Intro to Proof/Prob-Solving

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course is designed to help students transition from the computational concepts covered in 1000-level courses to the more theoretical concepts covered in 3000-level courses. Students learn to manipulate abstract definitions, determine whether statements are true or not, and prove or disprove statements. Special emphasis is placed on learning to read, write, and critique proofs. The different techniques covered are backward/forward proof, proof by contradiction, proof by contraposition, and proof by induction. Students will apply these methods to a variety of problems involving numbers, functions, sets, relations, and cardinality. This course is a prerequisite for many upper level mathematics courses.