Mathematics 4801 Topics in Combinatorics

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• The course is over.

General Information

• Course goals: This course is about beautiful proofs in Mathematics, with special emphasis on Combinatorics and Number Theory. We will follow the textbook "Proofs From The Book" very closely to learn techniques used in many beautiful and elegant proofs. Each chapter of the textbook is self-contained. However, some of the topics require previous notions; we will cover the required material during the course.
• Prerequisities: mathematical maturity is recommended. Although not required, at least one undergraduate abstract algebra course and one analysis course may be useful; undergraduate courses in discrete mathematics could be helpful.
• The material covered in each lecture will appear below.
• Textbook: Proofs from THE BOOK by Martin Aigner and Gunter Ziegler, 4th edition, Springer, 2010.
• Classes begin: Monday, September 13, 2010.
  Classes end: Monday, December 6, 2010.
  No lecture on: Monday, October 11, 2010.
• Evaluation:
  There will be two assignments (15% each), an oral presentation of a topic covered in the textbook (35%), a project (30%) and class participation (5%). The tentative schedule of assignments is below.

  Assignment	Hand-out Date	Due Date	Worth
  1	October 6	November 3	15%
  2	November 3	December 1	15%

  The oral presentation (worth 35%) can be on any topic in the texbook not covered in class. This mark is formed by 20% for the understanding of the proof, and 15% for the oral presentation. The deadline to decide the topic of the lecture is Wednesday October 13, 2010.
  

  In addition to the two assignments and the oral presentation there is an individual project worth 30% of the final mark. Projects can not exceed 10 pages and can be about any beautiful proof in Mathematics not covered in lectures or assignments. More information about the project will be given in class in October. The lecturer and the student must agree on the topic of the project by Monday November 1, 2010. The deadline to hand-in the project is Monday December 6, 2010.
  

  There are neither midterms nor a final exam.

• Withdrawal: The last day for withdrawal from the course without academic penalties is December 6, 2010.
• Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities requiring academic accommodations in this course must register with the Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities (PMC) for a formal evaluation of disability-related needs. Documented disabilities include but are not limited to mobility/physical impairments, specific Learning Disabilities (LD), psychiatric/psychological disabilities, sensory disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and chronic medical conditions. Registered PMC students are required to contact the PMC every term to have a Letter of Accommodation sent to the Instructor by their Coordinator. In addition, students are expected to confirm their need for accommodation with the Instructor no later than two weeks before the first assignment is due.
• Pregnancy obligation: write to me with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist.
• Religious obligation: write to me with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist.

  For more details on academic accommodation see the Student Guide.

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  Lectures per month

  • September 2010 (html file)
  • October 2010 (html file)
  • November-December 2010 (html file)

Contact Information: