Office: CAS 275
Office Phone: 330 972 6779
Email is sforcey (AT) uakron.edu (...this is the best way to get a hold of me)
Office hours:
- TBA
If you can't make my office hours, let me know and we can try to set up a time to meet. Here is my schedule for the fall semester.

Textbook: Required: Introductory Combinatorics (5th edition) by Richard Brualdi, Prentice Hall.

Course Syllabus.
The syllabus will include information about grading policies. You should definitely read it.
Here's an approximate schedule of what we'll be doing this semester. Emphasis on the "approximate".

Course Outline:
• Aug. 25: Day one.
• Sep. 7: No class on Labor day.
• Chapter 2: Counting
• Chapter 5: Pascal’s Triangle
• Sep. 6: Last day to drop.
• Chapter 6 : Inclusion Exclusion
• TEST 1. October 6, Review

• Oct. 15: Last day to w/draw.
• Chapter 7: Recurrence and Generating Functions
• Chapter 11: Graphs
• TEST 2.

• Nov. 28: Thanksgiving.
• Dec. 4: Last day.
• Final Exam

Homework and Quizzes
Homework will be posted here on this webpage, along with either the due date for the
homework to be turned in or more usually the date for the quiz (if the hw is not turned in.)
No makeup quizzes will be given, but 15 quiz/homework points will be dropped.

Preview (3 videos)Top menu | Previous | Next.

Quick review of MacLaurin power series:

Preview of basic counting:

Review of set theory 1:

Review 1 (4 videos)Top menu | Previous | Next.
Download pdf here: Notes: Review 1 posted Aug 24

Then watch the explanations!
In the next 4 short videos I talk through the introduction to set theory.

Review of set theory 2:

Review 2 (5 videos)Top menu | Previous | Next.
Basic set operations. Download pdf here: Notes: Review 2 posted Aug 24

Then watch the explanations!

Review of set theory 3:

Review 3 (2 videos)Top menu | Previous | Next.
More set operations. Download pdf here: Notes: Review 3 posted Aug 24

Then watch the explanations!

Additional notes:
1) The complement of the empty set is the whole set U ( universe).
Complement of {} = U.
2) Subtracting works even when there is no overlap: it is just the whole first set, since there is nothing to subtract.
A - B = A, when A intersect B = {}.
3) A - {} = A.
4) A union {} = A.
5) A intersect {} = {}
6) {} - A = {}

Download: Practice quiz Not to turn in.
Key to Practice quiz

Aug. 25 (6 videos)Top menu | Previous | Next.

Homework 1: Not to be turned in.

Chapter 2: 1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 23, 28(a)
Chapter 2: 21, 28 (b), 32, 33, 34, 37, 38, 43, 45, 55

Basic Counting. Download pdf here: Notes: Basic Counting posted Aug 25

Then watch the explanations.

Duplicate notes of above, with answers. Download pdf here: page 1 and page 2

***Correction: at the very last line, should have read...({7,q},4),({7,q},5),({7,q},q)...

Here is the second part from Aug 25. Download pdf here:
Basic Counting 2. Notes posted Aug 25
Practice problems Aug 25
Then watch the explanations.

Aug. 27 (5 videos)Top menu | Previous | Next.
Download: Take home quiz 1a.
Key here: Key to quiz 1a. Aug 27., due Sep 3.

Here is the lecture from Aug 27. Download pdf here:
More counting: Notes posted Aug 27

Then watch the explanations.

And the final answer did turn out to be 22,134.

Here is the second part from Aug 27. Download pdf here:
Part 2: Notes posted Aug 27

Then watch the explanations.

Sept. 1 (1 video)Top menu | Previous | Next.

Download: Take home quiz 1b. Sept 1, due Sept 8.
Key here: Key to quiz 1b.

Here is the lecture from Sept 1. Download 2 pdfs here:
Problems posted Sept 1
Solutions posted Sept 1
Then watch the explanations.

Sept. 3 (3 videos)Top menu | Previous | Next.
Here is the lecture from Sept. 3. Download notes here:
Notes posted Sept. 3
Then watch the explanations.

Sept. 8 (5 videos)Top menu | Previous | Next.
Here is the lecture from Sep 8. Download notes here:
Notes posted Sept. 8 part 1
Part 2:
Notes posted Sept. 8 part 2
Then watch the explanation.

Take home quiz 1c due Sep 15.
Download here:
Quiz 1c

Key here: Key to quiz 1c.

Download practice problems here:
Practice problems posted Sept 8

Then watch the explanations.

Sept. 10 (4 videos)Top menu | Previous | Next.

