Florida Atlantic University
Spring 2021
Markus Schmidmeier

Mathematical Problem Solving

Homework assignments

All problem numbers refer to our textbook by P. Zeitz, The art and craft of problem solving, 3rd edition.

Please send me your solutions as a single pdf-file by e-mail. The file name should contain your name. You may scan in your handwritten work.

As a rule, it is not necessary to submit work on all assigned problems, three (3) correct and nice solutions should do. Note the emphasis on nice: Good explanations and presentation count!
Textbook
Sections

Problems
 

due
 

Chapter 2: Strategies.
Section 2.1
To warm up, why not try some sudokus? Here are some samples: Web Sudoku.
I recommend to print the sudoku large.

Some problems from the book: Problems 2.1/ 11, 12, 17, 18.
Homework is due on Friday, January 15. Please send me, for example, two sudokus and two problems from the book!
Section 2.2: Getting started 2.2/ 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 23 Friday, January 22.
Section 2.3: Methods of argument 2.3/ 11, 12, 14, 15, 29, 34 Friday, January 29.
Section 2.4: Other strategies 2.3/ 16, 21; 2.4/ 7, 8, 10, 11 Friday, February 5.
Chapter 3: Tactics. 2.4/ 13, 14, 28, 29; 3.1/ 13, 25 Friday, February 12.
Section 3.1: Symmetry 3.1/ 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21 Friday, February 19.
Section 3.2: Extreme Principle 3.2/ 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14 Friday, February 26.
Section 3.3: Pigeonhole Principle 3.3/ 10, 13, 15, 19, 20, 28 Friday, March 5.
Section 3.4: Invariants 3.3/ 14, 23; 3.4/ 17, 18, 19, 20 Friday, March 12.
Section 3.4: More invariants 3.4/ 22, 27, 28, 29, 34, 37 Friday, March 19.
Chapter 9: Calculus 9.2/ 8, 10, 11, 13, 17, 18. In each problem, please describe how you found the solution! Friday, March 26.
Please see the update on the course web page regarding the final exam.
Last day for the 2nd presentation:
Final exam Part One due:
Friday, April 2
Section 9.3: Differentiation and integration 9.3/ 11, 12, 16, 18, 19, 22 Friday, April 9

Last modified:  by Markus Schmidmeier