Course: SBU 102: Mathematical and Algorithmic Puzzles

State University of New York at Stony Brook, Spring 2024

Classes
Mo 10:00AM - 11:20AM, MELVILLE LBR N4072 WESTCAMPUS
Instructor
Prof. Pramod Ganapathi
Email:
Office: Room 105, New Computer Science
Office hours: We 10AM-1PM

Course Description
This course presents serious 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.
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:
  • An ability to develop intellectual curiosity to understand the mathematical and scientific principles behind natural phenomena.
  • An ability to appreciate and understand different problem-solving techniques and strategies.
  • An ability to learn interesting puzzles and know how to solve them.
Textbook
Grading
Course requirements and grading are as follows:
  • Assignment: 50%
  • Presentation: 50%
Homework
Homework will be posted on Brightspace. 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 do not wish to receive any scores for their homework can submit the first version of their homework at the exact deadline or later or a few seconds/minutes just before the deadline. Because, we do not consider the time at which a homework was submitted, 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.

Regrade requests deadline is 1 week after getting the homework results on Brightspace.
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

Academic calendar
Class
Topic
Study
Jan 22 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]
Jan 29
Feb 05
Feb 12
Divide-and-conquer Coin/ball weighing: [9 balls], Poisoned wine: [1000 bottles], Switches and bulbs: [100 switches/bulbs], Electrician and wires, Batchet's weights, [Picture hanging], Number guessing, Josephus problem, Finding home
Feb 19
Feb 26
Infinity Zeno's impossible motion paradox, Snowflake curve, Gabriel's horn: [1, 2, 3], Grandi's series, Uncountability: [Hilbert hotel, Hilbert hotel 2]
Mar 04 Probability Marriage problem, Larger or smaller, Monty Hall: [1, 2], Birthday paradox, Ratio of boys and girls, Two envelopes, Sleeping beauty
Mar 18
Mar 25
Apr 01
Presentations Venue: Class

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:
  • learn the subject from any book/website/video/resource in the world
  • contact TAs/instructor to understand the subject matter
  • discuss generic ideas and concepts related to the subject with friends/classmates
Students are NOT allowed to:
  • search for solutions for the homework/exam questions on books/websites/videos/resources
  • discuss the homework/exam questions with friends/classmates/seniors
  • copy homework/exam solutions from Internet/books/friends/classmates/seniors
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. Until/unless the latest COVID guidance is explicitly amended by SBU, during Fall 2021 ''disruptive behavior'' will include refusal to wear a mask during classes.