Lecturers

Section A (Michaelmas Term): Bernhard von Stengel

MA 103 Section B (Lent term): Graham Brightwell

Introduction to Abstract Mathematics

Class teachers
2016/17
Sally Barton
Nicholas Cron
Week 1 Introduction Sam Fendrich
Philip Johnson
Barnaby Roberts
Tony Whelan

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Teaching Material Teaching Material

Study Pack Text Books

Formed of Lecture Notes and Exercises. For this term, try to get at least one of:
You can also find them on the MA 103 Moodle page. Norman L. Biggs, Discrete Mathematics. (Clarendon Press, Oxford,
We will not follow the lecture notes exactly. 2002) Second edition.

The activities and exercises throughout the lecture notes are not P.J. Eccles, P.J., An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning
the exercises you will be expected to hand in. They are additional Numbers, Sets and Functions. (Cambridge University Press, 1997).
material to help you with your self-study. We wont cover everything in the books.

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Teaching Material Teaching Material

Exercises
These can be found towards the end of the Study Pack.
They start with the information about the parts of the Lecture Notes
and the Text Books that are relevant for that week.
You are expected to hand in answers to each weeks Exercise Set.
Some are online quizzes on Moodle.
The deadline for submission is
Monday of the week after the lectures at 5.00pm.
Submit your homework by putting it in the homework box of your
class teacher in the entrance lobby of Columbia House.
Exercises
You are expected to hand in answers to each weeks Exercise Set.
The handed in homework will be marked by your class teacher, and
handed back, with the mark and further feedback, in the class later in
the week.
Grades for classwork do not count towards your final mark for
the course!
So you are wasting your time (and your class teachers time) by
copying the answers from somebody else.

Solutions to each Exercise Set will be posted on Moodle after all

classes have finished at the end of the week.

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The Moodle page for the Course Organisation of the Course

We use Moodle for this course: go to moodle.lse.ac.uk. Lectures: Monday 12 1 pm, NAB LG.08
Everything you need for the course will be published there, including: Thursday 10 11 am, Peacock Theatre (PT)
Lecture Notes, weeks 1 10 of term
Exercise Sets, including Moodle quizzes for you to solve online, They should be recorded on video and audio
(which is, however, not always reliable).
solutions to the Exercise Sets (after classes),
videos of Lectures and Extra Examples Sessions, Extra Example Sessions:
lecture slides, Monday 1 2 pm, NAB LG.08

organisational information, weeks 2 11 of term

They should be recorded as well.
forums to ask questions (and post answers),
some past exams and solutions. Classes weeks 2 11 of term
You will be assigned to a class
(once your course choices are approved).
Check your personal timetable on LSEforYou.

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Organisation of the Course If you need more help
Lectures Ask a question in the lectures.
Provides overview, main concepts, examples, ideas, insight, Ask questions in your classes.
enthusiasm, (bad) jokes, etc., but may not cover everything in the
course. Go through the relevant parts of the Lecture Notes or Text Books.

Lectures are officially not compulsory.
Classes
These are essential and compulsory.
You are in small groups, so here you can ask questions and get
feedback.
Extra Examples Sessions
In these, we do some extra stuff, some more worked examples and
some more background material. None of the additional material is
examinable. May contain hints on how to approach certain exercises.
These are optional.
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Pose a question on the Moodle forums.
Study with a group of friends.
Go to a class teachers Office Hour.
For this course, you can go to any MA 103 class teacher, not just
your own.
Time and place of Office Hours are on the Mathematics
Department website.
Use those Office Hours! Its the best place to get one-to-one
support.
Go to the Maths & Stats Support Centre.

How to do well in this course

Think!
Think some more (and longer)!

Engage active with the material, and dont wait until somebody else
says what to do.
Ask help if things are not clear or you are getting behind.

Seriously attempt the exercises every week.

And hand them in so that you get feedback.

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