Course Outline

The official scope is: mathematical methods for designing correct and efficient programs; mathematics for algorithm analysis; logic for proving and verification.

The actual content is taken from a list of subjects that constitute the basis of the tool box of every serious practitioner of computing: set and relation theory; induction, recursion and recurrence relations; order of growth of functions; structured counting (combinatorics); discrete probability; graph theory and trees for algorithmic applications; propositional logic and boolean algebras.

Course Aims

This course is typically taken early in the Masters program and provides a foundation for the formal reasoning that is required in subsequent courses.

After successfully completing this course, you will have developed an increased level of mathematical maturity to assist with the fundamental problem of finding, formulating, and proving properties of programs.

Course Learning Outcomes

CLO1 : Explain the foundational structures used in discrete mathematics

CLO2 : Explain basic number theory concepts and definitions

CLO3 : Explain the fundamental Computer Science concepts of recursion and induction

CLO4 : Analyze the correctness and efficiency of algorithms

CLO5 : Explain Boolean and propositional logic

CLO6 : Explain simple combinatorics, probability and statistics

CLO7 : Apply mathematical tools to formulate and prove problems in Computer Science

CLO8 : Explore additional approaches to problem solving by identifying broader abstract connections between concepts

Assessment

Item	Due	Marks
Weekly Quizzes	Friday 23:59 of the Following Week	8 * 2.5% = 20%
Mid-term Test	Week 6, Time and Date TBC	20%
Final Exam	Examination Period, Time and Date TBC	60%

Hurdle Requirement: You must achieve 40% on the Final Exam (24% out of 60%) to pass the course.

Course Schedule

Week	Lectures	Tutorials	Assessment Due
W1	L1 - Introduction & Number Theory L2 - Number Theory (continued)
W2	L1 - Set Theory L2 - Set Theory (continued)	Number Theory
W3	L1 - Relation L2 - Relation (continued)	Set Theory	Quiz 1 (W1 Contents) Quiz 2 (W2 Contents) Due Friday 23:59
W4	L1 - Function L2 - Logic 1: Boolean	Relation	Quiz 3 (W3 Contents) Due Friday 23:59
W5	L1 - Logic 2: Propositional L2 - Sequence & Induction	Function and Boolean 1/2	Quiz 4 (W4 Contents) Due Friday 23:59
W6		Boolean 2/2, Propositional & Consultation	Mid-term Test
W7	L1 - Recursion L2 - Counting	Sequence and Induction	Quiz 5 (W5 Contents) Due Friday 23:59
W8	L1 - Probability and Statistics L2 - Probability and Statistics (continued)	Recursion and Counting	Quiz 6 (W7 Contents) Due Friday 23:59
W9	L1 - Graph L2 - Graph (continued)	Probability and Statistics	Quiz 7 (W8 Contents) Due Friday 23:59
W10	L1 - Algorithm Analysis & Formal Languages L2 - Course Revision & Exam Information	Graph Theory	Quiz 8 (W9 Contents) Due Friday 23:59
W11
W12	Good luck with your exams!		Final Exam

Attendance Requirements

Students are strongly encouraged to attend all classes and review lecture recordings.

Course Resources

Textbooks

No compulsory textbooks. The following resources may be helpful:

[RW] KA Ross and CR Wright, Discrete Mathematics, 5th edition, Pearson, 2003.
[LLM] E Lehman, FT Leighton and A Meyer, Mathematics for Computer Science, Creative Commons 2015.

Course Evaluation and Development

This course is evaluated each session using the myExperience system to obtain feedback on the quality of the various course components. Your participation in the survey will be greatly appreciated. Students are also encouraged to provide informal feedback during the session, and to notify the lecturer-in-charge of any problems as soon as they arise.

Student Conduct (Please DO Read the Plagiarism Material)

Thanks to Professor Michael Thielscher for his guidance and Dr. Sebastian Sequoiah-Grayson for his explanation in the following paragraphs.

Be excellent to each other.

Be excellent to yourselves.

Also the following is wordy, but important - The Student Code of Conduct ( Information , Policy ) sets out what the University expects from students as members of the UNSW community. As well as the learning, teaching and research environment, the University aims to provide an environment that enables students to achieve their full potential and to provide an experience consistent with the University's values and guiding principles. A condition of enrolment is that students inform themselves of the University's rules and policies affecting them, and conduct themselves accordingly.

In particular, students have the responsibility to observe standards of equity and respect in dealing with every member of the University community. This applies to all activities on UNSW premises and all external activities related to study and research. This includes behaviour in person as well as behaviour on social media, for example Facebook groups set up for the purpose of discussing UNSW courses or course work. Behaviour that is considered in breach of the Student Code Policy as discriminatory, sexually inappropriate, bullying, harassing, invading another's privacy or causing any person to fear for their personal safety is serious misconduct and can lead to severe penalties, including suspension or exclusion from UNSW.

If you have any concerns, you may raise them with your lecturer, or approach the School Ethics Officer , Grievance Officer , or one of the student representatives.

Plagiarism is defined as using the words or ideas of others and presenting them as your own. UNSW and CSE treat plagiarism as academic misconduct, which means that it carries penalties as severe as being excluded from further study at UNSW. There are several on-line sources to help you understand what plagiarism is and how it is dealt with at UNSW:

Make sure that you read and understand these. Ignorance is not accepted as an excuse for plagiarism. In particular, you are also responsible that your assignment files are not accessible by anyone but you by setting the correct permissions in your CSE directory and code repository, if using. Note also that plagiarism includes paying or asking another person to do a piece of work for you and then submitting it as your own work.

UNSW has an ongoing commitment to fostering a culture of learning informed by academic integrity. All UNSW staff and students have a responsibility to adhere to this principle of academic integrity. Plagiarism undermines academic integrity and is not tolerated at UNSW. Plagiarism at UNSW is defined as using the words or ideas of others and passing them off as your own.

If you haven't done so yet, please take the time to read the full text of

UNSW's policy regarding academic honesty and plagiarism

The pages below describe the policies and procedures in more detail:

You should also read the following page which describes your rights and responsibilities in the CSE context:

Essential Advice for CSE Students

Resource created Thursday 22 August 2024, 07:52:01 PM, last modified Monday 09 September 2024, 12:05:19 PM.

Contents

Course Details & Outcomes

Course Details

Course Description