Courses

01:640:104 - Introduction to Probability

General Information

Textbook:  For current textbook please refer to our Master Textbook List page

Credits: 3

The course gives a mathematical yet accessible and concrete introduction to probability. Most of the course is devoted to understanding how probability works, and how it is applied in a number of areas, including medical testing and some decision making. The end of the course discusses some statistics and applications. You will never be left wondering, "What is this good for? What does this have to do with real life?" 

This is an "elementary" course for liberal arts majors, in the sense that it does not presume any knowledge of precalculus or calculus. It is, however, more challenging than Math 103, and more focused in its subject matter. Many students who take Math 104 have already taken Math 103 or 106, although these are not prerequisites.

Math 104 is typically not appropriate for majors in STEM fields. Math 104 may not be used as an elective for the Mathematics major or minor, and may not be taken for credit simultaneously with or after a student has received credit for any of the following courses: 01:640:477, 01:198:206, 01:960:379, 01:960:381, 14:332:226.  But Math 104 may be taken for credit before any of the courses on this list, and some students find it helpful to do so, especially before 01:640:477.

Prerequisite: 01:640:026 or appropriate performance on the placement test in mathematics. May not be used as an elective for the math major or minor.

SAS Core Curriculum Learning Goals

Math 104 fulfills both the Quantitative Information (QQ) and Mathematical or Formal Reasoning (QR) learning goals of the SAS Core Curriculum: 
QQ: Formulate, evaluate, and communicate conclusions and inferences from quantitative information. 
QR: Apply effective and efficient mathematical or other formal processes to reason and to solve problems.

 

Hybrid sections

In fall 2017, there will be one hybrid and two traditional sections of the course, so that students can choose the format which is best for their learning style. The hybrid section implements the flipped classroom model, so that students first learn the subject matter, on their own time, from carefully working through a series of video lecture segments posted on Sakai interspersed with practice problems. The weekly class meeting follows up on the students' online work, beginning with a quiz on that work, and proceeding with a highly interactive workshop session. A hybrid section has only half the in-person class time of a regular section, but this does not mean that it requires half as much work! On the contrary, the hybrid format requires a certain extra discipline, to keep up with the online component of the course. But it does have the advantage that students can rewatch the videos as often as they need to, and can also benefit from a more interactive classroom experience. 

 

Syllabus

There is some variation between sections, but  this section  is representative of the course.

Previous semesters:

Schedule of Sections

Disclaimer: Posted for informational purposes only

This material is posted by the faculty of the Mathematics Department at Rutgers New Brunswick for informational purposes. While we try to maintain it, information may not be current or may not apply to individual sections. The authority for content, textbook, syllabus, and grading policy lies with the current instructor.

Information posted prior to the beginning of the semester is frequently tentative, or based on previous semesters. Textbooks should not be purchased until confirmed with the instructor. For generally reliable textbook information—with the exception of sections with an alphabetic code like H1 or T1, and topics courses (197,395,495)—see the textbook list.