Discrete Mathematics (MATH7861)

Course overview

Propositional & predicate logic, valid arguments. Elementary set theory. Elementary graph theory. Relations & functions, categories. Induction & recursive definitions. Counting methods (pigeonhole, inclusion/exclusion). Introductory probability. Binary operations, semi-groups, groups, fields. Applications of finite fields. Elementary number theory.

This course provides an introduction to discrete mathematics. It is likely to be useful for students who are planning on studying more mathematics, those intending to teach, and also for those enrolled in computer science, engineering, science and information technology.

In the School of Mathematics and Physics we are committed to creating an inclusive and empowering learning environment for all students. We value and respect the diverse range of experiences our students bring to their education, and we believe that this diversity is crucial for fostering a rich culture of knowledge sharing and meaningful exploration. We hold both students and staff accountable for actively contributing to the establishment of a respectful and supportive learning environment.

Bullying, harassment, and discrimination in any form are strictly against our principles and againstﾠUQ Policy,ﾠand will not be tolerated. We have developed aﾠsuite of resourcesﾠto assist you in recognising, reporting, and addressing such behaviour. If you have any concerns about your experience in this course, we encourage you to tell a member of the course teaching team, or alternatively contact an SMP Classroom Inclusivity Champion (see Blackboard for contact details). Our Inclusivity Champions are here to listen, to understand your concerns, and to explore potential actions that can be taken to resolve them. Your well-being and a positive learning atmosphere are of utmost importance to us.

Course requirements

Assumed background

There is no particular assumed background, apart from aﾠlevel of mathematical sophistication roughly equivalent to completion of Queensland Mathematical Methods (formerly Maths B)ﾠat high schoolﾠor MATH1040. Concurrent enrolment in MATH7861 and MATH1040 may be appropriate for students who do not have Mathematical Methods fromﾠhigh school but who have a strong mathematical background, however this will require you to do extra work in MATH7861.

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

MATH1061 (co-taught), MATH1081

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

The three lectures per week (no repeats) will be conducted on campus at the times and locations advertised in your personal timetable. ﾠAll lectures (except Lecture 1) will have associated pre-work that you are expected to complete before attending the lecture.ﾠ Lectures themselves will be focused on problem-solving and applying the concepts seen in pre-work. All students are expected to attend these sessions in person unless they have a valid reason for being unable to attend (such as illness). If you are unable to attend a lecture, you can catch up by watching the lecture recording available in Blackboard.

Your weekly practical will be conducted on campus – consult your personal timetable for times and locations. You should attend at least one practical per week, but you may attend more if you like. Sign up for ONE practical time, and this practical time will be your designated practical, although you may choose to attend other practicals if there is space available. Note that practicals start in Week 2.

Friday 18th of April and Monday 5th of May are public holidays. There are no lectures or practicals on these days. If your designated practical falls on a public holiday, you should plan to attend a different practical in that week.ﾠ

Aims and outcomes

The broad aim of this course is to provide students with a solid basis for mathematical reasoning and the opportunity to apply this reasoning to problems in mathematics.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

Final examination

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

50%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for extension/deferral information relating to this assessment item.

In-Semester Exam

• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

20%

Due date

In-semester Saturday

29/03/2025 - 12/04/2025

Will be scheduled on one of the following Saturdays: 29 March, 5 April, 12 April

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for extension/deferral information relating to this assessment item.

Assignments

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Tutorial/ Problem Set

Weight

30% 3 assignments, each worth 10%

Due date

Assignment 1 27/03/2025 2:00 pm

Assignment 2 1/05/2025 2:00 pm

Assignment 3 29/05/2025 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

Use the assignment submission link in the Blackboard site to submit a single pdf file. MATH1061 and MATH7861 will have different assignments and different submission links, so make sure to use the correct link.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Solutions for assessment item/s will be released 7 days after the assessment is due and as such, an extension after 7 days will not be possible.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for extension/deferral information relating to this assessment item.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item then the listed penalty will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point any submission will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Should you fail a course with a grade of 3, you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply. 

Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.  

If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.  

Supplementary assessment in this course will be a 2-hour examination similar in style to the end-of-semester examination. To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment.  

Additional assessment information

Assignment submission

All assignments in this course must be submitted electronically and SUBMITTED AS A SINGLE PDF FILE.

