Editing Finite mathematics

{{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.

==Textbooks==
* 1957: Kemeny, Thompson, Snell, ''Introduction to Finite Mathematics'', (2nd edition 1966) Prentice-Hall<ref>[[Duncan Luce]] (1957) [[American Mathematical Monthly]] 64:688</ref><ref>[[Mathematics Magazine]] 30(5):272</ref><ref>H.E. Chrestenson (1964) ''American Mathematical Monthly'' 71(7): 813</ref><ref>H.J. Ricardo (1975) ''American Mathematical Monthly'' 82(6): 681–4</ref>
* 1959: Hazelton Mirkil & Kemeny, Thompson, Snell, ''Finite Mathematical Structures'', Prentice-Hall
* 1962: Arthur Schliefer Jr. & Kemeny, Thompson, Snell, ''Finite Mathematics with Business Applications'', Prentice-Hall<ref>G.M. Kaufman (1963) ''American Mathematical Monthly'' 70(10): 1116</ref>
* 1969: [[Marvin Marcus]], ''A Survey of Finite Mathematics'', Houghton-Mifflin<ref name=GCD>G. C. Dorner (1971) ''Mathematics Magazine'' 44(4): 223–6</ref>
* 1970: [[Guillermo Owen]], ''Mathematics for Social and Management Sciences, Finite Mathematics'', [[W. B. Saunders]]<ref name=GCD/>
* 1970: Irving Allen Dodes, ''Finite Mathematics: A Liberal Arts Approach'', McGraw-Hill<ref name=GCD/>
* 1971: A.W. Goodman & J. S. Ratti, ''Finite Mathematics with Applications'', Macmillan<ref name=GCD/>
* 1971: J. Conrad Crown & Marvin L. Bittinger, ''Finite Mathematics: a modeling approach'', (2nd edition 1981) [[Addison-Wesley]]<ref>J.D. Emerson & K. Larson (1981) ''American Mathematical Monthly'' 88(5): 357</ref>
* 1977: Robert F. Brown & Brenda W. Brown, ''Applied Finite Mathematics'', Wadsworth Publishing
* 1980: L.J. Goldstein, David I. Schneider, [[Martha Siegel]], ''Finite Mathematics and Applications'', (7th edition 2001) [[Prentice-Hall]]
* 1981: John J. Costello, Spenser O. Gowdy, Agnes M. Rash, ''Finite Mathematics with Applications'', [[Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich]]
* 1982: James Radlow, ''Understanding Finite Mathematics'', PWS Publishers
* 1984: Daniel Gallin, ''Finite Mathematics'', [[Scott Foresman]]
* 1984: Gary G. Gilbert & Donald O. Koehler, ''Applied Finite Mathematics'', [[McGraw-Hill]]
* 1984: Frank S. Budnick, ''Finite Mathematics with Applications in Management and the Social Sciences'', [[McGraw Hill]] 
* 2011: Rupinder Sekhon, [https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/396 ''Applied Finite Mathematics''], [[Open textbook|Open Textbook Library]]
* 2015: Chris P. Tsokos & Rebecca D. Wooten, ''The Joy of Finite Mathematics'', [[Academic Press]]

==See also==
* {{slink|Business mathematics#Undergraduate}}
* [[Discrete mathematics]]
* [[Finite geometry]]
* [[Finite group]], [[Finite ring]], [[Finite field]] 
* [[Finite topological space]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Mathematics education]]