MATH 5010 (Spring '12)
Time & Place: MWF 11:50AM - 12:40PM, LCB 225
Lecturer: Firas Rassoul-Agha
Phone: (801) 585-1647, E-Mail: firas@math.utah.edu
Office Hour: Monday 9:45-10:45AM or by appointment, at LCB 209


Prerequisites: Solid knowledge of Calculus I, II, and III. Comfortable around double integrals.
Textbook: We will follow these Lecture notes.
                 Homework is out of the lecture notes. Most of the exercises there are in fact out of
                  the book Basic Probability Theory, by Robert Ash
                 An electronic pdf copy of the book is available at the author's website.
                 The book is also useful for additional examples and exercises (and is quite cheap!).


Two midterms count 30% each and are on Februray 24 and April 13. Same time and place as lecture.
Final counts 40% and is on Wednesday May 2, 10:30AM till 12:30PM, same place as lecture.
NO make-up tests.

Homework will not be collected. However, Exam questions are taken, word for word,
from assigned homework problems. Therefore, the BEST way to keep up with the pace
of this course and to prepare for exams is to solve, at the very least, the assigned
homework problems in a timely fashion. Exams aside, to learn the subject well you
really need to solve as many problems as you can.
Doing the math is the ONLY way to learn math.

Solutions to homework problems are available at the end of the lecture notes and also at
the textbook author's website. However, use the solutions as a LAST resort. Only after you
have tried everything else and "suffered" enough!
Do NOT consider that you overcame that particular weakness if you looked at the
solution first! You will need to do other similar problems in this case. You really need to
know how to reproduce the solution on the day of the exam! Memorizing the solutions to
all homework problems is hopeless and not profitable.


YouTube illustrations of the CLT: Video1, Video2
Play the three doors game!
Use a simulation of the three doors game, and see how many times you win the car,
if you switch v.s. if you don't.
Why should you switch?
A diagram illustrating why you should switch.