Math 55 is the official prerequisite. However, the essential mathematical content of this course overlaps significantly with the three courses Math 110, Math 113 and Math 115. Experience with these courses is helpful, though not necessary.
The exercises in this course involve calculations that cannot be performed by hand. At the beginning of the course, all that is needed is a calculator. By the end, you will need to use Sage or Magma to do the homework. Since Sage is free, while Magma is a commercial product, I urge you to download Sage and try it out as soon as possible. You can also work with Sage online instead of downloading it and using it locally.
My lectures will follow the textbook and be mixed by mathematics and cryptography. The mathematics involved will be (§§1.2-1.5, §2.5, §2.10, §3.1, §3.9, §§5.1-5.2). I will cover them in class, but it may be too quick for you if it is the first time you see them. You should check the sections by yourself to see whether they are difficult for you.
Be sure to consult the authors' errata list if you think that you've spotted an error. The authors will be grateful to readers like us if we send them additional corrections.
There will be 2 midterm exams and 1 final exam. In your overall grade, the percentages of the homework, the midterms, and the final will be respectively 20%, 30%, and 50%.
| Weeks | Dates | Reading | Homework | HW Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Aug 30 | Introduction, 1.1 | None | None |
| Week 2 | Sept 4, 6 | 1.2, 1.3 | 1.7bc, 1.8bd, 1.9ad, 1.10ad, 1.11bd, 1.13, 1.16 | Sept 9 |
| Week 3 | Sept 9, 11, 13 | 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2 | 1.17fg, 1.18, 1.21, 1.27, 1.28c, 1.30c, 1.31, 1.33, 1.34, 2.4, 2.5 | Sept 16 |
| Week 4 | Sept 16, 18, 20 | 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6 | 2.6, 2.8 (all parts), 2.10 (all parts) | Sept 23 |
| Week 5 | Sept 23, 25, 27 | 2.7, 2.8, review | 2.17 (all parts), 2.19, 2.23 (all parts), 2.25 | Sept 30 |
| Sept 30 | Midterm I | |||
| Week 6 | Sept 30, Oct 2, 4 | 3.1, 3.2 | 3.1ac, 3.2, 3.5a, 3.5b(i), 3.6, 3.8b, 3.9ab, 3.10 | Oct 7 |
| Week 7 | Oct 7, 9, 11 | 3.3, 3.4 3.5 | 3.12, 3.13b (iii and iv), 3.14ace, 3.18, 3.21ab, 3.22bf | Oct 14 |
| Week 8 | Oct 14, 16, 18 | 3.9, 3.10 | 3.36, 3.38, 3.39, 3.41 | Oct 21 |
| Week 9 | Oct 21, 23, 25 | 4.1, 4.3 | 4.2abd, 4.3de, 4.5 (all parts), 4.21, 4.22, 4.24 | Oct 28 |
| Week 10 | Oct 28, 30, Nov 1 | 4.4, 1.7, 4.6 | 4.32, 4.34a, 4.35, 4.37, 4.42 | Nov 4 |
| Nov 4 | Midterm II | |||
| Week 11 | Nov 4, 6, 8 | 5.1 | 5.1 (by hand), 5.2 (using sage), 5.4 (a) | Nov 13 |
| Week 12 | Nov 13, 15 | 5.2, 5.3 | 5.5a (by hand), 5.5de (using sage), 5.7, 5.8, 5.9, 5.10abc (provide some details for 5.8, 5.10) | Nov 18 |
| Week 13 | Nov 18, 20, 22 | 3.8, 5.4, 5.5 | 5.13, 5.15 | Nov 25 |
| Week 14 | Nov 25, 27 | 5.6 | None | |
| Week 15 | Dec 2, 4, 6 | 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, review | 7.1, 7.3, 7.4, 7.6, 7.7, 7.11 | Dec 9 |
| Week 16 | Dec 9 | review | In class (11:00am-12:00pm, 2 Evans) | |
| Dec 11,13 | office hours in 999 Evans | Dec 11 (11:00am-12:00pm, 999 Evans), Dec 13 (11:00am-12:00pm, 2:00pm-5:00pm, 999 Evans) | ||
| Week 17 | Dec 16 | Final Exam (2 Evans, 12:30pm-2:30pm Monday Dec 16) |