Course Syllabus
Math 350 - Probability
Section 1
Fall 2015

Text: An Introduction to Mathematical Statistics and Its Applications -- Fifth Edition

The Course: This course is intended as a calculus-based introduction to Probability. Since it is an upper-division mathematics course, the subject will be looked at from a mathematical point of view, with an emphasis on building up from axioms and proving theorems about them. Math 250 (Calc 3) is a prerequisite for this class and Math 160 (Logic) is desirable since some proficiency in reading and constructing proofs will be expected.

Reading: Reading your textbook is essential to success in this class. Reading assignments will be included with homework assignments and must be completed before the lecture on that topic. Read slowly with a pencil and paper in hand. Try to fill in missing steps as you read. Always try to work out examples before you read text solutions. You will be expected to be ready to discuss the material you read in class, and this will be part of the participation portion of your grade.

Participation: Each student is expected to be a productive member of the class. This means you should expect to attend each class period and be prepared to discuss the material. Excessive absence or unpreparedness will result in deduction of points in this area. Participation will be worth 30 points of your final grade.

Homework: You will be assigned daily homework assignments. These homework assignments are where the bulk of your learning will occur and you should set aside a significant amount of time to work on them. You are allowed and indeed encouraged to work on your homework with other people, however what you turn in should be your own understanding of how to do the problems and should not just be a copy of someone else's work. Your homework must follow the homework guidelines given in class. Part of your homework will be reading and commenting on other students' solutions.

Quizzes: Most weeks that do not include an exam will have a short quiz. The quiz will cover the most recent material from the class and should take no longer than 10-15 minutes. Although these quizzes cannot be made up except in extreme circumstances, one quiz will be dropped so missing one quiz will not greatly affect your grade. Together the quizzes are worth 100 points towards your final grade.

Exams: There will be 2 exams during the course. The first will be on Friday, October 9 and the second will be on Friday, November 13. The material it will cover will be announced on the website and in class ahead of time and the exams will take the entire length of the class period. Make-up exams will not be given. If you have a legitimate excuse you may use your final exam score to make up for missing exam scores. Each exam will be worth 100 points.
There will be a comprehensive 2 hour final given on Friday, December 18 at 11 AM. The final is worth 150 points.

Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of this class students should be able to:

• determine the probability of an event in probability space with equally likely outcomes by counting the size of the event and the sample space
• understand the concept of a random variable, probability mass functions, probability density functions, probability distribution functions and difference between discrete and continuous random variables
• know all the distributions we cover in class, their pdf, cdf, and moment generating function and the canonical situations that they model
• understand the central limit theorem and its importance to sampling
• be able to write clear, coherent and correct proofs of simple theorems

Grading: A tentative grading scale is as follows:

This scale may be lowered if it is deemed to be unfair, but is guaranteed not to be raised.

Disability: For accommodations due to a disability please contact me within the first 2 weeks.

Academic Honesty: Cheating and plagiarism are in violation of USD's academic integrity policy and are taken very seriously. Make sure you are aware of this policy.

Have a Good Semester!