FIU MAD 2104: Discrete Mathematics
MAD 2104 is the math department's discrete mathematics course — logic, sets, functions, matrices, Boolean algebra, and graph theory — and the alternative to COT 3100 in FIU's computing degree plans. It's also taken by IT and other tech-adjacent majors who need the discrete foundation without the full CS theory track.
Fennie is independent and not affiliated with Florida International University. This is an unofficial study guide.
Build my MAD 2104 study planWhat makes it hard
The topics change character every two weeks — logic feels like puzzles, matrices feel like calculation, graph theory feels like geometry — so momentum from one unit doesn't carry to the next. Students used to formula-driven math courses struggle with the units that require constructing arguments, because partial credit follows the reasoning, not the final answer.
What you'll cover
- • Propositional logic and truth tables
- • Sets, functions, and relations
- • Matrices and matrix operations
- • Boolean algebra
- • Graphs and trees
- • Counting basics
The MAD 2104 study guide
How to study for FIU MAD 2104, step by step.
- 1
Reset your study approach at every unit boundary
MAD 2104 changes character every couple of weeks. When a new unit starts, do fresh practice problems immediately rather than assuming last unit's momentum transfers — it doesn't.
- 2
Show reasoning on everything
Partial credit follows the argument, not the answer. Practice writing the justification line even on problems you can do in your head, because the exam graders read it.
- 3
Build truth tables until they're reflexive
The logic unit is the foundation the rest quietly reuses — Boolean algebra is logic in costume, and graph arguments lean on it too. Make truth tables and equivalences automatic early.
- 4
Draw every graph problem
Graph theory questions reward a sketch — vertices, edges, degrees labeled — before any reasoning. Most wrong answers in this unit come from working blind.
- 5
Keep every unit warm with Fennie
Upload your MAD 2104 materials and Fennie's Daily Plan rotates spaced review across the units so logic stays sharp when graph theory needs it, generating mixed quizzes from your actual content before each exam. Free to start.
Start my MAD 2104 plan free
How Fennie helps with MAD 2104
Fennie's Daily Plans handle MAD 2104's shape-shifting structure by rotating review across units, so each topic stays warm even after the course has moved on. Use chat to walk through a proof or a counting argument when the logic stalls, and run mixed generated quizzes before exams — the format the tests actually use.
FAQ
Is MAD 2104 hard at FIU?
Moderately — it's less proof-heavy than COT 3100 but more abstract than algebra or calculus. The honest difficulty is its variety: six topics with different flavors, so students who excel at one unit can stumble at the next without steady practice.
Does MAD 2104 count the same as COT 3100 for FIU CS?
Yes — FIU computing degree plans list them as alternatives, and prerequisites downstream (COP 3530, CDA 3102) accept either. Pick based on schedule and teaching style; there's no hidden penalty for either route.
How do I study for MAD 2104 exams?
Practice problems from every unit in mixed sets, and write out the reasoning even when the answer is obvious. Exams pull from the whole covered range and grade the argument, so unit-by-unit cramming and answer-only practice both underperform.
Pass MAD 2104 with a plan, not a cram
Upload your MAD 2104 materials and Fennie generates a Daily Plan paced to your deadline — plus chat, flashcards, and quizzes built from the actual course content.
Get started freeMore FIU courses
MAC 1105 — College Algebra
MAC 1105 is FIU's college algebra course — functions, polynomials, rational expressions, exponentials, and logarithms — and one of the university's highest-enrollment gateway courses. FIU runs it through a redesigned lab-based model with software-driven homework and required hours in the Mastery Math Lab.
MAC 2311 — Calculus I
MAC 2311 is FIU's first calculus course — limits, derivatives, applications of differentiation, and the start of integration — required for engineering, computer science, and the physical sciences. It's a 4-credit, exam-weighted gateway course and a designated checkpoint in FIU's STEM pipeline.
MAC 2312 — Calculus II
MAC 2312 is FIU's second calculus course — integration techniques, applications of the integral, sequences and series, and parametric and polar topics. It continues the engineering and science core, and it carries the sequence's heaviest reputation.