Mathematical Logic and Information
MTH 512

Spring 2013, LIU Post

Class Time: Wednesday 5:00p - 7:40p, Life Sciences 273.

Instructor: Dr. Corbett Redden. Corbett.Redden [att] liu.edu. Office: Life Sciences 243. Phone 516-299-3487.

Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday 12:30p - 2:00p (or by appointment)

Course webpage: http://myweb.cwpost.liu.edu/dredden/512s13/

Homework/Syllabus: http://myweb.cwpost.liu.edu/dredden/512s13/Homework.html

Textbook: The text "Introduction to Mathematical Logic" by Elliott Mendelson is a recommended textbook and will be especially useful during the first few weeks. Below are some other useful books that will be placed on reserve in the library.

"Introduction to mathematical logic" by Elliott Mendelson. (QA9 .M4 2010)
"Mathematical logic" by Stephen Kleene. (QA9 .K652)
"Computability : computable functions, logic, and the foundations of mathematics" by Richard L. Epstein and Walter A. Carnielli. (QA9.59 .E67 1989)
"Gödel's proof" by Ernest Nagel and James R. Newman. (QA9 .N3)
"The mathematical theory of communication" by Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver. (TK5101 .S45)

Grading Scheme:
Homework/Participation 30%
Tests 40%
Final Exam 30%

Homework/Participation: In addition to time spent attending lectures, it is expected that you spend at least 6 hours per week working on this class. Homework will be assigned regularly in class and will also be posted on the Homework page of the website. I will not collect and grade the homeworks. Instead, I will check at the beginning of class to see that you have attempted and thought about the problems. We will then spend the first part of the class having you (the students) present solutions to various homework problems. You should come to class prepared to present at least a few of the problems. If you consistently do the homework and present problems, you will receive the full 30% credit. If you do not put forth this effort, I will give you a warning and then proceed to deduct points from your Homework score.

Tests: There will be 3 tests (2/13, 3/20, and 4/17) during the first hour of the class (5-6p). After a short break, class will resume at 6:15p. The lowest test score will be dropped, and the remaining 2 test scores will comprise 40% of your grade. There will be NO MAKE UP TESTS.

Final Exam: The final examination will be CUMULATIVE, and will occur during the usual class time on Wednesday May 8. The final will comprise 30% of your course grade, though the instructor reserves the right to count the final as an even higher percentage for those students whose final exam grade is better than their test average.

Course Description: This course will cover mathematical logic and its applications to computing in the modern world. Topics covered include propositional and predicate calculus, Turing machines, computability, Gšdel's incompleteness theorem, coding, error-correcting codes, information and entropy. (3 credits)

Help: You are welcome to see Prof. Redden in office hours, by appointment, or to ask short questions via email. You are also encouraged to work with others on homework. Explaining concepts and techniques to fellow classmates is an excellent way for you to better understand them yourself.

Important Dates:
Jan 22 Classes begin.
Feb 4 Last day to add/drop or late register.
Mar 11-17   Spring recess, no classes.
Apr 5 Last day to opt for P/F or withdraw.
Apr 30Last day of regular classes.