MATHEMATICS FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES

The first part of the course will introduce the mathematical analysis of some important voting methods.
The course provides an introduction to essential mathematical concepts and tools which are useful for quantitative social sciences, including key concepts of calculus in one variable and of optimization.
This also serves as an introduction to thinking mathematically. Moreover the course aims to present some basic financial mathematical tools necessary for the analysis of financial problems.

The course aims at introducing students to the fundamentals of calculus in one variable. The course begins with the fundamental building blocks of mathematics, then covers essential topics such as derivatives and optimization.
At the end of the course students should have acquired the ability to analyze properties of functions of one variable and the ability to compute derivatives and they should be able to maximize/minimize a quantity described by a one variable function. Moreover students are expected to know and use the main concepts necessary to describe and understand main financing and investment instruments.

The course assumes that students have no mathematical background beyond secondary school algebra.

• Voting methods
• Introductory topics
• Functions of One Variable
• Properties of functions
• Differentiation
• Derivatives in use
• Single-Variable Optimization
• Topics in Financial Economics

E. A.Robinson. Autore · D.H. Ullman. The Mathematics of Politics. CRC Press, 2016
K. Sydsæter and P. Hammond. Essential Mathematics for Economic Analysis. Pearson, 2012

Grading is determined by a final written test with exercises and questions , a project about voting theory, and two sets of problems.

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Lectures and pratice sessions.

Ca’ Foscari applica la Legge Italiana (Legge 17/1999; Legge 170/2010) per i servizi di supporto e di accomodamento disponibili agli studenti con disabilità o con disturbi specifici dell’apprendimento. Se hai una disabilità motoria, visiva, dell’udito o altre disabilità (Legge 17/1999) o un disturbo specifico dell’apprendimento (Legge 170/2010) e richiedi supporto (assistenza in aula, ausili tecnologici per lo svolgimento di esami o esami individualizzati, materiale in formato accessibile, recupero appunti, tutorato specialistico a supporto dello studio, interpreti o altro) contatta l’ufficio Disabilità e DSA disabilita@unive.it.