Fall 2026
MATH-1100-R02
is CRN (course reference number) 47052, 3 credits.
The home page for this course is
https://markmeretzky.com/fordham/math/1100/
MATH-1100 demonstrates fundamental mathematical ideas needed to analyze real-world problems. Topics include basic mathematical finance, logic, sets, counting principles, probability, and random variables. Three different types of mathematical thinking are encountered: deductive mathematical logic, probabilistic reasoning, and mathematical modeling.
MATH-1100 satisfies the Mathematical and Computational Requirement in Fordham’s Core Curriculum.
MATH-1100 covers six main topics:
We start with simple and compound interest. Compound interest is more complicated, but you eventually get more money.
When you withdraw money from the bank, you usually make unequal withdrawals at unequal intervals, depending on your changing financial needs. An annuity is a series of equal withdrawals made at equal intervals. Because the amounts and intervals are always the same, there are formulas to easily compute the present and future values of the annuity.
Conversely, a series of equal deposits made at equal intervals can be used to build up a sinking fund to meet some future obligation. And a similar series of uniform payments can be used to amortize a debt. (The “mort” in amortize means “put to death”; your payments will methodically kill the debt in a given length of time.)
Mathematical logic gives us a notation for drawing logical conclusions, analogous to our algebraic notation for computing numerical results. For example, algebra uses variables such as x and y to represent numbers, while mathematical logic uses variables such as p and q to represent propositions, which are statements that could be either true or false. Recall, for example, the most famous proposition in American political thought, in the first sentence of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
In algebra, we combine numeric variables with numeric operators such as + and − to form expressions such as “x+y” or “x−y”. In mathematical logic, we combine logical variables with logical operators such as and and or to form expressions such as “p and q” or “p or q”. For example, we can form “all men are created equal and all women are created equal”.
In algebra, we can display the possible results of a numeric operator in the rows of a table. For example, the sum is 2 when both addends are 1:
| x | y | x+y |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1 | 1 | 2 |
In mathematical logic, we can display the possible results of a logical operator in the rows of a table. For example, the conclusion is true when both conjuncts are true:
| p | q | p and q |
|---|---|---|
| false | false | false |
| false | true | false |
| true | false | false |
| true | true | true |
Finally, algebra has laws for changing an expression
into another one that has the same numeric value.
For example,
−(x+y) = (−x) + (−y)
Similarly, mathematical logic has laws
(such as
De Morgan’s)
for changing a logical expression
into another one that has the same conclusion.
For example,
not (p and q) = (not p) or (not q)
Incidentally, in the formal notation of mathematical logic,
the above line would be written with the symbols
¬ (p ∧ q) = (¬ p) ∨ (¬ q)
A set is a collection of objects. All of mathematics can be defined and constructed in terms of sets. For example, later this semester our study of counting principles, probability, and random variables will be stated entirely in terms of sets. [Here’s a more extreme example, suitable for a university such as Fordham where philosophy is a required subject. There are infinitely many sets, so a philosopher of mathematics might conceive of the infinite series of positive whole numbers 1, 2, 3, etc. as actually being a series of sets. But note that a working professional mathematician who uses numbers would not normally be concerned with their implementation as sets. That way of thinking is only for researchers into the foundations of mathematics.]
We can perform operations on one or more sets, such as forming their union, intersection, and complement. For example, the intersection of two sets is their overlap, i.e., the set of members that the two sets have in common. An operation on one or more sets can be visualized with a Venn diagram, usually looking like the three-ring logo of Ballantine beer or the five rings of the Olympic Games.
A Venn diagram also lets us count the total number of members in intersecting (overlapping) sets. For example, making a diagram of the addition principle can help us answer a question of the following type. “A math class consists of 22 math majors and 16 physics majors, with 7 of the students majoring in both math and physics. What is the total number of students in the class?” The student perusing this syllabus is invited to draw a diagram and fill in the numbers to get the correct answer (15 + 7 + 9 = 31).
We also investigate methods for counting the members of other kinds of sets. For example, “If a jacket comes in four sizes and three colors, how many combinations are there?” The multiplication principle shows there are 12 combinations:
| small | medium | large | extra large | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| red | small red | medium red | large red | extra large red |
| green | small green | medium green | large green | extra large green |
| blue | small blue | medium blue | large blue | extra large blue |
Another thing we can count is the number of permutations (orderings) of the members of a set of objects. For example, a set of three objects a, b, c has a set of six possible permutations:
To get into the spirit of the course, how many possible permutations would a set of four objects have?
We also count the number of combinations of the members of a set. For example, if a committee has ten members,
The laws of probability begin with the definition of certain sets. The set of possible outcomes of an experiment is called the sample space for the experiment. Each of these possible outcomes is called a simple event. A set of simple events is called an event.
For example, an experiment might be a toss of a coin or a throw of a die. (“Die” is the singular of “dice”). The sample space of a throw of a die is a set containing six simple events: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. An event might be a set consisting of the three simple events 2, 4, 6; we call this event “getting an even number”.
Since each event is a set, we can form the complement of an event, and the union and intersection of two events. We can compute the probability of each of the above, and express it as a percentage (e.g., 40%) or as a statement of odds (2 out of 5).
The study of conditional probability takes into account whether two events are relevant to each other, or whether they are truly independent. For example,
One way to compute the conditional probabilities of the various outcomes of an experiment is to draw a branching diagram of the family tree of possible outcomes, labelling each branch with its probability as we work outwards from the trunk to the twigs. Bayes’ theorem will let us compute the probability of each final outcome by walking along each path in the tree from trunk to twig, collecting the probabilities along the way.
