ICS 141 Spring 2025 General Course Information

Catalog Description

ICS 141: Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science I (3 credits) Includes logic, sets, functions, matrices, algorithmic concepts, mathematical reasoning, recursion, counting techniques, and probability theory. Pre: MATH 215 or 241 or 251A.

Student Outcomes

  • Understand foundations of mathematics and symbolic techniques in the context of problem solving.

  • Apply formal methods of symbolic propositional and predicate logic.

  • Learn about the algebra of sets, functions, sequences, and summations.

  • Understand the formal metrics for measuring the growth of functions (big-O, Ω, and Ө) and apply these metrics to analyzing the complexity of algorithms (both iterative and recursive algorithms).

  • Learn how numbers are represented in binary and other bases, and as a product of primes.

  • Understand mathematical reasoning by understanding and exercising several proof techniques, such as direct proofs, proof by counterexample, proof by contraposition, proof by contradiction, mathematical induction, and strong induction.

  • Demonstrate basic counting principles, compute permutations and combinations, and interpret the meaning in the context of the particular application.

  • Understand discrete probability concepts – calculate probabilities of events and expectations of random variables, differentiate between dependent and independent events, understand and apply Bayes theorem to dependent events.

Textbook

  • K. H. Rosen, Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications, 8th Edition, McGraw Hill

Instructor

Kyle Berney

  • Office: POST 314C

  • Email: berneyk@hawaii.edu (Put “ICS 141” in the subject line.)

  • Office Hours: Thursday 11:00am-12:00pm (in POST 314C)

Teaching Assistant

Moseli Motsoehli

  • Email: moselim@hawaii.edu (Put “ICS 141” in the subject line.)

  • Office Hours: Monday 11:30am-1:00pm (in POST 303C)

Assistant Teaching Assistants

Tyler Mak

  • Email: tylermak@hawaii.edu (Put “ICS 141” in the subject line.)

  • Office Hours: Thursday 6:00pm-8:00pm (via Zoom, meeting information in Laulima)

Zeyao Zhou

  • Email: zeyaoz@hawaii.edu (Put “ICS 141” in the subject line.)

  • Office Hours: Monday 10:30am-11:45am (in POST 318A) and Wednesday 6:00pm-6:45pm (via Zoom, meeting information in Laulima)

Lecture Time & Location

  • All sections: Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:30pm-2:45pm in HIG 110

Recitation Time & Location

  • Section 1: Friday 1:30pm-2:45pm in MSB 100

  • Section 2: Friday 1:30pm-2:45pm in MSB 100

  • Section 3: Friday 3:00pm-4:15pm in MSB 100

Communications

Questions about Course Content

In general, questions about course content such as concepts, clarifications of assignments, etc. should be posted to the Laulima discussion forum of the week. This is because (1) other students can see our responses there, and thus also benefit; and (2) other students may notice the question and answer before the instructor or TA notices it. If you email us a question, we will post the reply in Laulima unless personal information is involved.

Personal Topics

For topics that are not of interest to other students or are personal, you may email us, or stop by office hours. (Of course you may also use office hours for course content questions.) If using email, put “ICS 141” in the subject line.

Communication with other students (e.g., group members)

You can send email to other students in the course using the Laulima “Mailtool”. You don't need to know their real email address to do this.

Online Media

We use the course website https://www2.hawaii.edu/~berneyk/ics141/sp25/ for posting schedules, lecture notes, and homeworks.

We use Laulima for communication and discussions. Please see this document on everything Laulima users should know.