This 3-credit course is a face-to-face class, meeting 5th period (11:45 a.m.–12:35 p.m.) Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in Anderson 32.
- Course description
- Use of Canvas
- Dr. Groisser's home page, with contact information
- Syllabus and Course Information
- Homework rules and assignments
- Grade scale page. (Will be updated shortly after each assignment or exam is graded; will not exist until after the first assignment is graded.)
- Miscellaneous handouts
Course description
MAA 4211 could be described as "Calculus 1 and 2, done rigorously". More precisely, this course is devoted to a rigorous (theorem-and-proof) treatment of concepts and tools learned in Calculus 1, Calculus 2, and/or precalculus.
The two-semester sequence MAA 4211–4212 is intended for students who wish to pursue graduate study in mathematics. These are the students at whom this course will be aimed, regardless of who else is enrolled in it. The course can still be suitable for a student who has different after-college plans, provided he or she is strong in mathematics and has a deep interest in the conceptual side of mathematics, not just the computational side. But you should not be in this course unless you love mathematics and want to work hard at it.
This is a very different course from MAA 4102–4103 (Introduction to Advanced Calculus for Engineers and Physical Scientists). Our focus will be on proving theorems, not on applications to the sciences; if this focus is not to your tastes, you would probably be happier in MAA 4102–4103. However, if you are thinking of doing graduate work in mathematics, a theorem-proving course would serve you better.
If you are considering taking MAA 4211, ask yourself this question: Would I take MAA 4211 if it weren't a requirement for the Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics? If the answer is no, you are not in the audience for whom the MAA 4211–4212 sequence was designed. Bachelor of Arts is not a "second-rate" degree. In many top-tier institutions and universities, Bachelor of Arts is the only undergraduate degree given to students other than engineering majors; a B.A. is the undergraduate degree that most of your math professors probably have.
Prerequisites
The intended prerequisite is a grade of at least B in MAS 4105 (Linear Algebra, not to be confused with MAS 3114, Computational Linear Algebra). (Note: The Undergraduate Catalog lists a B in MAS 4105 as a prerequisite for math majors in the BS track, for whom MAA 4211 is a required course; see Coursework for the major. This is the math department's intended prerequisite for MAA 4211 for all students, even though the course-description section of the catalog still lists a C in MAS 4105 as the prerequisite. Quite some time ago, the math department requested that the course-description section list a B in MAS 4105 as the prerequisite for MAA 4211, but for reasons unknown to me, this change was never made in the catalog. MAA 4211 students who received a grade lower than B in MAS 4105 usually earn a grade lower than C in MAA 4211, if they do not drop.) MAS 4105 itself has prerequisites: grades of C or better in Calculus 3 and in MHF 3202 (Sets and Logic). If you have never taken a class in which writing proofs was a significant component, or for any other reason are not reasonably proficient at constructing and writing proofs, this course is not suitable for you.
Other skills needed for success in MAA 4211
- You must have the ability to write in clear, unambiguous, correctly punctuated, grammatically correct English sentences and paragraphs. An important goal of this course is to make sure that you are able to express mathematical ideas precisely and communicate them clearly to other people. You are also expected not to make mistakes in elementary logic. If your instructor cannot understand your written work without excessive re-reading, or if there are elementary-logic flaws in your proofs, you will not receive a satisfactory grade in this course. If you do not believe that expressing yourself precisely and clearly is your responsibility, you should not take this class.
- You must have the ability to complete your assignments without being tempted to look at solutions manuals, internet sources, textbooks that might have solutions to your homework exercises, etc.
- You must be good at following rules and instructions.
- You need to be able to use a stapler effectively (the trick is to use your weight, not your grip, when you're stapling more than a couple of pages together). This skill, which takes seconds to learn, appears to be unknown to most persons under 30 (40?) years old.
Use of Canvas
Most files and pages I create for this course will be housed on the website you're looking at now, not directly on Canvas. However, they will all be reachable from Canvas (possibly by navigating from this page). You will also be able to see your grades on Canvas.As of this writing, I do not plan to make much other use of Canvas, but the evolving Covid-19 situation and last-minute rule changes by UF could cause my use of Canvas to increase. Either way, I might make some use of the "Announcement" feature in Canvas, so don't turn off Announcment-notifications.