Tag(s)
First-year programme
Admission Requirements
None.
Remark:
There are two first-year mathematics courses that run in parallel. Which one you should choose depends on your interest, your mathematical background knowledge and skills, and your future plans. If you feel more comfortable with numerical computations, and do not plan to follow higher-level mathematics and modelling courses, you may choose the ‘Mathematics Basic’ course. If you are interested in learning to apply mathematics to uncover relationships and gain insights into the properties of the natural world, you should choose the ‘Mathematics Intermediate’ course.
Description
The purpose of this course is to develop abstract analytical reasoning, and enhance technical skills. This will provide students with a sound basis for furthering their mathematical knowledge and skills, and make it possible for them to apply mathematical reasoning in practical contexts. We will examine how mathematical concepts and techniques are related, and how they can be used to enhance insight in complex real-world situations. We will mainly focus on applications in the context of global challenges and the LUC majors.
Whereas the mathematical subjects covered in this course will not go beyond what is normally taught at high school, we will use more formal mathematical reasoning and notation, and focus on in-depth understanding and correction of misconceptions.
Course Objectives
After the course, students should be able to:
understand the role of mathematics in society and in the context of global challenges;
apply concepts and techniques correctly and appropriately;
derive and evaluate results from mathematical reasoning;
Develop a quantitative argument to solve a complex problem in a real-world context;
interpret and discuss results of simple mathematical models.
Literature
Math Overboard!: (Basic Math for Adults), Part 1
By Colin W. Clark
Dog Ear Publishing
Part 1 (2012): ISBN-10: 1457514818; ISBN-13: 978-1457514814