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MAT 154A – Section 1
Intermediate Algebra
Spring 2013
Instructor:
Bruce Armbrust, phone:541-4660x314, email:
bruce.armbrust@hotmail.com
Office Hours:
Room A210, Mon, Wed
1:00 – 2:00 PM
Tues
8:30 – 9:30 AM
Thurs
12:30 – 1:30 PM
MSC A201,
Fri
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
And as always, by appointment.
Class Time and Location:
Tues. & Thurs. 9:30 - 11:20 AM, D125
Textbook (Optional):
Beginning and Intermediate Algebra,
5th Edition, Elayn Martin-Gay
Required Software:
It is required to have a software license to use the software MyMathLab
in this class. You must have a valid e-mail address to use the on-line
curriculum.
Students have two choices. The first choice
is to purchase the textbook from the bookstore. The textbook comes with the
software license. Note: If you purchase a used textbook, it may not have a valid
course access code. Be VERY careful when acquiring the text. The second
choice is to purchase the license alone either from the bookstore or
online at pearsonmylabandmastering.com. The license gives you access to the
textbook online. This is a more economical choice, but is only recommended to
students who have online access and feel comfortable reading a computer screen
instead of a traditional book. If you have already purchased an access code
for Math 152A or Math 152B for this textbook, you may also use it for this class
at no extra cost.
To access our class page,
go to
pearsonmylabandmastering.com
and register using your student access code and the course ID for this class:
armbrust66517
For assistance with MyMathLab:
You may get help by calling 1-800-677-6337 during the following hours: Mon – Fri
5:00 AM – 5:00 PM & Sunday 2:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Online assistance is available 24
hours every day at: 247pearsoned.custhelp.com
Calculator:
A scientific calculator is required for this course.
Graphing calculators will not be allowed on exams.
Course Description:
MAT 154A is a continuation of MAT 152B and covers functions and inverses,
exponential and logarithmic functions, sequences and series, and conic sections,
quadratic equations, and systems of quadratic equations.
Prerequisite:
A grade of C or better in MAT 152B, or appropriate skills demonstrated through
the Math assessment process.
Student Learning Objectives:
1. Apply the course topics to real-world situations.
Course Grade:
Your final letter grade will be based on the usual grading scale:
A 90-100%, B 80-89%, C 70-79%, D 60-69%, F 0-59%
The following items will make up the course grade:
Homework:
15%
Quizzes:
15%
Exam1 (May 7):
20%
Exam2 (June 4):
20%
Final Exam (June 25):
30%
You may check your grades at any point in the quarter by accessing the grade
book in MyMathLab.
Homework:
Homework is due each
Sunday by midnight. You will be using the MyMathLab website to work on
your homework. Feel free to consult a fellow classmate, a tutor, your
instructor, or anyone else for assistance on the homework. While graded homework
assignments close Sundays at midnight, there are versions of the homework
assignments that never close. You may work on these homework assignments all
quarter. These assignments do not count towards your grade, and are provided so
that you may use them as a study and review aid. These assignments are all named
with the suffix 'Late'.
Quizzes:
Each week you will be required to take a quiz on MyMathLab.
The quizzes are designed to help you prepare for exams, and will be made
up of problems that are very similar to the problems from your homework
assignments. The quizzes may be
taken as often as you would like before the due date/time.
Your lowest quiz score will be dropped.
Because of this, there will be no make-up quizzes.
Before you take the quiz, make sure that you have done the guided exercises,
read the textbook sections for the week, looked at the video(s), and received
assistance from either a tutor or your instructor on any difficult topics.
Please ask for help if you need it. If you do not take a quiz, a zero will
be recorded for that grade. Quizzes must be completed by midnight each
Sunday.
Exams:
Students are to bring a pencil and blank scratch paper to each exam.
If you cannot make it to an exam (final not included), you may take it up
to 2 school days prior to the scheduled date with proper arrangements.
Otherwise, the exam may be made up after the scheduled date with a
penalty of 10% per day. The final must be taken by June 25th.
Registration Information:
You may drop the class with no penalty or mark on your record until May 3.
After May 3, you may drop the class and receive a grade of W until May
24. After May 24, if still
enrolled, you will receive a grade of A, B, C, D, F or I.
Learning Disabled Students:
Students with disabilities who may need accommodations for this class are
encouraged to notify me and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) early
in the quarter so that reasonable accommodations may be implemented as soon as
possible. Students may contact the DRC by visiting the Center (located in
room A205) or by phoning 541-4660, ext. 249 (voice) or 542-1870 (TTY for deaf
students). All information will remain confidential.
How to Succeed in a Math Class:
I am often asked how to successfully pass a math class, and here is my advice:
I) Come to every class session. Be
prepared, and plan on participating.
II) Do your homework. Remember that
what I assign is what I consider a bare minimum.
If you need more practice, do it.
III) Read the book. You paid good
money for it, so you might as well use it.
IV) Make use of available tutors and my office hours.
You will find tutors who know the subject matter in this course at the
Math Success Center (MSC).
V) Do math every day. Math is just
like everything else: if you don’t practice, you become rusty.
Technology in the Classroom:
All cell phones, laptops, headphones, MP3 players, iPods, etc, must be turned
off and put away prior to the start of each class.
No electronic devices may be used during and exams.
Academic Dishonesty:
Academic dishonesty of any form will not be tolerated.
Students caught cheating on exams will receive a score of zero on the
assignment and the dropping of lowest quiz score will be forfeit.
Students may work together on homework assignments (and, in fact, are
encouraged to) as long as all students understand the material covered.
A Few Words on Computer Mediated Classes: This course is not like a “traditional” course. The majority of the work done in the learning will be done by you while working with the computer. We will have mini-lectures in class, but these will be short and cover only the key concepts. This kind of course is great if you learn well when using a computer, like to work at your own pace, need more flexibility in your schedule, or have trouble in a “traditional” class. If you are uncomfortable with using computers or don’t want to do as much work as in a “traditional” class, this section is not for you. This hybrid course WILL NOT be easier that the other sections and will require just as much work (if not more).
Course Schedule:
The following is a tentative schedule.
If things change, I will let you know.
April
9
4.4
Introductions, Systems of Linear Equations in 3 Variables
11
8.2
Functions and Their Graphs
16
8.3
Transformations of Functions
18
11.3, 11.4
Quadratic Equations, Quadratic and Rational Inequalities 23
11.5
Graphs of Quadratic Functions
25
11.6
Graphs of Quadratic Functions (cont)
30
12.1
Function Algebra
May
2
12.2
Inverse Functions
7
Exam I
9
12.3
Exponential Functions
14
12.4
Logarithmic Functions
16
12.5
Properties of Logarithms
21
12.6
Logarithms of Different Bases
23
12.7
Logarithmic and Exponential Equations
28
13.1
Parabolas and Circles
30
13.2
Ellipses and Hyperbolas
June
4
Exam II
6
13.3, 14.1
Systems of Nonlinear Equations, Arithmetic Sequences
11
14.2
Geometric Sequences
13
14.3
Series
18
14.4
Arithmetic and Geometric Series
20
14.5
Binomial Theorem
25
Final Exam
Note: The final is from 11:00 am – 12:50 pm |