Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Sciences

Course Outline
Programmes: 07BAMS, 07BOSC
Course Name: Mathematical Structures

Course Code: MAS501S

Compiled by: B.E Obabueki

STATEMENT ABOUT ACADEMIC HONESTY AND INTEGRITY
All staff and students of the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), upon signing their
employment contracts and registration forms, commit themselves to abide by the policies and rules of the
institution. The core activity of NUST is learning and in this respect academic honesty and integrity is very
important to ensure that learning is valid, reliable and credible.
NUST therefore does not condone any form of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism and cheating on
tests and assessments, amongst other such practices. NUST requires students to always do their own
assignments and to produce their own academic work, unless given a group assignment.
Academic Dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:
• Using the ideas, words, works or inventions of someone else as if it is your own work.
• Using the direct words of someone else without quotation marks, even if it is referenced.
• Copying from writings (books, articles, webpages, other students’ assignments, etc.), published or
unpublished, without referencing.
• Syndication of a piece of work, all or part of an assignment, by a group of students, unless the
assignment was a legitimate group assignment.
• The borrowing and use of another person’s assignment, with or without their knowledge or
permission.
• Infringing copyright, including documents copied or cut and pasted from the internet.
• Asking someone else to prepare an assignment for you or to write or sit an assessment for you,
whether this is against payment or not.
• Re-submitting work done already for another course or programme as new work, so-called self-
plagiarism.
• Bringing notes into an examination or test venue, regardless of whether the notes were used to copy
or not.
• Receiving any outside assistance in any form or shape during an examination or test.

All forms of academic dishonesty are viewed as misconduct under NUST Student Rules and Regulations.
Students who make themselves guilty of academic dishonesty will be brought before a Disciplinary
Committee and may be suspended from studying for a certain time or may be expelled. All students who are
found guilty of academic dishonesty shall have an appropriate endorsement on their academic record, which
will never be erased.

COURSE INFORMATION

COURSE CODE AND TITLE:

MAS501S – Mathematical Structures

DEPARTMENT:
Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science

PROGRAMME:
Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and Statistics (07BAMS) and Bachelor of Science
(07BOSC)

CONTACT HOURS:
4 hours per week for fulltime students and 3 hours per week for part time students

NQF LEVEL AND CREDIT:

NQF level 4; 12 credits

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The ability to study, enjoy, and apply Mathematics to everyday activities and further studies relies
on one’s level of logical reasoning. This course gives the student the general basic mathematics of
reasoning, including Set Theory, Boolean Algebra, Algorithm Design, and Methods of Proof.

PRE-REQUISITES:
None
COURSE DELIVERY METHODS:
Face-to-face classroom lectures and discussions, online lectures and discussions, face-to-face and
online tutorial sessions.
The following communication tools will be used in this course:
Students are encouraged to be part of WhatsApp groups created for this course. Lecture notes are
made available on Moodle. However, these notes do not replace class attendance. Hence class
attendance is very important.
Course Format:
This course is mainly theoretical. However, the theory learnt will be applied to practical scenarios
especially in the logic and programming sections.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
Lectures for Semester 1 of 2024 start on 5th February 2024.

LECTURER INFORMATION
Lecturer’s name: Mr. BE Obabueki
Email: bobabueki@nust.na
Office phone: 061-2072373
Office location: Room 2.216, Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences building, Windhoek campus.
Consultation hours: All lecturers are available for consultation with students. Consultation times can be
found on the doors of lecturers’ offices.

STUDENT READINESS

Technology & Equipment Readiness:

The use of modern technology assists students in their studies. You need a laptop to access
and keep your electronic notes, a cell phone to communicate with your colleagues on
WhatsApp groups etc.
Course Resources:
Logic is better taught in a face-to-face setup. This allows for discussions/diverse views and
immediate responses. Where necessary lecture notes are made available on Moodle.
However, students are encouraged to have the following prescribed book(s):
Prescribed Reading:
Essential Computer Mathematics
By Seymour Lipschutz
Schaum’s Outline Series
McGraw-Hill
ISBN: 0-07-037990-4

STUDENT LEARNING

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course of study, you should be able to....
• Perform arithmetic in different number bases and convert numbers from one base to another
• Demonstrate understanding of set theory and prove some common set identities
• Construct and use truth tables of equivalent Boolean expressions
• Identify logic gates and use logic gates in the construction of simple circuits
• Design algorithms in flowcharts and pseudocode
• Apply various methods of proof

SYLLABUS
1. Number Systems
1.1 Binary Number System
1.1.1 Addition
1.1.2 Subtraction
1.1.3 Conversion between binary and decimal
1.2 Octal Number System
1.2.1 Addition
1.2.2 Subtraction
 1.2.3 Conversion between octal and decimal
1.3 Hexadecimal Number System
1.3.1 Addition
1.3.2 Subtraction
1.3.3 Conversion between hexadecimal and decimal
1.4 Arbitrary Number Systems
1.4.1 Addition
1.4.2 Subtraction
1.4.3 Conversion between numbers in arbitrary bases
2. Set Theory
1.1 Definition of a set and cardinality; Listing; Property definition; Set builder notation.
1.2 Subsets; Empty set; Union; Intersection; Complement relative to a universal set
1.3 Difference and symmetric difference
1.4 D’ Morgan’s theorems and proofs
1.5 Venn diagrams and applications

