I officially restarted my Discrete Mathematics preparation this week. My goal is to pass CM1020 Discrete Mathematics so I can complete the PBA route and move forward into the full University of London BSc Computer Science degree.
This week, I started reading Kenneth Rosen, Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications, focusing on Sets. I began last Monday and, by Wednesday morning, I reached Naive Set Theory, page 118.
Since Wednesday’s study session is already done, this plan starts from Thursday and runs until Sunday, with 1 hour per day.
The goal this week is not full mastery yet. The goal is to complete a first-pass understanding of Sets.
Main Goal for the Rest of the Week
By Sunday, I want to finish my first-pass understanding of:
- Subsets
- Equal sets
- Cardinality
- Empty set
- Power set
- Union, intersection, difference, and complement
- Venn diagrams
- Set identities
- De Morgan’s laws for sets
- Computer representation of sets
This is my reminder to myself: do not overcomplicate this. I am building the foundation slowly.
Study Resources for This Week
- CM1020 REPL Module Page: https://world-class.github.io/REPL/modules/level-4/cm-1020-discrete-mathematics/
- REPL GitHub Module Page: https://github.com/world-class/REPL/tree/master/modules/level-4/cm-1020-discrete-mathematics
- MIT 6.042J Mathematics for Computer Science: https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-042j-mathematics-for-computer-science-fall-2010/
- MIT 6.042J Video Lectures: https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-042j-mathematics-for-computer-science-fall-2010/video_galleries/video-lectures/
- TrevTutor Discrete Math Resources: https://trevtutorvideos.wordpress.com/discretemath/
My rule for this week: Rosen is the main resource. Videos are only for support when the book feels too abstract.
Progress Already Completed
| Day | Status | Completed |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Wednesday | Done | Started Rosen Section 2.1 on Sets and reached Naive Set Theory, page 118. |
Rest-of-Week Study Plan
| Day | Focus | Topics | Output Before Stopping |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | Continue Rosen 2.1 from page 118 to page 125 | Set membership, common number sets, set-builder notation, subsets, equal sets, cardinality, empty set, power set | Make 5 mini examples: set, subset, not subset, empty set, and power set |
| Friday | Start Rosen 2.2, pages 127–130 | Union, intersection, difference, complement, Venn diagrams | Draw 3 Venn diagrams: A ∪ B, A ∩ B, and A − B |
| Saturday | Continue Rosen 2.2, pages 130–133 | Set identities, De Morgan’s laws, membership-table thinking | Write De Morgan’s laws in plain English and symbols |
| Sunday | Finish Rosen 2.2, pages 134–135 + review | Computer representation of sets, mixed review, weak spots | Create a one-page Sets cheat sheet + answer 10 practice questions |
Daily 1-Hour Structure
- 10 minutes: Math refresher or notation warm-up
- 30 minutes: Slow Rosen reading
- 15 minutes: Examples or exercises
- 5 minutes: Write what I understood and what confused me
Important reminder: If one paragraph blocks me, I will mark it with a question and move on. I do not need to understand everything perfectly on the first reading.
Practice Exercises If Time Allows
| Day | Practice |
|---|---|
| Thursday | Rosen 2.1: Exercises 4, 5, 8, 12 |
| Friday | Rosen 2.2: Exercises 1–5 |
| Saturday | Rosen 2.2: Exercises 14, 15, 17, 18 |
| Sunday | Mixed review: pick 5 wrong or confusing items and redo them cleanly |
What “Done by Sunday” Means
By Sunday night, I should be able to explain these without looking:
- What a set is
- What x ∈ A means
- The difference between listing method and set-builder method
- What A ⊆ B means
- What P(A) or the power set means
- What A ∪ B means
- What A ∩ B means
- What A − B means
- What the complement of a set means
- The plain-English meaning of De Morgan’s laws
Personal Note
I am restarting this slowly and seriously. I attempted Discrete Mathematics before, but I withdrew mid-term due to health issues. This time, I am preparing earlier, using interactive tutoring, daily math refresher work, and a more structured plan.
The goal is not to rush. The goal is to build proof confidence, notation confidence, and problem-solving stamina.
Reminder to myself:
Rose, we are not solving the whole degree today. We are training the next skill that gets you closer to passing Discrete Mathematics.
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