Course Overview

6.042 covers applications of Discrete Mathematics to Computer Science. The only prerequisite is 18.01. If you have already taken 18.310, you should not be taking 6.042. There are 90-minute lectures on Tuesday and Thursday in 34-101. There are also mandatory 1-hour recitations on Wednesday and Friday focused on solving problems in small groups. Recitation times and locations are listed here.

Reading

You should read Nuts and Bolts of Proofs by Cupillari in the first two weeks. This is the only required reading for the course; however, comprehensive lecture and recitation notes will be posted for your reference.

Problem Sets

There is a problem set each week. Problem sets are generally released on Tuesday, due the following Monday evening at 8 PM at 32-044, and returned in recitation on Wednesday. Be neat! Graders may deduct for sloppiness. Late homework is generally not accepted, but talk to your recitation instructor if a special circumstance arises. Please do not refer to course materials from previous terms. You may work with other students, but your writeup must be entirely your own. On the top of your homework, list:

• all collaborators, other than course staff
• all written sources that you consulted, other than Cupillari and course handouts from this term

If you had no collaborators and consulted no written sources, then write, "I worked alone." Homework without a collaboration statement will not be graded.

Exams

There are 2-hour quizzes on October 18th, 7:30-9:30 pm in room 2-190 and November 15th, 7:30-9:30 pm in room 10-250. There is also a final exam on Wednesday, December 20th at 1:30-4:30 pm in Johnson Athletic Center. Students may bring one 8.5" x 11" sheet with notes handwritten on both sides to quiz 1, two sheets to quiz 2, and 3 sheets to the final.

Grading

We compute a percentage score based on your coursework and then assign a letter grade as follows:

Your percentage score is the weighted average of your scores in five areas: homework, recitation, quiz 1, quiz 2, and the final exam. Scores in the five individual areas are determined as follows:

Homework (25%)

We drop your lowest score. We may normalize an entire recitation section upward, if necessary to compensate for variations in grading standards.

Recitation (20%)

Each recitation is worth 0, 1, or 2 points. If you attend for the full period and work constructively with your team, then you get 2 points. If you skip part of recitation or glaringly fail to work constructively with your team, then you get 1 point. If you are absent, you get 0 points. We drop your two lowest recitation scores.

Quiz 1 (20%), Quiz 2 (20%), Final (25%)

We'll cut 10% off the weight of your weakest exam. If the class median on an exam is below 75% (which is typical), then we normalize all scores upward so that the median is 75%. We normalize by adding a fixed number of points to every score. Scores are not capped at 100%. If the median on an exam is above 75%--- fantastic!