MAT 248: Mathematics of Computer Science

Fall 2025

[ Current Week | Syllabus | LaTeX resources ]

Basic Information

Calendar

Daily/weekly schedule to be updated throughout the term; topics and exam dates are tentative and subject to change.

Before class, please read the textbook section(s) to be covered. After class, start doing the homework assigned that day as soon as possible. Unless otherwise stated, homework will be due at the beginning of next class.

WeekMondayWednesdayFriday
11. 08/27 W

introduction

2. 08/29 F

9.2 counting

2(Labor Day)3. 09/03 W

9.4.1 combinations and permutations

4. 09/05 F

35. 09/08 M

9.3.3 pigeonhole principle

6. 09/10 W

7. 09/12 F

chapter 10. probability

48. 09/15 M

9. 09/17 W

10. 09/19 F

511. 09/22 M

12. 09/24 W

exam1

13. 09/26 F

chapter 11. graphs

614. 09/29 M

15. 10/01 W

16. 10/03 F

717. 10/06 M

chapter 7. cryptography

18. 10/08 W

(fall break)
819. 10/13 M

20. 10/15 W

21. 10/17 F

922. 10/20 M

theory of computation

(advising day)23. 10/24 F

exam2

1024. 10/27 M

25. 10/29 W

26. 10/31 F

1127. 11/03 M

28. 11/05 W

29. 11/07 F

1230. 11/10 M

exam3

31. 11/12 W

chapter 6. analysis of algorithms

32. 11/14 F

1333. 11/17 M

34. 11/19 W

35. 11/21 F

1436. 11/24 M

(Thanksgiving)(Thanksgiving)
1537. 12/01 M

38. 12/03 W

39. 12/05 F

1640. 12/08 M

41. 12/10 W

42. 12/12 F

Final Exam: 12/18 Thursday 14:45–16:45

Course Information

Overview

Goals. Modern computing is built on top of traditional mathematics. Thus, computer scientists must be able to think and communicate mathematically. Mathematics of Computer Science is a course in Bethel's curriculum designed with three related driving goals:

  1. to develop process skills to learn, do, and communicate mathematics.
  2. content: to introduce the wonderful mathematical world of discrete (as opposed to continuous) objects.
  3. to provide foundational knowledge, skills, and maturity required to succeed in subsequent computer science courses.
The first two goals are partially informed by the third, practical goal of preparing students for subsequent courses.

Topics. We will consider topics such as counting, probability, cryptography, models of computation, graphs, trees, and algorithms.

Objectives. We will use learning the content as an opportunity to develop mathematical skills. Specifically, I will guide you in learning how to:

Grading

Your grade will be determined by a weighted arithmetic mean of various components with weights listed in the table on the right.
componentweight
Participation±3%
Homework and quizzes31%
Exams66%
The total score will be converted to a letter grade whose lower bounds are: 93% A, 90% A-, 87% B+, 83% B, 80% B-, 77% C+, 72% C, 69% C-, 66% D+, 60% D, 0% F.

Each letter grade has an associated number of required presentations (see below).

Note that there is no preset curve of how many of each letter grade will be given. If you all do A-level work, you will each get an A. As such, you are encouraged to help each other in the pursuit of perfection.

In many courses I intentionally make one exam harder than others, which gives me information (in a mathematical sense) in separating an A performance from an A- performance. Typically, I will let you know and adjust that exam's scores upward. What this means is that you should NOT care about how hard an exam is. If you do A-level work, you will get an A, regardless of the raw numerical score prior to adjustment.

Besides possibly adjusting scores upward for difficult exams, I also reserve the right to lower the grade cutoffs. Both of these help you. I will not hurt you by adjusting your exam scores downward or increasing the grade cutoffs.

Requirements

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
- Colossians 3:23–24 NIV
I will be trying to make these verses true for me as I work with you throughout this course, and I hope that you will, too.

Attendance and participation. I expect you to attend class. You may not notice me taking attendance during class meetings, but I will notice if you are not in class. Occasional absences will not impact your grade because what I look for is not mere attendance, but engagement and participation.

Indeed, coming to class is not just about showing up; it is also about being fully engaged in the learning experience. If you have a question, others in the class may also be wondering the same thing. So, please speak up and ask questions anytime you need to. Not only will you be helping yourself, but also you will be helping your peers. Attending office hours is another great opportunity to ask questions.

