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Homework for Wednesday, May 13, 2009.
- Please complete an additional course evaluation. The ratings you provide are
used by the department to see how you view my teaching. Thank you in advance.
- Complete Homework Problems 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170
- These homework problems are to be presented on the board at the beginning of class; there is an additional optional homework
assignment due also on Wednesday; see below for details.
- You are invited to the department party on Monday, May 11 from 12:15 to 1:30.
- If you can, please come a little early to class on Wednesday, May 13 to see the poster presentations of the combinatorics
students. Each student was to investigate a research topic on their own. In the past the projects have been well done and very
informative. The posters will be available for viewing up until 5:40.
- Exam 3 is Monday, May 18, 2009 from 6:15-8:15pm.
Optional Written Homework 6
Optionally, to be turned in on Wednesday, May 13, 2009.
- This homework assignment is optional and due at 6pm on 5/13/09. If you complete it, your homework grade will be calculated out of your best five
of six assignment grades. If you do not complete it, your homework grade will be calculated out of your best four of five
assignment grades. [Your homework grade may go up or down if you complete this assignment.]
- Turn in exactly twenty points worth of homework problems. Choose from the following packet problems and extra problems:
- Four-point problems: Classwork problems: 90, 92, 107 Homework problems: 167, 168
- Six-point problems: Classwork problems: 82 Homework problems: 165 Supplementary: 10, 11
- (8 pts) Turn in a solution to a Macalester Problem of the Week.
- (6 pts) Turn in a solution to a Monday Math Madness.
- You can also earn a four point bonus. Simply write up a review about something puzzle related on the wiki through Blackboard.
For example, this could be a website, a magazine, a video game, or something else that would be interesting to fellow classmates.
Please modify the wiki page; do not simply make a comment on the page.
Homework for Wednesday, May 6, 2009.
- Complete Homework Problems 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164
- There is no class on Monday, May 11, 2009.
Homework for Monday, May 4, 2009.
- Complete Homework Problems 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158
Written Homework 5
To be turned in on Wednesday, April 29, 2009.
- Turn in exactly twenty points worth of homework problems. Choose from the following packet homework problems and extra problems:
- Four-point Packet Problems: 137, 138, 140, 146, 148
- Six-point Packet Problems: 130, 141, 151
- (8 pts) Turn in a solution to a Macalester Problem of the Week.
- (6 pts) Turn in a solution to a Monday Math Madness.
- You can also earn a four point bonus. Simply write up a review about something puzzle related on the wiki through Blackboard.
For example, this could be a website, a magazine, a video game, or something else that would be interesting to fellow classmates.
Please modify the wiki page; do not simply make a comment on the page.
Homework for Monday, April 27, 2009.
- Complete Homework Problems 144, 145, 147, 149, 150, 152
Homework for Wednesday, April 22, 2009.
- Complete Homework Problems 128, 129, 131, 132, 134, 136
Written Homework 4
To be turned in on Wednesday, April 1, 2009.
- Turn in exactly twenty points worth of homework problems. Choose from the following packet homework problems and extra problems:
- Four-point Packet Problems: 101, 104, 108, 109, 115
- Six-point Packet Problems: 99, 113, 117, 118
- Problems C1 (6 pts), C2 (8 pts), C3 (10 pts):
Solve at most one of these so-called figure logics, from the magazine Math
Puzzles and Logic Problems. They are similar to crosswords, except that every blank square is filled with a number from 0 to
9 and that you use the clues to logically determine the entries in the squares. No numerical answers (vertical or horizontal) may
start with the number zero. For your homework, submit your filled-in grid and explain the logic you used to fill in the
first five digits.
- (8 pts) Turn in a solution to a Macalester Problem of the Week.
- (6 pts) Turn in a solution to a Monday Math Madness.
- (6 pts) Solve The Christmas Tree Maze Puzzle Game, suggested
by Jieming Liu on the course wiki. Print out the page when you get to the top and explain your last three moves. If you are
having trouble, try out the Dry Cleaner mazes first.
- You can earn a four point bonus also. Simply writing up a review about something puzzle related on the wiki through Blackboard.
For example, this could be a website, a magazine, a video game,
Please modify the wiki page; do not simply make a comment on the page.
- Remember: Exam 2 is on Monday, April 6, 2009.
Homework for Monday, March 30, 2009.
- Complete Homework Problems 110, 111, 112, 114, 116, 119
Homework for Wednesday, March 25, 2009.
- Complete Homework Problems 100, 102, 103, 105, 106, 107
Homework for Monday, March 23, 2009.
- Complete Homework Problems 90, 92, 93, 95, 96, 97
Written Homework 3
To be turned in on Wednesday, March 18, 2009.
- Turn in exactly twenty points worth of homework problems. Choose from the following packet homework problems and extra problems:
- Four-point Packet Problems: 83, 84, 85, 86, 88, 89, 91
- Six-point Packet Problems: 81, 87, 94
- (8 pts) Turn in a solution to a Macalester Problem of the Week.
- (6 pts) Turn in a solution to a Monday Math Madness.