3. Logic and Truth Tables

3.1 Propositions versus Statements
3.2 Conjunction, Disjunction and Negation; Compound propositions
3.3 Compound Propositions and Truth Tables
3.4 Tautologies and Contradictions
3.5 Logical Equivalence: Algebra of Propositions
3.6 Conditional and Bi-conditional Statements
3.7 Arguments
3.8 Logical Implications

4. Boolean Algebra, Logic Gates and Logic Circuits

4.1 Introduction
4.2 Logic gates and Circuits
4.3 Introduction to Boolean Algebra
4.4 Boolean Expressions and Logic Circuits
4.5 Simplification of Boolean Expressions

5 Algorithms, Flowcharts and Pseudocode Programs

5.1 Introduction
5.2 Computer Programs: Variables and Constants
5.3 Flowcharts and their Language
5.4 Loops
5.5 Initialization: Counters, Accumulators and Do Loops
5.6 Pseudocode Programs

6 Methods of Proof
6.2 Introduction
6.2.1 Axioms, Theorems, Lemmas and Corollaries
6.2.2 If …, then … statements
6.2.3 If, and only if statements
6.2.4 Necessary and Sufficient Conditions
6.3 Direct proof
6.4 Constructive proof
6.5 Proof by Contrapositive
6.6 Proof by Contradiction
6.7 Uniqueness proof
6.8 Proof by Induction
6.9 Counter Examples
COURSE SCHEDULE:

Weeks Topic
1–3 Number System
4–6 Logic and Truth Tables
7–9 Algorithms, Flowcharts and Pseudocode
Programs
10 – 11 Boolean Algebra, Logic Gates and Logic Circuits
12 – 13 Partial Fractions
14 – 17 Methods of Proof

IMPORTANT DATES:
NOTE: The following dates are subject to change based on the needs of the students at the lecturer’s
prerogative. Students will be notified ahead of time of any changes.

Friday 15 March 2024 Test 1

Friday 24 May 2024 Test 2
Friday 31 May 2024 Supplementary / Make-up Test

ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION:

OPTION 1 – END OF SEMESTER EXAMINATION
Assessment Weight
Class test 1 33%
Class test 2 33%
Assignment 1 17%
Assignment 2 17%
Semester mark 100%
End of semester examination 100%
Final: (60% of semester mark + 40% of end of semester examination) 100%

Minimum pass requirement for this course: A student requires a minimum of 40% in the semester mark to
qualify for the end of semester examination. To pass the course, a student must have a minimum of 50% in
the final mark provided the end of semester examination mark is 40% or more.

OPTION 2 (Emergency times like covid-19)

Assessment Weight
Assignment 1 (Online) 15%
Assignment 2 (Online) 15%
Test 1 (Face-to-face) 20%
Test 2 (Face-to-face) 40%

There will be only one make-up test that will cover the entire syllabus. This test will replace a missed test for
students that missed one or more tests. Where a student had written all tests, but the semester mark is
below 40%, the make-up test will replace one of the tests in an attempt to upgrade the semester mark to a
maximum of 50%. To pass the course, a student must have a minimum of 50% in the final mark.

COURSE POLICIES
General Academic Policies:
It is the student's responsibility to be familiar with and adhere to NUST’s Policies. These Policies can
 be found in NUST Prospectus or online at www.nust.na/prospectus
In terms of NUST policies, a student may not attend classes or write assessments in a course for
which he/she is not registered. Marks obtained in a course prior to registering for such course will
not be considered for assessment purposes.

DATE REVISED: 01 February 2024

FAILURE TO PAY FEES:

A student who fails to pay his/her fees may not be allowed to write the examination and if allowed, the
results will be withheld until all outstanding fees are paid in full.

IMPORTANT STUDENT SERVICES AT NUST

There are a variety of services which you can use at the NUST. These services are to your advantage – Use
them!!! They include the following:
• Student Counseling and Career Development – Department: Students Services
• Writing Centre and student academic problems –Teaching and Learning Unit (CTL)
• Campus Health and Wellness Centre (CHWC) - Student Services’/ NUST Clinic

AUTHORISATION:
This course is authorised for use by:

___________________________________ 05 February 2024

__________________________
Head of Department Date

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT BY STUDENT

(To be completed by all students on the course, detached from the course outline and kept on record in
the department)

I, (insert name), (Student number), hereby acknowledge that I have received this course outline for (insert
course title and code), and that I have familiarised myself with its content, in particular the statement about
academic honesty and integrity. I agree to abide by the Policies and arrangements spelt out in this course
outline.

_________________ _______________________
Signature of Student Date