Editing Finite mathematics (section)

{{Short description|Syllabus in college and university mathematics}}
{{hatnote|This article is about a syllabus in post-secondary education. For the branch of mathematics that deals with finite sets, see [[Discrete mathematics]]. For the philosophical idea that infinite mathematical objects do not exist, see [[Finitism]].}}

In [[mathematics education]], '''Finite Mathematics''' is a [[syllabus]] in college and university mathematics that is independent of [[calculus]]. A course in [[precalculus]] may be a prerequisite for Finite Mathematics.

Contents of the course include an eclectic selection of topics often applied in social science and business, such as finite [[probability space]]s, [[matrix multiplication]], [[Markov process]]es, finite [[Graph (discrete mathematics)|graph]]s, or [[mathematical model]]s. These topics were used in Finite Mathematics courses at [[Dartmouth College]] as developed by [[John G. Kemeny]], [[Gerald L. Thompson]], and [[J. Laurie Snell]] and published by [[Prentice-Hall]]. Other publishers followed with their own topics. With the arrival of [[software]] to facilitate computations, teaching and usage shifted from a broad-spectrum Finite Mathematics with paper and pen, into development and usage of software.