- Four point bonus for writing up a review about a puzzle site with good puzzles on the wiki through Blackboard. Please modify
the wiki page; do not simply make a comment on the page.
Homework for Monday, March 16, 2009.
- Complete Homework Problems 74-80.
Homework for Monday, March 2, 2009.
- Complete Homework Problems 54, 55, 57, 58, 59, 61, 63, 64
- Remember: Exam 1 is on Wednesday, March 4, 2009.
Written Homework 2
To be turned in on Wednesday, February 25, 2009.
- Turn in exactly twenty points worth of homework problems. Choose from the following packet homework problems and extra problems:
- Four-point Packet Problems: 33, 38, 42, 43, 48, 49
- Six-point Packet Problems: 34, 50
- Extra Problem B: (6 pts) Determine all the ways in which you could submit 20 points worth of homework problems if there are
five different four-point problems, four different six-point problems, three different eight-point problems, and two different
ten-point problems available to be completed. Remember that you can reduce the point values of a homework problem in order to
acheive exactly twenty points. Let us assume that you do not turn in more problems than are necessary to acheive 20 points.
[For example, you would not turn in two eight-point problems and two six-point problems because you could have simply submitted
three of those four.]
- (8 pts) Turn in a solution to a Macalester Problem of the Week.
- (6 pts) Turn in a solution to a Monday Math Madness.
- Four point bonus for writing up a review about a puzzle site with good puzzles on the wiki through Blackboard.
Homework for Monday, February 23, 2009.
- Complete Homework Problems 37, 39, 41, 44, 46, and 47.
- Read pages 1–12 of the book; help summarize these pages in the course wiki on Blackboard. Everyone should modify the
same wiki page.
Homework for Wednesday, February 18, 2009.
- Complete Homework Problems 24-32.
Written Homework 1
To be turned in on Wednesday, February 11, 2009.
- Turn in exactly twenty points worth of homework problems. Choose from the following packet homework problems and extra problems:
- Four-point Packet Problems: 4, 9, 10, 19, 22.
- Six-point Packet Problems: 15.
- Extra Problem A: (4 pts) Monday's date, 2/09 sure looks a lot like 2009; when will this happen again?
[This problem is intentionally ambiguous; to solve it you will have to clarify what you understand by the problem
statement and then answer your problem statement.]
- You can also submit answers to puzzles posted to various approved problem of the week (or longer time period) websites, as
long as your solution comes before the deadline. Submission to my mailbox or by email is fine.
You may complete multiple of these problems if submitted by each deadline. We will be compiling a
growing list of approved puzzle websites throughout the semester. (See the bonus point opportunity below!)
- If you submit a solution to a problem that we have not yet done in class, you can volunteer to present it at the start of class.
- During your homework write-up, remember what is expected:
- When the problem says "Prove X" or "Show X", you need to give a rigorous mathematical argument explaining why
"X" is true.
- It may be the case that an example or a counterexample is the key to your rigorous mathematical proof.
If this is the case, you will need to explain why you have given this example and what purpose it serves.
- Write in full sentences.
- Follow the guidelines for turning in homework.
- Please reference the people you worked with on your homework. (Acknowledgments are nice for everyone!)
- Bonus point opportunity: On the wiki, write up a review about a puzzle site with good puzzles. One place to start might be
on Ken Duisenberg's list of puzzle links.
For a submission, you may receive up to four bonus points depending on how thorough your review is.
In your submission, make sure to include a description of the puzzle site, its target audience, how often it is updated,
the difficulty of the problems, whether it is appropriate for our class (aka homework-type problems),
and perhaps think of including a representative puzzle. Do not duplicate someone else's review.
Homework for Monday, February 9, 2009.
- Complete Homework Problems 16, 17, 18, 20, and 21.
- Go online to Blackboard. Recently it has been working slightly better.
- Try to edit some pages of the wiki, possibly even adding new pages. The sandbox is a good place to start.
- If you have not yet introduced yourself to your classmates on the discussion board, do so.
On the course wiki, summarize the topic you chose last Wednesday in the dictionary of heuristic.
Homework for Wednesday, February 4, 2009.
- Complete Homework Problems 5–8 and 11–14.
Read pages 12–23 of the book; help summarize these pages in the course wiki on Blackboard. (Optional: do the same for
pages 23–32.)
Using the wiki, reserve one of the terms from the dictionary of heuristic (pages 37–232; of the book) that you will
summarize in a few paragraphs on the wiki for Monday February 9. You should choose a topic that spans multiple pages and no two
people should choose the same topic (this is where claiming the topic on Wednesday is important).
Homework for Monday, February 2, 2009.
- Complete Homework Problems 1–3.
Read pages 1–12 of the book; help summarize these pages in the course wiki on Blackboard.
Homework for Wednesday, January 28, 2009.
- Take the time to read the syllabus thoroughly. This should answer any questions you have about the course.
- Go online to Blackboard and introduce yourself to your classmates on the
course discussion board.
- Read pages xvi–xvii (preview of problem solving steps) and 33–36 (how to get started) in How to Solve It.
Back to the Problem Solving Home Page.
Christopher Hanusa –
Queens College –
Mathematics Department.
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