Course syllabus
(If this page is the only page you can see, please go to the Home page in the menu to the left. If you cannot do so, but you should be registered on the course, please contact Dag Wedelin - see below for mail address.)
About the course
The course is mainly intended to strengthen your mathematical thinking, and your ability to apply such thinking in applications, and in your continued studies. The focus in not on mathematical knowledge in the traditional sense, but on the often implied abilities needed to effectively be able to apply any mathematics you already know, and efficiently be able to learn new mathematics. The most important parts are mathematical reasoning, problem solving and mathematical modelling. Important aspects such as using the computer to support your mathematical thinking, and to be able to communicate with and about mathematics are also integrated in the course. It is our experience that independently of your prior level of experience with mathematics, the course provides a deeper perspective in all these areas.
The core of the course is a number of carefully selected problems, where you by working in an investigative way develop your abilities. We also have lectures which provide a broader understanding, follow-up and perspective. The problems will engage you in mathematical thinking both within mathematics itself and in different realistic applications, and in this way the gap between mathematical theory and relevant applications is bridged.
The overall structure of the course is given by the weekly modules:
1. Introduction
2. Functions, equations and geometry I
3. Functions, equations and geometry II
4. Mostly optimization
5. Mostly dynamic systems
6. Mostly probability and statistics
7. Mostly discrete mathematics
8. Conclusion and final report
The learning objectives are found in the official course plan. The course plans for the different course codes are similar.
For detailed information about the modules see the Modules page.
Contact details
Dag Wedelin (examiner and course responsible) dag at chalmers.se
Alexey Pavolotskiy (teacher modules 3 and 4)
Per Bjerkeli (teacher modules 5 and 6) per.bjerkeli at chalmers.se
Birgit Grohe (teacher) birgit.grohe at cse.gu.se (please email only, no Canvas messages)
Denitsa Saynova (TA) saynova at chalmers.se
Lovisa Hagström (TA) lovhag at chalmers.se
Herman Bergström (TA) hermanb at chalmers.se
Pablo Martinez Crespo (TA) pabloma at chalmers.se (modules 2 and 6)
Eduard Neagoe (TA) neagoe at chalmers.se
Chukwudumebi Ubogu (TA) ubogu at chalmers.se
For administrative questions about assignments, groups etc., contact Birgit Grohe (first see the general instructions).
Student representatives and course evaluation
TKGBS josefin.dejeborn at gmail.com Josefin Dejeborn Holmes
TKGBS sixten.ekbladh at gmail.com Sixten Ekbladh
https://www.chalmers.se/utbildning/dina-studier/planera-och-genomfora-studier/kursvardering/
Schedule
The course will be campus-based, although there will be elements of blended learning, with prerecorded lecture clips etc. The schedule may vary slightly from week to week, see the TimeEdit schedule (available from the start page) and the specific information for each module.
Examination and grading
The course is examined continuously module by module through compulsory submissions and by attending compulsory activities. To pass the course, all modules must pass. The compulsory activities are attendance in all follow-up lectures (normally Wednesdays, course weeks 2-8), and a final meeting (scheduled during the later days of the examination week, calendar week 12).
For grading, points are awarded to each module as follows:
Module 1: pass 2p
Module 2-7: pass 2p (pass core problems), good 3p (pass all problems in the first submission)
Module 8: pass 4p, good 6p, brilliant 8p (quality of final report)
For the modules 1-7 we assess each problem in a module using a single pass level, where you need to understand the problem but don’t need to solve it perfectly. Beyond passing, a better solution does not affect the grade. For module 8 the assessment is based on the quality of the report.
See the General module instructions for more detailed information about the grading of modules.
The final course grade is determined by the point total:
18-23 points → grade 3
24-26 points → grade 4
27-28 points → grade 5
If you should not complete the course in time, and need to come back next year, it is in your best interest to keep copies of your solutions to enable future assessment.
Course literature
There is no compulsory course literature. Reading instructions will be provided in connection to the modules.
Changes made since the last occasion
Main changes 2025:
- Updated grading system
- A number of detailed updates
Course summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|