0 - Introduction

Course Description:
This course is a proof-based calculus. It aims to develop students’

ability to communicate mathematical ideas and facts in both written and
oral form. In this course, the students will be acquainted with and even
master the process of creating mathematics. Also, this course will prepare
the students for taking up higher mathematics. In this course, the
students are on the verge of discovering the foundations for several rules
which have been successfully in use for some time. It provides a
preliminary discussions on logic and proof; the Real numbers; and
sequences and series.
Introduction
In this course we will discover the foundation of rules of numbers
which have been successfully in use for some time. In conducting this
class everybody is encourage to participate, collaborate, and present
proofs of the assigned theorems. It is allowed and, in fact, required to
criticize the person on the board for flaws or incomplete arguments.
Criticism has to be levelled in a professional manner, in particular, it has
to be free from any personal insults. At the same time you have to learn
to accept criticism without taking it personally. By learning to stand up for
your ideas (or to accept that you made a mistake) you may get something
out of this course which is of value not only in mathematics.
The rules
The following rules will be in force.
(1) Everybody will be required to present proofs of theorems. You will have the
proof written out on paper and present it to the class.
(2) The audience (including the instructor) may challenge a statement made in
the course of the proof at any point.
(3) If the presenter is able to defend the challenged statement, he or she can
proceeds; if not, the presenter must sit down earning points based on the
rubrics for this problem.
(4) A proof of a theorem will be considered correct if no one has objections.
(5) While presenting proofs you may only refer to those axioms and which occur
before the one you are working on.
(6) The instructor has the final decision on determining whether an argument
may stand or not.
The Language of mathematics
Mathematics is a highly formalized subject. In many ways learning it is similar

to learning a foreign language. This language rests on two (tightly interwoven)
pillars: logic and set theory. In this course we assume that you have a basic
familiarity (possibly unconsciously) with both.
Statements (true or false) are the bread and butter of mathematics. The
more important kind of statements are Axioms, Definitions, and Theorems
• Axioms- statement that is assumed to be true without proof. The axioms, in fact,
characterize the theory. Changing an axiom means to consider a different theory.
Euclidean geometry, for instance, relies on five axioms. One of them is the axiom of
parallels. After trying for centuries to infer the parallel axiom from the other axioms
mathematicians of the nineteenth century developed non-Euclidean geometries in which
the parallel axiom is replaced by something else.
• Definitions: A mathematical definition specifies the meaning of a word or phrase leaving

no ambiguity. It may be considered an abbreviation. For instance, the statement “A prime
number is a natural number larger than one such that if it divides a product of two
natural numbers it divides one of the factors." Defines the word prime number.
• Theorems: A theorem is a true statement of a mathematical theory requiring proof. It is

usually of the form “p implies q". For example the theorem “If n is even, then n2 is
divisible by 4." is of this form. Sometimes, when a statement hinges only on the axioms,
the theorem could simply be something like “2 is a prime number.".
Many authors also use the words lemma and corollary.
Logically these are theorems
• Lemma — a minor result whose sole purpose is to help in

proving a theorem. It is a stepping stone on the path to
proving a theorem.
• Corollary — a result in which the (usually short) proof relies

heavily on a given theorem (we often say that “this is a
corollary of Theorem A”).
COURSE CONTENT
CHAPTER 1. PRELIMINARIES
1. Mathematical Statements and their Negation
2. Methods of Proof
3. Common Errors in Proof Writing
CHAPTER 2 THE REAL NUMBERS
2.1 The Algebraic and Order Properties of R
2.2 Absolute Value and the Real Line
2.3 Open and Close set in R
2.3 The Completeness Property of R
2.4 Archimedean Principle and Density of Rational
2.5 Extended Reals
2.6 Mathematical Induction
CHAPTER 3 SEQUENCES AND SERIES
3.1 Sequences and Their Limits
3.2 Limit Theorems
3.3 Monotone Sequences
3.4 Subsequences and the Bolzano-
Weierstrass Theorem
3.5 The Cauchy Criterion
3.6 Properly Divergent Sequences
3.7 Introduction to Infinite Series

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Course Description:

This course is a proof-based calculus. It aims to develop students’

Mathematics is a highly formalized subject. In many ways learning it is similar

• Definitions: A mathematical definition specifies the meaning of a word or phrase leaving

• Theorems: A theorem is a true statement of a mathematical theory requiring proof. It is

• Lemma — a minor result whose sole purpose is to help in

• Corollary — a result in which the (usually short) proof relies

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