Discrete Mathematics MAA 103 (Year 1) explores the world of discrete mathematics which is a fundamental concept in many different areas of science and advanced mathematics. The first part of the course introduces basic notions in number and groups theory, and goes on with the study of the group of permutations. The second part of the course is devoted to probability theory on finite sets, the basics of graph theory and an introduction to Markov chains on finite spaces.

 

The aim of this course is to provide students with a working knowledge of basic mathematical algorithms and associated computer programming. We will cover several notions such as representation of numbers, rootfinding, polynomial approximation, numerical integration, and error analysis. A significant portion of the course will be devoted to implementation and experiments using Jupyter Notebooks with Python.

 

Grading

The grading will be based on the following elements:

  1.  Very short tests (approx. 5min) at the beginning of the second lecture of each chapter, to ensure that you remember the main notions introduced during the first lecture of the chapter. 
  2. A final exam (2h), during which you will have to complete a notebook with both theoretical answers (Markdown and Latex), code (Python), and illustrations. Authorized material during the exam: the notebooks used in the course that are provided on Moodle, as well as personnal class/lab notes.

The final grade will be computed as follows:

max(final exam, 2/3*final exam + 1/3*short tests).

Prerequisites: MAA101, MAA102

The course aims both at making you discover mathematical modeling and how mathematics can bring some interesting answers. At this occasion, you will discover some mathematics concepts/techniques/tools motivated by questions arising from the problems coming from the «real world ».  In particular, this course introduces some techniques such as gradient descent, differential equations, Markov chains with a hands-on approach.