This introductory course in Probability and Discrete Mathematics is oriented toward Computer Science and Engineering. It cover the following topics:
The goals of the course are summarized in a statement of Course Objectives and Educational Outcomes. A detailed schedule of topic coverage appears in the Course Calendar. The catalogue description of the course also mentions recurrences and generating functions, but these will not be covered this term.
Each student will also participate once a week in a 1.5-hour tutorial session emphasizing group problem solving.
The class has a comprehensive web site:
http://theory.lcs.mit.edu/classes/6.042
All course information such as course notes, problem sets, staff contact information, mailing list information, and announcements are available on this website. We will generally not be distributing any paper handouts. Course notes, problem sets and solutions, etc., will be posted on the course Handouts page. It is always worth checking the website for corrections and announcements before starting problem sets.
The prerequisite for the course is 18.01. The MIT catalogue lists 18.02, but this is incorrect. You should be familiar with sequences and series, limits, and integration and differentiation of univariate functions. Most of you are already familiar with logical notation, elementary set theory, and elementary facts about numbers. To make sure that you are up to speed on this material, you should look over the background reading assignment for Problem Set 1 during the first week of the course.
If you have taken 18.063 or 18.310 you should not take this course. 18.063 may be substituted for 6.042 in the EECS M.Eng. and S.B. requirements. For such students interested in learning probability, we recommend 6.041 or 18.440.
Reading materials for the course are the following:
This term the weekly schedule will typically be:
There will be 10 weekly problem sets. Solutions to the problem sets will generally be posted two or three days after the due date (except for quiz weeks, when they are posted right after the due time).
The last page of each problem set has a cover page for use when you submit the problem set. Complete the information called for on the cover page and attach it as the first page of your submission. Be sure to complete the full collaboration statement of the form:
"I worked alone and only with course materials",
or
"I collaborated on this assignment with
(students in class),
got help
from (people other than collaborators and course
staff),
and referred to
(citations to texts and material other than the class texts and
handouts)".
Late policy: Problem sets turned in 30 minutes past the due time will be considered late. Late problem sets should be turned in to your tutor by arrangement with him/her. If you are unable to complete a homework by the date assigned, please talk to your TA in advance. Under no circumstances should problem sets be turned in after the solutions have been posted to the web.
Grades for the course will be based largely on the two quizzes and final exam, with the final exam equal to the two quizzes put together. In addition, your overall performance on homework and participation in tutorial can affect your term grade by up to one letter grade. That is, if you get a B on the exams but do superlatively on homeworks and in tutorials, you can get an A. In contrast, if you get an A on the exams but do poorly on homeworks and tutorials, you may find yourself with a B. If you do not do substantially all the homeworks and participate in substantially all the tutorials, however, do not expect to pass at all, even if you ace the exams.
Problem sets: Problem sets will be annotated with written feedback by your tutor. Please leave wide margins and extra space on your problemsets to facilitate this feedback. This feedback will include not only comments on the technical merit of your work, but on how well you communicate your answers.
Self-evaluation: Approximately one week before each of the three exams, you will be asked to fill in a self-evaluation sheet.
Feedback report: After receiving your self-evaluation, your tutor will prepare a feedback report for you based on your performance in tutorial and on homeworks. The feedback report will help you understand your strengths and weaknesses in the areas of
Your tutor will schedule a one-on-one meeting to discuss your self-evaluation and feedback report before the corresponding exam.
The goal of homeworks is to give you practice in mastering the course material. Consequently, you are encouraged to collaborate on problem sets. In fact, students who form study groups generally do better on exams than do students who work alone. (Besides, they can be fun and a good way to make friends.) If you do work in a study group, however, you owe it to yourself and your group to be prepared for your study group meeting. Specifically, you should spend at least 30-45 minutes alone trying to solve each problem beforehand. If no one in your group is able to solve a problem, talk to other groups or ask your tutor. You must write up each problem solution by yourself without assistance, however, even if you collaborate with others to solve the problem. You must neither copy solutions nor provide solutions to be copied by others. If you do collaborate on homework, you must cite, in your written solution, all of your collaborators. Also, if you use sources beyond the course materials in one of your solutions, e.g., an "expert" consultant, another text, or material other than the text, handouts and last term's bible, be sure to include a proper scholarly citation of the source.
We discourage, but do not forbid, use of materials from terms prior to Spring 2002 to which a student may have access. Use of such material requires a proper scholarly citation; omission of such citation will be taken as a priori evidence of plagiarism subject to serious penalty.
Plagiarism, cheating, and similar antiintellectual behavior are serious violations of academic ethics and will be correspondingly penalized. If you are concerned about a possible violation of this kind, please talk with your tutor and/or a lecturer. We understand the pressure that students may experience while at MIT, and we will try to help as best as we can. It is better if you take the initiative to contact us in such cases, rather than vice-versa.
You can send email to 6042-staff@theory.lcs.mit.edu and several other choices on the contact page.