Skidmore College

Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

MA 214 - COURSE INFORMATION - SPRING 2008

Course Title: Number Theory

Instructor: Gove Effinger

Meeting Time: Tu & Th 11:10-12:30 (Harder 203)

To Contact: Office Harder 214, phone 5287, e-mail effinger, website www.skidmore.edu/~effinger

Office Hours: 3:15-4:45 pm Tu & Th and by appointment

Text: Joseph Silverman, A Friendly Introduction to Number Theory, Third Edition, Prentice Hall

Brief Description:

We explore a number of the key patterns and problems involving the counting numbers
1, 2, 3,…. Reoccurring concepts will be prime numbers, congruences, divisibility, and factorization. Students are expected to participate actively in the classroom, and teams of two students will produce a final project on a topic of the team’s choice which will be presented in class as well as in a poster session during Academic Festival.

Course Requirements and Grading:

ITEM	POINTS	% OF GRADE
Graded homework	125	25
Mid-term exam (Wed, Mar 8)	100	20
Project	125	25
Final Exam (Mon, May 5)	100	20
Attendance & Participation	50	10

Your final percentage grade will be converted to a letter grade using the approximate scale 100-90 A, 89-80 B, 79-70 C, 69-60 D, 59 and below F. Attendance is required. Absences are excused only by notifying me prior to or at the time of the absence. Unexcused absences each result in 5 points (1%) off the Att. portion of your grade. Late assignments lose 2 points for every calendar day of lateness.