mathematical subjects; I picked 4 of them, and considered adding 3-4 others.

QUESTION: What should I do with all the money you have saved me?

ANSWER: Consider a small donation to the University. For example, the Mathematics department has a fund: the Hanf fund, which supports colloquium speakers, prizes for student competitions, and so on. You could even try to earmark your contribution for Math 100 TA support - like that will do any good. Or, contribute to the Library, and ask them to buy copies of every Hugh Gray Lieber and Lillian R. Lieber book they can find.

QUESTION: For which courses is Math 100 a prerequisite?

ANSWER: None. If you are here because you think it will prepare you for Math 140 or Math 241, forget about it. This is what we in the trade call a "terminal math course", which does not, however, mean that it will kill you. Probably.

QUESTION: Are there any reasons I shouldn't take the course?

ANSWER: If you have taken a Math course numbered 215 or higher, you will not get credit for this course. If you plan to take a Math course numbered 140 or higher, then this course is superfluous as far as the UH Symbolic Reasoning core requirement is concerned. If you are a BA science major, especially in Botany or other life science, and are taking this course because you don't need to take Calculus for your major, well, that depends on your definition of 'need': if you plan graduate work in any science, then at some point you will need to learn Calculus, which is the single greatest intellectual achievement of the last millenium. Better to do it while you are relatively young and receptive, before your brain follicles all dry up and fall out.


QUESTION: What are the prerequisites for this course?

ANSWER: Matriculation at UHM assumes you have had a normal K-12 mathematics education. For this class I will assume you can do basic 10th-grade algebra, including using and understanding algebraic formulas and solving simple algebraic equations. At some point I might even give you a `gateway' exam on these basic concepts; I have not as yet (Dec. 26 2004) decided. I will try to find some online materials so you can review these skills; the Appendix of Stein also has some review material.

QUESTION: Will there be homework?

ANSWER: There will be substantial homework covering the mathematical skills we will be covering (which for lack of a better term I will call 'competencies'); this will not be collected or graded, since there is no way to do this in such a large class. We will take time in class to go over some of the assignments. It will be your responsibility to make sure you have mastered these skills. There will also be substantial reading, both on the mathematical competencies, and on the related 'contextual' material (for which you are also responsible).

QUESTION: How will I be graded?

ANSWER: There will be 3 midterm examinations, and 1 (comprehensive) final examination. These will cover both the mathematical competencies, and the contextual material. Because of the size of the class, these will be multiple-choice exams (though I might experiment with some short-answer questions, to see if grading is possible). This is a really dreadful way to evaluate students, but in the absence of additional resources I don't see any alternative. I am also considering some form of optional final project - again, whether this happens depends on whether it is logistically feasible, given the size of the class.

QUESTION: The class is full; can I get in?


ANSWER: All enrollment decisions are made in the office of the Math department's Associate Chair, in Keller 419. There are 350 students in this class, and no TA support, so if I were in charge I would not only not add you - no matter how desperate you were - but I would disenroll around 325 students. You can also go to this web page to see what I tell students trying to enroll in my smaller classes.

The class is so hard; can't you go more slowly and write and explain more?


ANSWER: Unlike math courses you had in High School, we do not assume that you will understand everything in "real time" at the speed at which we present it in lecture. The assumption (see the Departmental "Academic Expectations" handout linked on the main page) is that most of the learning will take place outside of class, for example when you look over your notes and try to figure out how we went from step to step in the lecture. I conider a major part of my job presenting you with as many illustrations of correct symbolic reasoning as possible, so that eventually you will understand the components of such reasoning. It is not a good use of shared lecture time to focus on the details of algebraic manipulations. You should of course feel free to bring such questions to Quinn or me during office hours.

If your basic pre-University algebra skills are especially weak, some parts of the course will be difficult. I am sensitive to the fact that this applies to many of you, and this will be reflected in the evaluative components (tests etc) of the course, though ideally you are encouraged to try to find ways to strengthen these skills.

These aren't proper topics for Math 100!

ANSWER: This course is esentially the same as it has always been at UHM; most fo the topics on our syllabus for the semester are regularly taight as part of our Math 100 course. My class will have slightly more of an emphasis on abstraction and the question of what is a proof, and very slightly less on computation and "math appreciation". The reason is that a few years ago the University of Hawaii Manoa Faculty Senate revised the criteria which qualifies a course to meet the Foundations "FS" (Symbolic Reasoning) requirements to have more of an emphasis on understanding proof and general symbolic reasoning, and less on topical content. I am adjusting the course to be more consistent with these requirements, as opposed to the old requirements.

If you were expecting a "consumer mathematics" course or algebra refresher, this is not the course we usually teach, nor would it likely meet the Manoa requirements.