Classes |
Mo 11:00AM - 12:20PM, HUMANITIES 3019 WESTCAMPUS |
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Instructor
| Prof. Pramod Ganapathi Email: Office: Room 105, New Computer Science Office hours: TBD |
Course Description |
This course presents mathematical and algorithmic puzzles. The presented puzzles are simultaneously entertaining, challenging, intriguing, and haunting. This course introduces its readers to counterintuitive mathematical ideas and revolutionary algorithmic insights from a wide variety of topics. The presented solutions that are discovered by many mathematicians and computer scientists are elegant and show supreme mathematical beauty. Multiple ways of attacking the same puzzle are presented which teach the application of elegant problem-solving strategies. |
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Prerequisites |
Knowledge of school algebra is required. No programming experience is required, but could be interesting to use. |
Course Outcome |
At the end of the course, the students should have the following knowledge and skills:
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Textbook |
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Grading |
Course requirements and grading are as follows:
< 50 (F), 50-59 (D), 60-69 (C), 70-79 (B), 80-100 (A) |
Homework |
Homework can be accessed on this course page. Homework must be written on plain sheets of paper, scanned using a good scan app, and a single scanned PDF must be submitted on Brightspace. The PDF must have the student ID as the file name. Late submissions will not be graded for any reason (including oversleeping, forgetting, PC issues, technical issues, Blackboard issues, traveling, etc). It is strongly recommended to submit at least one version three days before the deadline. A student can submit an infinite number of versions of the answer sheets PDF to the Brightspace. We only evaluate the last/final version of the solutions PDF uploaded on Brightspace before the deadline. Students who submit the first version of their homework at the exact deadline or after the deadline (even a nanosecond later), will receive 0. Because, we do not consider the time at which a homework was submitted by the student, we consider the time at which the homework was successfully up on Brightspace (with all pages in human-readable form) and it takes a few seconds/minutes to upload on Brightspace. If Brightspace flags the homework as late, it is late. It is the student's responsibility to verify whether the document was successfully submitted on Brightspace or not. Hence, it is strongly recommended to submit the homework multiple times starting from a few days before the deadline. Grade/regrade requests deadline is 1 week after getting the homework results on Brightspace. Any grade/regrade requests after this deadline will not be considered. Each student is assigned a TA. The grade/regrade requests must be made only to the assigned TA. |
Attendance |
Students are expected to attend every class, report for examinations and submit major graded coursework as scheduled. If a student is unable to attend lecture(s), report for any exams or complete major graded coursework as scheduled due to extenuating circumstances, the student must contact the instructor as soon as possible. Students may be requested to provide documentation to support their absence and/or may be referred to the Student Support Team for assistance. Students will be provided reasonable accommodations for missed assignments or presentations due to significant illness (e.g.: hospitalization) with a US doctor's signed note (we do not consider online appointments/computer-generated notes), tragedy or other personal emergencies. In the instance of missed lectures, the student is responsible for reviewing posted information related to lectures, seeking notes from a classmate, etc. |
Additional Resources |
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Class |
Topic |
Study |
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| Jan 27 Feb 03 |
State diagrams | River crossing: [farmer goat tiger cabbage, lions and wildebeests, Android appiOS app], Water pouring: [5-3-4 puzzle, 12-8-5-6 puzzle] |
| Feb 10 Feb 17 Feb 24 Mar 03 |
Divide-and-conquer | Coin/ball weighing: [9 balls], Poisoned wine: [1000 bottles], Switches and bulbs: [100 switches/bulbs], Batchet's weights, [Picture hanging], Number guessing, Finding home, Electrician and wires, Circle of death |
| Mar 10 | Infinity | Zeno's impossible motion paradox, Snowflake curve, Gabriel's horn: [1, 2, 3], Grandi's series, Uncountability: [Hilbert hotel, Hilbert hotel 2] |
| Mar 24 Mar 31 Apr 07 |
Miscellaneous | Birthday paradox, Philosopher's death, Mog and Ooga, Larger or smaller, Marriage problem, Prisoners and a light bulb, Switches and bulbs |
Academic Integrity |
Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your own is always wrong. Any suspected instance of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Academic Judiciary. For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty, please refer to the academic judiciary website at
https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/academic_integrity/. Students are allowed/encouraged to:
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Student Accessibility Support Center |
If you have a physical, psychological, medical, or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact the Student Accessibility Support Center, ECC (Educational Communications Center) Building, Room 128, (631) 632-6748, or at sasc@Stonybrook.edu. They will determine with you what accommodations are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential. Students who require assistance during emergency evacuation are encouraged to discuss their needs with their professors and the Student Accessibility Support Center. For procedures and information go to the following website: https://ehs.stonybrook.edu/programs/fire-safety/emergency-evacuation/evacuation-guide-people-physical-disabilities and search Fire Safety and Evacuation and Disabilities. |
Critical Incident Management |
Stony Brook University expects students to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of University Community Standards any disruptive behavior that interrupts their ability to teach, compromises the safety of the learning environment, or inhibits students' ability to learn. Further information about most academic matters can be found in the Undergraduate Bulletin, the Undergraduate Class Schedule, and the Faculty-Employee Handbook. |
Course Evaluation |
Each semester Stony Brook University asks students to provide feedback on their courses and instructors through an online course evaluation system. The course evaluation results are used by the individual faculty, department chairs and deans to help the faculty enhance their teaching skills and are used as part of the personnel decision for faculty promotion and tenure. No individually identifiable data is ever reported back to the university or instructor. Students who have completed previous evaluations can view all faculty ratings at: Classie-Evals.StonyBrook |
Academic Success and Tutoring Center (ASTC) |
The ASTC will provide free in-person and virtual academic support services for all undergraduate students, including Course-based Tutoring, Skill-based Tutoring, and Peer Assisted Learning. Learn more about these services and additional campus resources at ASTC Website. |
Basic Needs |
If you are concerned about resources related to your basic needs, including access to nutritious food and stable housing, please contact the Student Support Team. They will be able to listen to your story, connect you with possible resources, and provide stigma-free support. In addition, the Student Support Team developed a robust list of various basic needs and available resource for students on their website. |