The Department of Mathematics and Statistics offers teaching subjects that cater for a wide range of abilities and backgrounds, and satisfy the needs of various student groups by providing:
Subjects are offered in specialist areas of mathematics and mathematical statistics, as well as in mathematical methods (designed in part as service studies for subjects offered by other departments). Areas for which specialist subjects are offered include algebra, analysis and geometry, applied and computational mathematics, statistics and probability, astronomy and astrophysics, atmospheric science, management science, fluid dynamics and mathematical geophysics. Subjects designed specifically for the faculties of Engineering, Arts, and Computing and Information Technology are listed in the handbooks for those faculties.
All mathematics subjects are presented through a lecture program together with supporting tutorials and/or laboratories and practical work.
Assessment is carried out by means of assignments, tests and tutorial work during the semester, and examinations at the end of the semester. In higher years, assessment is also carried out by project work and thesis. It is the responsibility of each student to ascertain the assessment requirements for any subject in which he or she is enrolled.
For first, second and third-year mathematics subjects offered at the Clayton campus, the fourth digit (0, 1 or 2) in the subject code indicates the semester in which it is given, where 0 indicates that streams of the subject are available in first and second semester and sometimes in summer semester. For some mathematics subjects not offered at the Clayton campus, the fourth digit in the subject code may be 5, 6 or 7.
Information concerning mathematics subjects and sequences can be obtained from departmental members as follows:
Associate Professor Neil Cameron
Dr Pam Norton
Dr Michael Page
Dr Michael Reeder
Dr Bob Griffiths
Associate Professor John Stillwell
Professor Roger Grimshaw
Important notices will be posted on the department notice boards. Students are expected to consult them regularly. Their locations in the mathematics building at the Clayton campus are as follows: first year - first floor lift lobby; second year - ground floor lift lobby; third year - ground floor lift lobby; fourth year - first floor east wing; astrophysics - third floor lift lobby.
Seven first-year BSc mathematics subjects are available in 1998, although students are permitted to enrol in a maximum of five. Two of the subjects are general, principally service subjects for disciplines such as biology, chemistry, computer science, earth sciences, physics and psychology, as well as mathematics and statistics. The subject MAT1130 (Graphs, logic and numbers) also has a service role, being recommended for students of computer science. Details of all first-year mathematics subjects are provided in the individual subject entries. The department also offers the subject ASP1022 (Life and the universe), described in the `Astronomy and astrophysics' entry in this handbook.
The subject MAT1000 is only normally available to students in the BSc(SciSchProg) and BSc(AdvMath&Comp) courses.
First-year mathematics subjects are each worth six points. Each has three one-hour lectures and at least one one-hour tutorial, laboratory or equivalent per week. Major and minor sequences in mathematics must include at least twelve points of mathematics subjects at first-year level.
There are several possible routes to undertaking either a minor or a major sequence in mathematics, depending on the areas of a student's interests. The department currently offers programs at higher years in a range of areas of mathematics, including algebra, analysis and geometry; applied and computational mathematics, statistics and probability, astrophysics, atmospheric science, management science, fluid dynamics and mathematical geophysics. Information sheets with suggested programs for each of these areas will be available from the department from late 1997. Students are advised to consult the first-year prerequisites for second and higher-year subjects in their area of interest before finalising their enrolment. As a general rule, it is often advisable to choose a set of first-year subjects which leave several options open at higher years.
A common sequence for students intending to take second-year mathematics subjects are MAT1010 (Mathematics I) and MAT1020 (Mathematics II), for students who have completed VCE Specialist Mathematics at levels 3 and 4, or MAT1050 (Mathematical methods I) and MAT1080 (Mathematical methods II) otherwise. Students intending to pursue studies in management science or probability and statistics may substitute MAT1060 (Statistical methods) for one of the above subjects.
A common first-year sequence for students not intending to take second-year mathematics is MAT1050 (Mathematical methods I) and MAT1060 (Statistical methods), one in each semester.
All first-year students should obtain a copy of the department's booklet General information for first-year students, which will be available during orientation week.