Prepare your assignment solutions using Word, LaTeX, Windows Journal, or other application, ensuring that your name, student number and practical group number appear clearly at the top of the first page, and then save your file in pdf format. Alternatively, you may handwrite your solutions and scan or photograph your handwritten work to create a pdf file.ﾠ Make sure that your pdf file is legible and that the file size is not excessive. Use the assignment submission link in Blackboard to submit the pdf file. If you have any questions regarding assignment submission, email math1061@uq.edu.au.

Students should check that assignment marks are correctly entered in Gradescope. Any questions about incorrect/missing marks should be raised with the course coordinator within four weeks of the due date of a given assignment.

Pay careful attention to the general university guidelines on plagiarism in Section 6. You are encouraged to work in small groups, particularly in practical classes. However, assignments must be completed individually, so everything you submit must be your ownﾠwork. Inappropriate copying or excessive collaboration will be taken very seriously.

Calculators: Only approved non-programmable calculators will be allowed for student use in examinations. With the exception of the Casio fx-82 series, all calculators must have an official "Approved" label attached. Please see the website https://my.uq.edu.au/services/manage-my-program/exams-and-assessment/sitting-exam/approved-calculatorsﾠ for more information.

Artificial Intelligence

Assessment tasks in this course evaluate students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Applications for Extensions to Assessment Due Dates

Extension requests are submitted online via my.UQ – applying for an extension. Extension requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with extension requests, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons, may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

• Requests for an extension to an assessment due date must be submitted through your my.UQ portal and you must provide documentation of your circumstances, as soon as it becomes evident that an extension is needed. Your application must be submitted on or before the assessment item's due date and time.
• Applications for extension can take time to be processed so you should continue to work on your assessment item while awaiting a decision. We recommend that you submit any completed work by the due date, and this will be marked if your application is not approved. Should your application be approved, then you will be able to resubmit by the agreed revised due date.
• If an extension is approved, you will be notified via your my.UQ portal and the new date and time for submission provided. It is important that you check the revised date as it may differ from the date that you requested.
• If the basis of the application is a medical condition, applications should be accompanied by a medical certificate dated prior to the assignment due date. If you are unable to provide documentation to support your application by the due date and time you must still submit your application on time and attach a written statement (Word document) outlining why you cannot provide the documentation. You must then upload the documentation to the portal within 24 hours.
• If an extension is being sought on the basis of exceptional circumstances, it must be accompanied by supporting documentation (eg. Statutory declaration).
• For extensions based on a SAP you may be granted a maximum of 7 days (if no earlier maximum date applies). See the Extension or Deferral availability section of each assessment for details. Your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, additional extension requests for the assessment item will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g., a medical certificate. All extension requests must be received by the assessment due date and time.
• Students may be asked to submit evidence of work completed to date. Lack of adequate progress on your assessment item may result in an extension being denied.
• If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 14 days, you are advised to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty - seek advice from the Faculty that administers your program.
• There are no provisions for exemption from an assessment item within UQ rules. If you are unable to submit an assessment piece then, under special circumstances, you may be granted an exemption, but may be required to submit alternative assessment to ensure all learning outcomes are met.

Applications to defer an exam

In certain circumstances you can apply to take a deferred examination for in-semester and end-of-semester exams. You'll need to demonstrate through supporting documentation how unavoidable circumstances prevented you from sitting your exam. If you can’t, you can apply for a one-off discretionary deferred exam.

Deferred Exam requests are submitted online via mySi-net. Requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with deferred examinations, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

• Applications can be submitted no later than 5 calendar days after the date of the original exam.
• There are no provisions to defer a deferred exam. You need to be available to sit your deferred examination.
• Your deferred examination request(s) must have a status of "submitted" in mySI-net to be assessed.
• All applications for deferred in-semester examinations are assessed by the relevant school. Applications for deferred end-of-semester examinations are assessed by the Academic Services Division.
• You’ll receive an email to your student email account when the status of your application is updated.
• If you have a medical condition, mental health condition or disability and require alternative arrangements for your deferred exam you’ll need to complete the online alternative exam arrangements through my.UQ. This is in addition to your deferred examinations request. You need to submit this request on the same day as your request for a deferred exam or supplementary assessment. Contact Student Services if you need assistance completing your alternative exam arrangements request.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

Additional support for the material in MATH1061 is available in the First Year Learning Centre for Mathematics. Tutors will be available each weekday afternoon from 1-4pm, starting in week 1, in rooms 442 and 443 of building 67. There is no need to make an appointment, just drop-in with your discrete mathematics questions.

An online discussion board for the course will also be made available, which will be monitored by course staff and fellow students.ﾠ A link to the online discussion board will be provided on Blackboard.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.