MATH 461, Sections B13/C13, Spring 2009
Introduction to Probability

Professor A.J. Hildebrand
http://www.math.uiuc.edu/~hildebr/461/

General Information

• Date/time/room:
  • Section B13: MWF 9:00 - 9:50, 347 Altgeld
  • Section C13: MWF 10:00 - 10:50, 347 Altgeld (note room change!)
• Instructor: A.J. Hildebrand
• Instructor contact: Office 241 Illini Hall, phone 244-7721, email ajh@uiuc.edu. I check my email frequently, and you'll usually get an answer within hours (and sometimes minutes). When sending email, include the string "Math 461" in the subject line. This will ensure that the message gets prompt attention and doesn't get filed away as spam.
• Office hours: For quick questions, just get a hold of me after class. My official office hours are tentatively set for MWF 11:30 pm - 12:00 pm, but I intend the weekly "Open House" (see below) to be primary point of contact.
• Open House: I will hold a weekly "Open House", scheduled for Wednesdays, 5 pm - 6 pm (longer if necessary), in 141 Altgeld, beginning with the second week of class. The Open House is intended as an informal office hour for students in this class; take advantage of this opportunity!

Course Information

• Text and syllabus: Sheldon Ross, "A First Course in Probability", 7th edition, ISBN 0131856626. We will cover most of Chapters 1 - 7 and the first three sections of Chapter 8. An official departmental syllabus can be found under this link. I plan to follow this syllabus fairly closely, but not slavishly, and I may deviate from it slightly on occasion.
  Alternate sources for the text. The bookstore price for the text is around $120 new, and $90 used, However, you can find better deals at online outlets such as such as Campusbooks.com, AddAll.com, AbeBooks.com, TextbooksRus.com, or the local, student-run, Illini Book Exchange.
  Note: You will need the 7th edition of Ross, with the above ISBN, to get the correct exercises. While much of this edition is identical to the previous (6th) edition, exercise numbers have been shifted, and new exercises have been added. You could probably get by with the 6th edition, provided you also have access to the 7th edition (e.g., through a friend, or by using the copy that is on reserve in the Altgeld Hall Library), and you use that edition to get the homework problems.
• About this and related courses: Math 461 is our basic undergraduate probability course. It is aimed primarily at Math majors and students in Engineering and Computer Science. (Students in ECE have their own probability course, ECE 313, and they must take this course.)
  A related course is Math 463 (= Stat 400). Most Math majors can choose between 461 and 463. While 461 focuses almost exclusively on probability, 463 covers both probability and statistics, though in less depth than 461. Most students find 463 easier than 461; if you are struggling with 461, you might consider switching to 463, assuming you have a choice between the two.
  Another related course is Math 408 (= Stat 408). 408 is an introductory probability course much like 461, but targeted specifically at actuarial science students. Enrollment is restricted to students in the actuarial science program. 408 covers much of the same material as 461, but it takes its problems and examples come from actuarial science applications. One major goal of 408 is to prepare actuarial science students for the Course P/1 Actuarial Exam.
• Mathematica version of Math 461: One of the five sections (G83/84) in which 461 is offered is a Mathematica version. This version is completely different from the traditional versions (Sections B13, C13, D13, M13). I have no personal experience with the Mathematica-based 461, but you can find more information under this link, and by talking to the folks in the Mathematica Lab in 239 Altgeld. You have to see for yourself if this is a style that appeals to you. Some students who struggle with traditional classes strive in Mathematica-based classes; for others the opposite holds. One advantage of the Mathematica version is that it can be taken online, e.g., over the summer.