Here is the lecture from Sep 10. Download notes here:
Notes posted Sept. 10
Then watch the explanation.

Take home quiz 2 due Sep 17.
Download here:
Quiz 2

Key here: Key to quiz 2.

Sept. 15 (5 videos)Top menu | Previous | Next.

Here is the lecture from Sep 15. Download notes here:
Notes posted Sept. 15
Then watch the explanation.

Sept. 17 (5 videos)Top menu | Previous | Next.

Here is the lecture from Sep 17. Download notes here:
Notes posted Sept. 17
Then watch the explanation.

Take home quiz 3 due Sep 24.
Download here:
Quiz 3

Key here: Key to quiz 3.

Sept. 22 (4 videos)Top menu | Previous | Next.

Here is the lecture from Sep 22. Download notes here:
Notes posted Sept. 22
Then watch the explanation.

Take home quiz 4 due Sep 29.
Download here:
Quiz 4

Key here: Key to quiz 4.

Sept. 24 (4 videos)Top menu | Previous | Next.

Here is the lecture from Sep 24. Download notes here:
Notes posted Sept. 24
Then watch the explanation.

Chapter 5: Problems 6, 7, 8, 9, 15
(hint - use the binomial theorem and differentiate something!), 23, 24, 38, 40.
Chapter 6: Problems 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9

Sept. 29 (10 videos)Top menu | Previous | Next.

Download MORE practice problems here:
Practice problems posted Sept 29
and Answers to the problems

Top menu.
Problem set.

Top menu.
Problem set.

Top menu.
Problem set.

TEST 1 ENDS HERE.

Oct. 1 (2 videos)Top menu | Previous | Next.

Here is the lecture from Oct. 1. Download notes here:
Notes posted Oct. 1
Then watch the explanation.

Oct. 8 (2 videos)Top menu | Previous | Next.

Here is the lecture from Oct. 8. Download notes here:
Notes posted Oct. 8.
Then watch the explanation.

Take home quiz 5 due Oct. 15.
Download here:
Quiz 5

Key here: Key to quiz 5.

Chapter 6: Book Problems 11, 15, 25, 26, 27

Oct. 13 (2 videos)Top menu | Previous | Next.

Here is the lecture from Oct. 13. Download notes here:
Notes posted Oct. 13.
Then watch the explanation.

Oct. 15 (7 videos) Top menu | Previous | Next.

Here is the lecture for Oct 15, review of Calculus 2. Download pdf here:
Notes posted for Oct 15 pt1

Part 2 of the lecture for Oct 15. Download pdf here:
Notes posted for Oct 15 pt2

Take home quiz 6a due Oct. 22
Download here:
Quiz 6a

Key here: Key to quiz 6a.

Oct. 20 (3 videos) Top menu | Previous | Next.

Here is the lecture for Oct 20. Download pdf here:
Notes posted for Oct 20

Take home quiz 6a due Oct. 22
Download here:
Quiz 6a

Key here: Key to quiz 6a.

Oct. 22 (5 videos) Top menu | Previous | Next.

Here is the lecture for Oct 22. Download pdf here:
Notes posted for Oct 22

Take home quiz 6b due Oct. 29
Download here:
Quiz 6b

Key here: Key to quiz 6b.

Oct. 27 (3 videos) Top menu | Previous | Next.

Here is the lecture for Oct 27. Download pdf here:
Notes posted for Oct 27

Oct. 29 (3 videos) Top menu | Previous | Next.

Here is the lecture for Oct 29. Download pdf here:
Notes posted for Oct 29

Take home quiz 7 due Nov. 5
Download here:
Quiz 7

Nov. 3 (3 videos) Top menu | Previous | Next.

Here is the lecture for Nov. 3. Download pdf here:
Notes posted for Nov 3

Nov. 5 (5 videos) Top menu | Previous | Next.

Projects

Here is the project description.

Here are some potential sequences, if you have not already found one you like.

Here is the grading rubric.

Here is an example project.

(MSword version)
Note that your project must follow this exact outline, using the values that I assign you.
There is room for additional information in the open problem section.

Exams
There will be two in-class tests and a final.

Test 1:
Test 2:
Final Exam:

RESOURCES:
H. Wilf: generatingfunctionology

A great resource is wolfram|alpha.
Here is the ordinary generating function for the triangular numbers, n choose 2.
Here is the exponential generating function for the triangular numbers, n choose 2.

Of course the OEIS.
Here is the open question of counting numbers of posets.

CREDIT:
The text of this page was adapted, with permission, from an original course site by J.P. Cossey.