Policies for Math/CS 443/543
Theory of Graphs and Networks
Fall 2006

Course Overview:

The goal of this course is to give students a solid grounding in the fundamentals of graph theory and a few of its applications. The construction and communication of proofs will be an important part of the course.

Policies:

• Class meetings: MWF 2:00 - 2:50 in Social Sciences 411. The course will mostly be in the traditional lecture format, occasionally supplemented by student presentations of homework solutions. If there is demand, a discussion hour may be added.
• Text: "Introduction to Graph Theory" by Robin J. Wilson, Fourth edition, Prentice Hall, 1996 (required).
• Prerequisites: Familiarity with basic structures of discrete mathematics, such as sets, relations, functions, etc., as well as the ability to construct and communicate proofs. Math 323 or 245 or Computer Scince 245 should be adequate.
• Homework: There will be substantial homework assignments roughly once per week.
• Exams: There will be a midterm exam, approximately October 6, and a final exam on December 8 from 2-4, both in Social Sciences 411.
• Extra 543 requirements: For graduate students, there will be a required final project in which students will master an additional topic and either write a short expository paper on it, suitable for fellow students, or produce useful, interesting, and well-documented code.
• Grades: Grades in 443 will be based on homework (40%), the midterm (20%), and the final (40%). Grades in 543 will be based on homework (30%), the midterm (15%), the project (30%), and the final (25%).
• Other policies: Please read my standard policies about other matters.

Contact Information:

• Instructor: Douglas Ulmer, Professor of Mathematics
• Office: Math 204
• Phone: 621-6861
• E-mail: ulmer@math.arizona.edu
• Office hours: Starting 8/21: W 3-4 in Math 220, Th 3-4, Fr 4-5 in Math 204. Check my home page for possible changes.

Syllabus:

We will cover all of the Wilson text and, time permitting, a few additional topics such as Ramsey theory, extremal graph theory, and random graphs.