Homework

• Homework assignments: There will be weekly HW assignments, normally given out on Monday and due in class the following Friday. Assignments dropped off in mailboxes will not be accepted; however, you can turn in an assignment in person in my office, 241 Illini Hall, any time before the class hour in which it is due. At the end of the semester, the lowest HW score will be dropped.
• Missed/late assignments: Late assignments will not be accepted. However, if you have a legitimate excuse for missing an assignment (e.g., illness), documented by a Dean's letter, I will mark the assignment as excused (see the section "Missed homework policy" below).
• Group work policy: Group work on the homework problems is fine and, indeed, encouraged, provided you write up solutions yourself, using your own words. Group work should not be a one-sided affair, and it also should not be a division of labor, with everybody doing only a subset of the problems and passing out solutions to the rest of the group. Everybody should contribute, and the goal should be for everybody in the group to end up understanding all of the problems.

Exams

• Midterm exams: There will be three evening midterm exams. The dates, which were decided at the beginning of the semester after polling the class to minimize or eliminate possible conflicts, are the following: February 19, March 19, April 30. The exams will be held 7 pm - 8 pm in 1404 Siebel Center on each of these dates. Conflict exams will only be given in exceptional cases, with a valid excuse, and after exhausting other options. (E.g., if the conflict is due to another evening exam at the same time, use the other class' conflict slot.) All conflict requests must be made in writing (email to ajh@uiuc.edu) at least one week in advance of the exam, and must include details on the conflict event, e.g., course number, start and end times, etc.)
• Final Exam: The Final Exam will be cumulative and will be about 2 - 2.5 times as long as a midterm. The Final will be given at the University-assigned Final Exam slots for classes meeting MWF 9 am, resp. MWF 10 am, which are as follows. (See the Spring 2009 Final Exam schedule.)
  • Sections B13 (9 - 9:50 am): Thursday, May 14, 8 am - 11 am
  • Sections C13 (10 - 10:50 am): Monday, May 11, 8 am - 11 am
  Note: University rules require that you take the Final Exam at the assigned slot for the class, unless you are in a ``three consecutive finals'' situation (in which case you are entitled to a conflict exam by one of the classes involved). In particular, you cannot take the final at a different date/time (e.g., at the May 11 slot instead of the May 14 slot if you are in the 9 am section) simply to accommodate travel plans. Please keep the above Final dates in mind when making your travel plans.

Grading Policy

• Course grade: The course grade will be based on homework, midterm exams, and the final exam, weighted approximately as follows:
  • Homework: 1/6
  • Midterm Exams: 1/6 each (1/2 for all three midterms)
  • Final Exam: 1/3
• Missed exam policy: I do not give make-up exams. If you miss an exam and have a valid excuse (e.g., illness, out-of-town job interview), documented by a Dean's letter, I will mark the exam as excused; the exam will then not be taken into account when computing the overall exam average.
  Documentation: An "excused" grade must be requested within a week of the test and must be documented with a letter from the Dean. The Dean's Office is located in 300 Student Services Building, 610 East John St., phone 333-0050; see also the Emergency Dean's Website. Just see one of the Assistant Deans there, explain your case, and ask that they send a letter to the instructor. The Deans deal with these situations all the time and have form letters that they will send to instructors if they believe you have a valid excuse (e.g., illness, but not, for example, oversleeping). One major advantage of going through the Dean's Office is that you can take care of any other missed classes at the same time by having letters sent to all of your instructors.
• Missed homework policy: Since the lowest homework score will be dropped, you can afford to miss one homework and still get a perfect homework average. If you cannot turn in an assignment due to illness or some other valid excuse, the same policy as for missed exams applies: With a Dean's letter as documentation, I will mark the assignment as excused; that is, it will not count towards the homework average (and you will still have the drop score).
• Attendance. According to Section 1-501 of the University of Illinois Student Code, "regular class attendance is expected of all students at the University." This applies to this class as well. While I will not check attendance, if you miss class, you do so at your own risk and you are responsible for catching up on any missed material. I take lecturing seriously, and I put considerable thought and effort into preparing the lectures. I will (usually) follow the outline of the text, but instead of simply reading straight the text, I try to put my own spin on the material, choosing different examples to illustrate concepts, and emphasizing general ideas and the "big picture". The lectures and the text are meant to complement, rather than duplicate, each other, and reading the text is no substitute for attending the lectures.

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