Be mindful of others. Refrain from using mobile phones or laptops for activities unrelated to the learning process. If you prefer to use laptops to take notes, please kindly sit in the back, as the screen may distract others. There is research that suggests taking notes by hand is better for long-term retention (P. A. Mueller and D. M. Oppenheimer, The pen is mightier than the keyboard, Psychological Science 25 (2014), 1159–1168).

Silence and put away mobile phones and do not use laptops for anything other than class-related activities.

It is my sincere hope that every one of you get all the points for attendance and participation.

Reading. Read the book! The first objective is not to learn mathematics (content), but to learn how to learn mathematics (skill). This process starts with preview reading before class. You should prepare for class by looking over the sections we will cover. Your aim is not to understand every detail, but to get a sense of where we are headed. Even a few minutes of pre-reading can help with class time. We will not have time to cover every single detail in class. As such, after class, read the sections carefully again to fill in the gaps. Keep up with the reading: reading large sections right before an exam is less effective.

Homework. Homework will be assigned most days. One of the three course objectives is to learn how to do mathematics. The goal of the homework is to give you an opportunity to continuously engage directly with the material. Some of the homework questions are meant to be challenging and to stretch you; simply put, I believe that the homework is where you will do the vast majority of your learning in this class. Grapple with the questions; talk to classmates about solution strategies if you are feeling stuck; do the homework.

Because communicating results to others is an important skill, showing your work is as important as getting an answer. In many instances, credit will only be given if your work accompanies your answer. You are encouraged to collaborate, but what you turn in must be your own work. See "Learning integrity" and the collaboration policy below.

Presentations. Learning how to communicate mathematics is one of the course objectives. You will communicate by writing (homework) and verbally (presentations). We will have opportunities for presentations on most class days. Presentations are required but will not be graded. Instead, students are asked to put in a genuine effort. The required minimum number of presentations is 4, 3, 2, or 1 times to get an A, B, C, or D, respectively. I reserve the right to decrease the number of required presentations.

Exams. There are several in-class midterm exams (see calendar for a tentative schedule). Subsequent exams will mainly focus on the material covered since the previous exam, but can include previous material too. There will be a final exam during the official final exam period covering the entire course.

There are no make-up exams except in circumstances recognized by the instructor as beyond the control of the student. To receive this consideration, the instructor must be notified of the problem before the exam unless this is impossible, in which case as soon as possible.

Time outside of class. I expect a typical student to spend about two to three hours outside of class for each hour in class. Some students need to spend a bit more than that (which is okay). If you are spending more than 14 hours per week on this course outside of class time, please come talk to me so we can find ways to help you learn the material without spending so much time.

Illness. You should make every effort to attend class when you are healthy. If you become ill, for your well-being and the well-being of the rest of the class, you should not come to class. (Nor should you show up to my office with your germs!) Yes, this sounds like common sense, but it is tempting to try and power through as normal so as not to fall behind. If you become ill, or know that you will need to miss class for some reason, please contact me as soon as you are able, and we will work together to plan how you will keep up and/or make up any missed work.

Learning integrity.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
- Psalm 139:23–24 NKJV
Collaborative work is an integral part of many successful ventures. As such, I expect that you should collaborate with your classmates a lot during your time in this course. However, it is important to understand that there is a big difference between thinking about and solving a problem as part of a group (which is good, both educationally and morally) and copying an answer or letting someone else copy your answer (which is bad, educationally and morally, and has punitive consequences).

In short, I trust you to maintain the utmost level of academic integrity in this course. Please do not break this trust; if you do, there will be repercussions. The formal policy below lays this out explicitly, and supplements Bethel's academic honesty policy.

Collaboration policy.

Getting Help

If you need help there are multitude of resources you can use:

Bethel Policies

The following are policies that apply to every course at Bethel.

Academic honesty policy. Violation of honesty standards can result in denial of credit (U or F) in a course, as well as dismissal from the university. Penalties are given at the discretion of the faculty member, and offenders will be referred to the associate provost of the College of Arts & Sciences. (See Bethel University's full policy on Academic Honesty in the catalog.)

Accessibility statement. Bethel University is committed to accessibility for students with disabilities and the Office of Accessibility Resources & Services (OARS) is a resource to ensure students experience access. Reasonable accommodations are approved after an interactive process with the student and OARS. The instructor will provide accommodations, but the student is required to initiate the process.

Multilingual learners support.

Concerns and appeals. If you have any concerns regarding the course, your grades, or the instructor, see the instructor first. If needed, see Bethel's academic appeals policy.