Armed with the information provided by a random variable, we can draw a graph such as the notorious bell curve (also known as the normal distribution) to show the probability distribution of all the possible outcomes of an experiment. And we have a formula for computing the expected value of a typical outcome of an experiment. For example, the expected value derived from tossing a fair die is 3.5, because this number is the average of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
An experiment with only two possible outcomes (e.g., tossing a coin) is called a Bernoulli trial. To answer a question about Bernoulli trials, such as “what is the probability of getting five heads in a set of ten coin tosses?” we can use another type of probability distribution, called a binomial distribution. This will require a foray into high school algebra, so we will take leave of you with an inspirational couplet from the Major-General’s song in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance:
About binomial theorem I’m teeming with a lot o’ news.
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.
Mark Meretzky’s
office is
340 JMH
(John Mulcahy Hall),
but he is sometimes in the nearby room 333.
You can Zoom him, or email him at
mmeretzky@fordham.edu.
And he can meet you on the Rose Hill campus an hour before or after class
for individual help.
He’s also on campus on Thursday afternoons until his 6:00 pm C++ class
CISC-1600.
Please contact him.
MATH-1100-R02
will meet from 11:30 am to 12:45 pm
on the following Mondays and Thursdays in Fall 2026,
and also on Tuesday, October 13 (the day after Columbus Day).
This calendar is determined by the
Undergraduate
Academic Calendar
for the School of Professional and Continuing Studies.
The two midterm examinations will (tentatively) be
on October 5 and November 12, 2026.
According to the Fordham
Final
Exam Schedule for Undergraduates,
the final examination will be on Monday, December 14, 2026,
9:30–11:30 am.
2026
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MATH-1100-R02 meets in room 311 of Faculty Memorial Hall, 2540 Belmont Avenue, in the Rose Hill (Bronx) campus of Fordham University.
George Washington and Edgar Allan Poe used to hang out (although not at the same time) at Nolan’s Hotel, at the northwest corner of Fordham Road and Webster Avenue. Today this site is occupied by Kennedy’s Chicken & Burgers, across the street from the Metro North station. For upscale dining, check out the Italian restaurants on nearby Arthur Avenue.
The textbook is Finite Mathematics for Business, Economics, Life Sciences, and Social Sciences, 14th edition, by Raymond A. Barnett, Michael R. Ziegler, Karl E. Byleen, and Christopher J. Stocker. Students are not required to purchase a physical copy of this expensive textbook.
Students must purchase access to MyLab Math (for the online homework) using the link on Blackboard and their Fordham email address. MyLab Math will also give the student electronic access to the textbook.
A scientific calculator is required for MATH-1100. The recommended (but not compulsory) model is the solar and battery powered Texas Instruments TI-30XIIS. I purchased mine at the Staples in Manhattan at 767 Broadway (at Ninth Street). Here’s its guidebook.
High school algebra is the only prerequisite for MATH-1100. This course has no trigonometry or calculus.
Handouts, notes, class announcements, and grades will be posted in Blackboard. Homework scores can be found in MyLab Math.
The numerical grade will be computed using the following formula.
| 15% | Online homework |
| 15% | Written homework |
| 20% | Midterm 1 |
| 20% | Midterm 2 |
| 30% | Final examination |
Grades will be assigned according to the following table.
| Letter Grade |
Approximate % Grade Range |
|---|---|
| A | 93–100 |
| A− | 90–92 |
| B+ | 87–89 |
| B | 83–86 |
| B− | 80–82 |
| C+ | 77–79 |
| C | 73–76 |
| C− | 70–72 |
| D | 60–70 |
| F | 0–69 |
Students are expected to take notes, review them, do the weekly homework, and prepare for midterms and final.
The maximum number of absences allowed is four, as per Fordham’s policy. More than four absences will lower your grade by one letter.
MATH-1100 has two in-class midterms and a cumulative final exam,
which are tentatively scheduled in the above calendar.
Make-up tests will be permitted only for excused absences.
To qualify for a make-up test,
the student must contact the instructor within 24 hours of the absence by
phone or email
(mmeretzky@fordham.edu)
and be prepared to follow the college’s
policy
on excused absences.
Textbooks or notes are not permitted.
A formula sheet will be provided.
There are two types of homework.
Late homework will only be accepted with the permission of the instructor.
You can’t use Artificial Intelligence for written homework, quizzes, midterms, and the final. If the instructor suspects you of using AI, he will ask you to do the problem on your own, in front of him, without the help of AI. If you can’t do it, he will assume you are in violation of the Fordham Standards of Academic Integrity. Serious stuff.
By being enrolled at Fordham University, students are bound to comply with the University Code of Conduct, which includes the Academic Integrity Policy. Read them.
Here are links to the
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act,
all members of the campus community are entitled
to equal access to the programs and activities of Fordham University.
If you have (or think that you might have)
a disability that may impact your participation
in the activities, coursework, or assessment of this course,
you may be entitled to accommodations through the
Office
of Disability Services.
You can contact them at 718-817-0655,
disabilityservices@fordham.edu,
or by visiting room 131 on the ground floor of Faculty Memorial Hall
on the Rose Hill campus.
Whether or not you have documentation for accommodations,
your success in this class is important to your instructor.
If there are aspects of the course that are not accessible to you,
please let him know as soon as possible
so that we can work together to develop strategies
to meet both your needs and the requirements of the course.
Please contact your advisor if you are unable to attend class or do any work.
Help is available!
mmeretzky@fordham.edu.
Some members of the Fordham community are known by a name
other than their legal name.
Students who wish to be identified by a chosen name can
email the instructor at
mmeretzky@fordham.edu
to request that their chosen name and/or pronoun be used.