Discrete Mathematics with Ducks 1st Edition

by Sarah-Marie Belcastro (Author)

39 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-1466504998

ISBN-10: 1466504994

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Containing exercises and materials that engage students at all levels, Discrete Mathematics with Ducks presents a gentle introduction for students who find the proofs and abstractions of mathematics challenging. This classroom-tested text uses discrete mathematics as the context for introducing proofwriting.

Facilitating effective and active learning, each chapter contains a mixture of discovery activities, expository text, in-class exercises, and homework problems.

Elementary exercises at the end of each expository section prompt students to review the material
Try This! sections encourage students to construct fundamental components of the concepts, theorems, and proofs discussed.
Sets of discovery problems and illustrative examples reinforce learning.
Bonus sections can be used for take-home exams, projects, or further study
Instructor Notes sections offer suggestions on how to use the material in each chapter

Discrete Mathematics with Ducks offers students a diverse introduction to the field and a solid foundation for further study in discrete mathematics and complies with SIGCSE guidelines. The book shows how combinatorics and graph theory are used in both computer science and mathematics.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

This book can certainly be used to teach the standard course in discrete mathematics designed for computer science majors. The lighter touch of duck references does amuse you and does not ever overshadow or disguise the mathematical concepts.
―Charles Ashbacher, MAA Reviews, August 2012

When I used Discrete Mathematics with Ducks in class, I assigned readings, and my students came to class full of questions and ideas. Every day we had a good time in one way or another; these classes were a highlight of my teaching career. I give a lot of credit to this book, thanks to the author's skill at blending rigor, great examples, casual humor, and precise writing.
―David Perkins, author of Calculus and Its Origins

I had a lot of fun teaching from Discrete Mathematics with Ducks! ... I think the discovery/exploratory/problem solving approach is ABSOLUTELY the way this course should be taught, and of all the discrete books I have looked at, this text does the best job of supporting that kind of approach to the subject while still giving enough of the material in writing to fill in the gaps. ... I found that the material provided and the instructor notes cut down on my prep time, and I definitely referred to them. Having the in-class activities included is a huge benefit to this book.
―Dana Rowland, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Merrimack College

... an incredible book ... readable by students, useful for instructors, and constructed with style and flair. This book will make it much easier to teach an exciting, student-centered discrete mathematics course that will also serve as an excellent introduction to advanced critical thinking, problem solving, and proofs. And there are ducks!
―Douglas Shaw, Professor of Mathematics, University of Northern Iowa

Hardcover: 538 pages
Publisher: CRC Press; 1 edition (June 21, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1466504994
ISBN-13: 978-1466504998
Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 39 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #470,086 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #86 in Books > Science & Math > Mathematics > Pure Mathematics > Combinatorics
- #195 in Books > Science & Math > Mathematics > Pure Mathematics > Discrete Mathematics
- #411 in Books > Textbooks > Computer Science > Operating Systems

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Andrew Roberts

Far and away the worst textbook I've used in 5 semesters of college.

May 6, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

The least useful textbook I've used as a math major by a mile. The non-stop, annoying "playfulness" and lack of explanation of several (if not most) theorems and formulas makes it nearly impossible to read. The book gives the simplest possible examples with little explanation, then several much more complex "Try This!" (not the homework section) problems with no provided answers or explanation.
Avoid at all costs.

5 people found this helpful

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dmena

Worst book of all time???

July 17, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Awful book, the author clearly has a very good grasp of Discrete Mathematics, but she simply doesn't know how to convey that information to her readers. She does a terrible job at explaining most of the topics.

4 people found this helpful

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M. E.

Bad book

March 8, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I've seen a lot of bad math books, but this one takes the cake. Most of the explanations make no sense, and it is absolutely not helpful at all. Reading it is a waste of time, it will not help you in your course at all.

2 people found this helpful

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Beetowa

Not for Beginners

July 10, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I had to purchase this textbook for a Discrete Math class and it was the first year that this professor had tried a new book. While I can tell that the author knows a lot about the topic, I found that it was not user-friendly to students without a background in Discrete Math. This was my first exposure to Discrete, and all of her explanations were in lengthy paragraph form without any tables or many visuals. On top of that, sometimes she wouldn't define her terms, so I ended up googling most of the topics that we were supposed to read about before class.

A friend of mine who had taken Discrete Math before said that she loved the book. It probably makes more sense if you already understand the subject and are delving further, but as a newcomer I was very lost.

4 people found this helpful

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Violet

Worst Textbook Ever.

