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Math 181a-e Syllabus Spring 1998
Required Text: Essential Arithmetic, Johnston, Willis, and Lazaris, Wadsworth, 7th Ed. Syllabus Internet Address: http://198.189.128.10:80/programs/math/syllabi/f98/181a2syl.htm
Instructor: George Drake: (530)541-4660x256
Office A202
Office Hours: Tuesday & Thursday: 3:15-4:15 (in A202); Wednesday from 5:00 to 5:50 in D125 until 10/28, then from 1:00 to 1:50 in A202 until the last week of classes.
These hours are for drop-in student counseling (i.e., I am there waiting for someone, anyone, to show up). If I appear to be busy, be sure to make your presence known, as I rotate questioning amongst all students who are in attendance. In addition, individual appointments may be made, but please observe the courtesy of attempting to meet your needs through the drop-in service as much as is practical. Thanks
Math 181a-e is a sequence of 5 one unit classes, referred to as "modules." Each module must be registered for separately, and each is graded separately. Because the course is taught as a combination of self-paced and group-led instruction, I recommend the student register for each class either as it commences as group-led or when s/he actually begins to work on the material of that module, rather than sign up early for a course s/he may not be prepared to finish when the quarter nears its end. The usual add and drop policies of the College are subject to special rules for modular classes such as these. The last day to add a module this quarter is Monday, November 23, 1998. The last day to drop a module is Monday, November 30, 1998.
HOMEWORK: Completion of Mat 181a-e (i.e., all five units) in one quarter's time requires that students do homework. When working homework: 1) With five exceptions, students are to read the appropriate sections or handouts prior to attempting any exercises. The exceptions are as follows (please mark them in your texts now): 1) On pages 151-153, the text describes the "Euclidean Algorithm." Do not read this material, nor use its method to work the exercises in section 3.3B. Instead, use the prime factoring and GCF methods only (see the handout entitled "The Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic" (FTA), which supplements the text on this topic.. 2) On pages 157-159, the text describes a "special algorithm." Do not read this material nor use its method to work exercises in section 3.4. Instead, use the prime factoring and LCM methods only (also see the "FTA handout"). 3) In section 4.8, students are to skip the portion entitled "finding the square root when the answer is exact" (pages 268-9) Students are not to work any of the problems numbered 11 through 20 in either set. 4) Section 8.3 is not to be read. Instead read the handout on Checking Accounts and use its exercises to replace those from the text in this section (working all of the exercises in the handout!). 5) Sections 11.1, 11.2 and 11.5 are not to be read. Instead read and use the handout entitled "Negative Numbers" to work the exercises in 11.1, 11.2, and 11.5. 2) When doing exercises from the text, students are expected to do every third exercise in both set I and set II--starting with number 1 (i.e., work numbers 1, 4, 7, etc.). If a problem has numerous subparts, a), b), etc., do each subpart as part of doing the problem itself (i.e., do not skip subparts). There are, however, four exceptions (mark them now). The first exception is section 4.7b, where you do not do #40 in either section. The second exception is section 4.8, (see above). The third exception is section 8.2B, where you start with #4. The fourth exception is section 8.3, where the exercises from the handout are to replace the exercises in the text. When doing exercises from handouts, students are expected to do every exercise. 3) When referring to the answer section in the back of the book, be aware of the conventions spelled out on page xiv, item 16, of your text (please read this reference before using the answer section!). 4) Answers to Set II exercises are available from the instructor or the aide during class time. 5)Review exercises are optional. 6) Students must show their homework to the instructor or the aide before taking the exams on each Chapter. 7) Students should take the chapter exams as soon as possible after having completed the homework in that chapter. This, in particular, is important when a module covers more than one chapter. Do not wait for a class-wide administration of the exam, as exams are given on an "individual need" basis. 8) Frequent review of these instructions, including which sections to cover (discussed later), will save you considerable confusion, especially regarding 8.2B and 4.8.