The subject MAT1060 (Statistical methods) is also offered at the Gippsland campus and through distance education mode as part of the mathematics program taught by the School of Applied Sciences (Coordinator: Associate Professor Philip Rayment).
Coordinator: Dr Michael Reeder
The Department of Mathematics and Statistics offers second-year subjects in mathematical methods, including calculus and linear algebra, as well as in a broad range of specialist areas including analysis, computational mathematics, differential equations, discrete mathematics, statistics and probability, astronomy and astrophysics, atmospheric science, fluid dynamics and management science. There are many possible combinations of subjects. Information sheets with suggested programs for a range of interest areas will be available from the department from late 1997.
Details of the prerequisites for second-year mathematics subjects are provided in the individual subject entries. First-year students intending to undertake either a major or a minor sequence in mathematics should consult the prerequisites for second-year subjects before finalising their enrolment. The first-year Faculty of Engineering subjects MAT1910 and MAT1920 are acceptable alternatives to MAT1010 and MAT1020, and the first-year Faculty of Computing and Information Technology subjects MAT1811 and MAT1812 are acceptable alternatives to MAT1050 and MAT1080.
The subject MAT2000 is only normally available to students in the BSc(SciSchProg) and BSc(AdvMath&Comp) courses.
Second-year mathematics subjects are each worth four points. Each subject has two one-hour lectures and one one-hour practical or equivalent per week. Major and minor sequences in mathematics must include at least sixteen points of mathematics subjects at second-year level.
The School of Applied Sciences offers some of the second-year subjects at the Gippsland campus and through distance education mode (either every year or in some cases in alternate years) as part of its mathematics program. These are: MAT2020 (Coordinator: Dr David Wilson), MAT2030 (Coordinator: Dr Jill Wright), MAT2061 (Coordinator: Associate Professor Philip Rayment), and MAT2222 (Coordinator: Associate Professor Philip Rayment).
Details concerning prerequisites for third-year mathematics subjects are given in the third-year subject entries, and these should be consulted by second-year students intending to proceed to third-year studies in mathematics.
Coordinator: Dr Robert Griffiths
The Department of Mathematics and Statistics offers a broad range of mathematics subjects at third-year level. Many of these subjects are intended for non-specialist third-year mathematics studies. Specialist subject areas include algebra, analysis and geometry, applied and computational mathematics, statistics and probability, astrophysics, atmospheric science, management science, fluid dynamics and mathematical geophysics. Students should consult with a mathematics adviser at enrolment on their choice of subjects. Information sheets with suggested programs will be available from the department from late 1997.
Details of the prerequisites for third-year mathematics subjects are provided in the individual subject entries.
The subject MAT3000 is only normally available to students in the BSc (SciSchProg) and BSc(AdvMath&Comp) courses.
Third-year mathematics subjects are each worth four points. Each subject has two one-hour lectures per week. A major sequence in mathematics must include at least twenty-four points of mathematics subjects at level three of the BSc schedule, no more than two of which should be selected from the second-year subjects listed at that level.
Some third-year mathematics subjects are also available under different subject codes as part of the astronomy and astrophysics, atmospheric science or geophysics disciplines. Subjects which form part of either a major or minor sequence in mathematics should be taken under the mathematics subject code.
The department offers an honours program at fourth-year level available to students with sufficiently high marks in at least twenty-four points of third-year mathematics subjects. Students intending to study honours should discuss their choice of third-year subjects with the coordinator.
Coordinator: Associate Professor John Stillwell
The Department of Mathematics and Statistics offers a single subject MAT4000 to mathematics students at the honours level. The program normally consists of seven lecture units in addition to an essay unit and the completion, under supervision, of a major project. A list of the fourth-year lecture units will be available at enrolment. A limited number of third-year subjects, or units from other departments, may be substituted for fourth-year units, as approved by the coordinator.
The prerequisite for honours studies in mathematics is an average of at least credit grade in twenty-four points of third-year mathematics subjects, or equivalent.
The department also offers the subjects ASP4000 and ATM4000 for honours-level studies in astrophysics and atmospheric science. Further details of these subjects are provided under the fourth-year entries for those disciplines in this handbook.