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LAGUARDIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
MATHEMATICS, ENGINEERING, AND COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
MAC281 – DISCRETE STRUCTURES
3 Lecture Hours, 3 Credits
Prerequisites: MAC101, MAT231
Catalog Description:
This course covers the mathematical concepts essential for continued study in computer science and
related fields. The topics include algorithms, complexity of algorithms, introduction to number theory and
its applications, mathematical induction and recursion, relations and functions, graphs and trees, and
applications.
Instructional Objectives:
1. Familiarize students with the basic properties of algorithms used in a variety of mathematical contexts.
2. Introduce the theory of complexity of algorithms.
3. Present basic concepts of number theory and teach students how to apply them to computer arithmetic.
4. Reinforce the method of recursion and the use of structural induction.
5. Introduce fundamental concepts of graph theory and present different graph models.
6. Familiarize students with shortest-path problems.
Performance Objectives:
1. Design algorithms for solving different computational problems.
2. Analyze the complexity of algorithms.
3. Obtain a linear decomposition of the gcd of two positive integers using the Euclidean Algorithm and
perform such a computation for a pair of large integers.
4. Apply structural induction to prove properties of recursively defined structures.
5. Construct and analyze graph models for problems in different areas.
6. Solve shortest-path problems using Dijkstra's algorithm.
Text: Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications (Seventh Edition) by Kenneth H. Rosen
Published by McGraw-Hill (2012), ISBN: 0073383090
Evaluation:
Quizzes 15%
Projects 15%
Two Exams @15% 30%
Final Exam 40%
Total 100%
Comments: The specific topics and suggested homework problems listed in the course outline and the
principles of evaluation listed above are all subject to modification. Each student is strongly encouraged
to complete homework assignments to the best of his or her ability consistently throughout the semester.
Generally speaking, the student that follows this recommendation will maximize his or her understanding
of the subject matter and achieve optimal performance on examinations.
Exams: This course will have two Midterm Exams and one cumulative Final Exam. Regardless of the
teaching modality (hybrid, online), the Final Exam and at least one of the Midterms (preferably 2nd
exam) will be conducted in-person. When the course is offered in-person, all three Exams will be
conducted in-person. The Final Exam will be conducted during the finals week in the assigned classroom
during the class time.