During the course orientation, you will be requested to fill out an estimate of your overall workload. The most common cause of lack of success in Mat 181a-e, without compare, is students having unrealistic self-expectations on how much work they can handle. The time to correct an overload is in the first few weeks of a quarter, not the last! The College’s late drop date for regular classes can seriously exacerbate the negative effects of poor planning on the student’s part. Do not wait until the deadline to drop classes if you are predictably overextended! Students do have the option of reducing the time spent outside of class with the understanding that the usual consequence is that Mat 181a-e may require more than one quarter to complete. This is not advised, and students are urged to talk with the instructor before choosing this route.
GENERAL INFORMATION: Attendance, although not considered in assessing final grades, is essential and required for success. Hand held calculators are not to be used for Mat 181a-c, but should be used in Mat 181d. They should also not be used during the portion of Mat 181e which involves manipulation of signed numbers (i.e., Chapter 11). Mat 181a-c involve extensive work with the basic operations, the mechanics of which will be taught. However, the basic facts, such as 7 x 4, 14-6, etc., must be memorized by the student, and virtually no class time will be devoted to this task. It is the student's responsibility to assess, and eliminate, his/her weaknesses in this area!
The following is an outline of sections and the dates when the homework related to them should be completed (if on a "5 unit track"). Students will be expected to obtain and read the handouts referred to herein. Handouts and lectures on these topics are expected to be delivered at the class meeting before the dates listed below. Occasionally circumstances arise during the quarter which necessitate minor changes, hence this list is somewhat tentative. If you need to know the exact date that a module begins and are not attending class regularly, consult me again nearer the proposed date. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain the handouts, and this is especially pertinent if attendance is sporadic.
Day One: orientation, placement, and Preface
Module: 181a Chapters 1 & 2, Casting Out Nines and Fundamental Theorem Of Arithmetic Handouts (lectures begin on 9/22).
9/24 §§1.1-1.4 + §1.8 + On the Digital Sum handout 9/29 §§1.5-1.7 + Finding Roots handout 10/1 §1.9 + §1.11 10/6 Fundamental Theorem handout §§1-4 + (book’s)§1.12 10/8 On Solving Word Problems handout + §§2.3-2.5
Module: 181b Chapter 3, Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic and Mnemonics handout (lectures begin on 10/8/98).
10/13 §§3.1-3.3 10/15 §§3.4-3.8 10/20 §§3.9-3.12 10/22 §§3.13-3.15
Module: 181c, Chapter 4.1-4.14 (4.8--no exact roots) (lectures begin on 10/22/98).
10/27 §§4.1-4.4 10/29 §§4.5-4.9 11/3 §§4.10-4.14
Module: 181d: Chapters 7.1 (optional), 6, & 8 (If you are not familiar with hand held calculators, do 7.1, but definitely do the sections in this order, if you do 7.1 at all) (Calculators may--in fact, should--be used throughout this module) (lectures begin on 11/3). 11/5 §§6.1-6.4 11/10 §§6.5-6.8 11/12 §6.9 + §§8.1-8.2 + Checking Account handout 11/17 (Note the same date as below) §8.4 + (see below)
Module: 181e: Chapters 11, 12.1-12.5, & 13.1-13.3 (13.4 optional) Negative Numbers Handout. (Calculators OK on all but Chapter 11) (lectures degin on 11/12).
11/17 (Note the same date as above) Adding and Subtracting Negative Numbers handout 11/19 §§11.3-11.4 + §§11.6-11.7 11/24 §§11.8-12.3b 12/1 §§12.3c-12.5 + §13.1 12/3 §§13.2-13.3 + §13.4 (optional)
Students will be tested on the first day of class to determine proper placement. If placed in a module other than Mat 181a, the student may elect to sign up only for the modules needed and is then only required to attend during those classes in which those modules are being covered. Because so many students forget to return to the class at the proper time, however, this option is not recommended.
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