Beginning Proofs, MAA 3200
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Most of the exercises this semester will be proofs, rather than calculations. Often the emphasis in advanced mathematics is on "What's true, and why?" rather than "What's the numerical answer?". If you just aren't used to that, I'd suggest starting with True-False practice. For this to be really effective, ask yourself how you would justify your answers.
This page is intended for use in the first 2 weeks of the MAA 3200 course, maybe through Velleman Ch 3. ASAP, study sample proofs from the text, and my lectures, and try the exercises. Velleman's "How to Prove It" is probably the gentlest introduction to proofs I've ever seen. But you can also find the basics of logic in any Discrete Math book, for example. There is also a more advanced book by Morash, mainly on proofs, on reserve in the FIU library.
If you ever get stuck, you can tell me what kind of help you need. For now, why don't you try these drills:
Proofwriting, Part I, "and"
and "or" exs
Proofwriting, Part II, "if-then"
exs (see thm 3.3.2 below, for a harder example)
Proofwriting, Part III, quantifier exs
I have written quite a bit about proofs for my Linear Algebra classes over the years. You can probably find this material thru my home page if you want.