Math 180A

Instructional Staff

Note: in the event of an office hours change, the schedule below will reflect the latest information. You are welcome to attend the office hours of either of the TAs, not just your own.

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Welcome to Math 180A: a one quarter course introduction to probability theory. This course is the prerequisite for the subsequent courses Math 180B/C (Introduction to Stochastic Processes) and Math 181A/B (Introduction to Mathematical Statistics), as well as for MATH 114 (Introduction to Computational Stochastics), MATH 194 (The Mathematics of Finance), and Math 189 (Exploratory Data Analysis and Inference). According to the UC San Diego Course Catalog, the topics covered are probability spaces, random variables, independence, conditional probability, discrete and continuous probability distributions, joint distributions, variance and moments, the Laws of Large Numbers, and the Central Limit Theorem.

Here is a more detailed listing of course topics, in the sequence they will be covered, together with the relevant section(s) of the textbook. While each topic corresponds to approximately one lecture, there will be some give and take here. This is a rough schedule that will be updated during the term.

Prerequisite: The only prerequisites are calculus up to and including Math 20C (Multivariate Calculus) or Math 31BH (Honors Multivariable Calculus). Math 109 (Mathematical Reasoning) is also strongly recommended as a prerequisite or corequisite.

Lecture: You are responsible for material presented in the lecture whether or not it is discussed in the textbook. You should expect questions on the exams that will test your understanding of concepts discussed in the lecture.

Homework: Homework assignments are posted below, and will be due at 11:59 PM on the indicated due date.  You must turn in your homework through Gradescope; if you have produced it on paper, you can scan it or simply take clear photos of it to upload. Your lowest homework score will be dropped. It is allowed and even encouraged to discuss homework problems with your classmates and your instructor and TA, but your final write up of your homework solutions must be your own work.

Quizzes: The quizzes will take place on the dates listed above.

• You will able to access the quiz on the course Canvas page starting at 12 AM PST on the day of the quiz. The quiz will be accessible for 24 hours; however, once you start the quiz, you will only have 30 minutes to complete it (unless you start it later than 11:30 PM PST, in which case the 24 hour deadline is enforced since it comes before the end of your 30 minutes). For example, if you start the exam at 11:40 PM PST, you will need to submit it within 20 minutes to receive credit since the 24 hour deadline would come before the end of your 30 minutes.
• There will be no makeup quizzes. See below for other exam policies.

Midterm Exams: The midterm exams will take place on Oct 28 and Nov 23 as listed above.

• The exam will be available for 24 hours on Gradescope starting at 12 AM PST on the scheduled date: however, once you start the exam, you will have 65 minutes to finish and submit your exam. The exam is intended to take 50 minutes: the remaining 15 minutes are intended for the scanning and submission of the exam on Gradescope. In particular, we will not accept submissions after the 65 minute deadline: it is your responsibility to submit the exam on time. For example, if you choose to write the exam for 65 minutes and do not leave yourself enough time to scan the exam, then you will not receive credit for the exam.
• As with the quizzes, the 24 hour deadline supersedes your allotted 65 minutes for the exam. For example, if you start the exam at 11:40 PM PST, you will need to submit it within 20 minutes to receive credit since the 24 hour deadline would come before the end of your 65 minutes.
• There will be no makeup midterm exams. See below for other exam policies.

Final Exam:  The final examination will be held at the officially scheduled time: 7 - 10 PM PST on Dec 17.

• It is your responsibility to ensure that you do not have a schedule conflict involving the final examination; you should not enroll in this class if you cannot take the final examination at its scheduled time.
• The written portion of the exam will be available on Gradescope at 7 PM PST on Dec 17. Submissions are due at 8:30 PM PST on Gradescope.
• After the written portion, students will join a Zoom room from 8:30 PM - 10 PM PST. During this time, the instructional staff will randomly select students for a follow-up oral exam to ensure academic integrity. A determination will be made based on the oral exam whether or not to file a case with the Office of Academic Integrity. If a student fails to report to the Zoom room, then they will automatically receive no points for the final exam.
• There will be no makeup final exam. See below for other exam policies.

Exam policy:

• Quizzes and exams are open textbook, and you can rewatch lectures and review the lecture slides.
• Keep in mind that any computations on exams must be supported by clear explanations. Simply writing down an answer without any justification or work will receive 0 points, even if the answer is correct (unless the problem specifically says that no justification is required).
• You are not allowed to use calculators, computer algebra systems, or similar software. Of course, this also means that you will not be asked to solve problems on exams that require the aid of an electronic computing device.
• You are not allowed to consult other people or resources on the internet. In particular, contract cheating and other instances of academic dishonesty can result in suspension or dismissal. According to the Academic Integrity Office,
  About 15% of students reported for cheating are suspended or dismissed from UCSD.

Administrative Links: Here are two links regarding UC San Diego policies on exams:

• Exam Responsibilities An outline of the responsibilities of faculty and students with regard to final exams
• Policies on Examinations The Academic Senate policy regarding final examinations (These are the rules!)

Regrade Policy:  

• Your exams and homeworks will be graded using Gradescope.  You will be able to request regrades directly from your TA through Gradescope for a specified window of time.  Be sure to make your request within the specified window of time; no regrade requests will be accepted after the deadline. Note: Your grader will consider your regrade request only if you have explained clearly, thoroughly, and politely why you think an error in grading was made.

Grading: Your cumulative average will be the best of the following two weighted averages:

• 20% Homework,  20% Quizzes,  15% Midterm 1,  15% Midterm 2,  30% Final Exam
• 20% Homework,  20% Quizzes,  15% Best midterm,  45% Final Exam

Your course grade will be determined by your cumulative average at the end of the quarter, and will be based on the following scale:

The above scale is guaranteed: for example, if your cumulative average is 80, your final grade will be at least B-. However, your instructor may adjust the above scale to be more generous.

Academic Integrity:  UC San Diego's code of academic integrity outlines the expected academic honesty of all students and faculty, and details the consequences for academic dishonesty. The main issues are cheating and plagiarism, of course, for which we have a zero-tolerance policy. (Penalties for these offenses always include assignment of a failing grade in the course, and usually involve an administrative penalty, such as suspension or expulsion, as well.) However, academic integrity also includes things like giving credit where credit is due (listing your collaborators on homework assignments, noting books or papers containing information you used in solutions, etc.), and treating your peers respectfully in class. In addition, here are a few of our expectations for etiquette in and out of class.

• Noise and common courtesy: When class/section begins, please stop your conversations. Do not disturb others by engaging in disruptive behavior. Disruption interferes with the learning environment and impairs the ability of others to focus, participate, and engage.
• Electronic devices: No visual or audio recording is allowed in class/section without prior permission of the instructor (whether by camera, cell phone, or other means).
• E-mail etiquette: You are expected to write as you would in any professional correspondence. E-mail communication should be courteous and respectful in manner and tone. Please do not send e-mails that are curt or demanding. Please include "Math 180A" in the subject line of all emails.

Accommodations:

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