February 3, 2014

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I have never a encountered such a vague, wordy, and overall terrible textbook such as this. The examples, (if you can even call them that) are unclear, poorly worded and the explanations are lacking in explanation, clarity, and diagrams. Instead of writing out a math problem, the author decides to "explain" it using words instead of showing the reader how to do it and how she solved it. The math is mixed in with the wordy explanations which make it difficult to read and follow. The answers to the examples are poorly explained. The only redeeming quality of this book is that the author included corny jokes that occasionally make one chuckle. If your professor is using this book DROP THE COURSE NOW. You will NOT adequately learn from this book.

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kenneth

Borderline incomprehensible.

April 1, 2014

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I don't know how this can pass as a mathematics book. I understand that discrete math has less emphasis on numbers than most other math subjects, but a math book should not have to be read like a poorly written novel. The book gets off on good footing for simple topics such as counting and sets, using concrete examples that are relatable (????) like the number of ways one can purchase different ice cream flavors from an ice cream store. However, when the book begins introducing new, unfamiliar concepts, everything goes downhill. The book trips over its own feet when trying to explain these new topics. They often lead to a long and dense casual conversation of an idea while trying to cram witty humor into it. The problems at the end of each chapter have no solution and the problems in the middle of the chapter that have a solution have no explanation. What irritates me most is that the examples in the book stop half way and at the end of the chapter ask you to finish it. It's lazy to use an example that was supposed to explain a concept to the reader as a problem the reader is expected to finish.

Overall, the book is incomplete in its explanation and practice problems. With that pointed out, I supposed this book would suffice as a supplement for those who have some experience in discrete math and are able to put together the pieces missing from this book.

Worst of all, if you're actually looking forward to the ducks (for some reason), they mention ducks 4 or 5 times throughout the 450 paged book.

4 people found this helpful

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Monica Swartz

great discrete math textbook.

March 1, 2014

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Its a really great book. It makes learning discrete a bit more entertaining and does a good job in explaining somethings like I'm 5 so I actually understand. There are some more difficult sections that do require you to reread, but if you do the problems for each section and just think about it some you'll understand it.

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Amazonian Customer

Fun and Engaging, but..

March 8, 2013

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

The breezy, conversational style is wonderful- and it's well written all the way through. Tough subjects are broken down into simple explanations that actually make sense, which is sort of rare in mathematics books. However, this book is not meant for self-study, as there aren't many typical problem sets with solutions. I wish that it had more questions with answers for those of us without an instructor to ask. Maybe a new edition could have a workbook with answers to address this? It's still a wonderful book, but removing one star for lack of solutions manual. The best way to get better at understanding is through practice, and what's the point of practicing doing something incorrectly? Solutions are important.

2 people found this helpful

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Most recent customer reviews

kcb

That would have worked out fine IF the book actually taught us anything

I had to use this book in a course that was set up as "reversed classroom". So, the point was to teach yourself the concepts with the book before coming to class, and then...Read more

Published 1 year ago

James M. Cargal

A fine text on combinatorics at the junior level.

Professor Belcastro did a good job of presenting relatively advanced combinatorics. I think most criticisms come from people misled by the title to expect something more...Read more

Published 1 year ago

Pibx

It's like going hunting and your choice of weapon is a ...

Lack of explanation. It's like going hunting and your choice of weapon is a dull rock, while your friends go to central market to buy free range chicken.

Published 1 year ago

Jie Yu

it's really a good book for not math major students to get a ...

it's really a good book for not math major students to get a basic idea of what discrete math is. Much helpful for students who have a good foudation for math

Published 1 year ago

Michael R. McCall

For some crazy reason, my college Discrete Mathematics 177 ...

For some crazy reason, my college Discrete Mathematics 177 class is required to use this book so I had to buy it. DO NOT BUY IT...Read more

Published 1 year ago

Manny

Terrible book, avoid at all costs

I don't understand why you would have problem sets without solutions - why?

Published on July 4, 2016

juicylemonz

This book get the worst-ever-written book award

The book is terrible. It's not concise at all. For example, the author talks about two principles and then out of nowhere says: "Oh, wait, we need to define one piece of...Read more

Published on January 6, 2016

J. Kelly

Not for those who dislike puns. Cardinality and ducks abound in this very ...

At first, I was a bit thrown because... well, ducks. But actually a very solid base for Discrete Math especially as pertains to Computer Science. Not for those who dislike puns.Read more

Published on January 17, 2015

Adam Avery

Humorous Discrete Math Text

It explains discrete mathematics in a funny way.

Published on December 29, 2014

Mike Monahan

Descretly No Help at All

Worst book ever. It functions like a workbook and has very, very little to no helpful guidance as other books may have.

Published on December 15, 2014

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