07/15/10 Math E-10 Precalculus Fall Course Requirements

Transcription

1 07/15/10 Math E-10 Precalculus Fall 2010 Course Requirements Instructor: David Arias, Ed.D. Web page: You need your Harvard PIN to log in. Class Hours: Lectures - Tuesdays 5:30 7:30 p.m., Sever Hall 310 (Aug 31 Dec 14) Review Section - Mondays, 6:30-7:30 pm, room TBA (Sep 13 Dec 06.) *No School in Sep 06 and Oct 11. Required Text: Functions Modeling Change: A Preparation For Calculus, 3rd Edition, Connally, Hughes Hallett, Gleason, et al., (available at the Harvard Coop) Prerequisites: According to its course description in our catalogue, Math E-10 is an intensive course for students with superior algebra skills. Thus, although algebra concepts will be used extensively in our course, time in class or review sections will not be used to teach concepts from Math E-8, College Algebra. You must master the following skills before taking Precalculus: How to solve linear equations and systems of linear equations. If you need to review, work on pages 55 to 60 from our textbook. How to solve inequalities. You may go to for a review. How to factor quadratic algebraic expressions and how to solve quadratic equations by factoring and by using the quadratic formula. If you need to review, work on pages 99 to 104 from our textbook. How to solve a quadratic equation by completing the square. If you need to review, work on pages 239 to 242 from our textbook. How to use properties of exponents. If you need to review, work on pages 146 to 149 from our textbook. How to solve logarithmic and exponential equations. If you need to review, work on pages 189 to 192 from our textbook. How to simplify algebraic functions. If you need to review, work on pages 441 to 445 from our textbook. You may also review the topics outlined above from the Text and Text solutions posted at by Mr. Eric Connally. 1

2 Calculator: A graphing calculator will be extensively used and is required. Graphing calculators are available at the the Harvard Coop. The instructor is familiar with the following models from Texas Instruments: TI 83, TI 83plus, TI 84, and TI-84 plus. If your calculator is not mentioned in the list above, he will be able to help you if you bring your calculator s guidebook. Access to Internet: Homework and its solution, sample tests and their solutions, solutions to additional problems from the book, and updates about the course will be posted on our web page (accessible from computers at Harvard s libraries.) Please make sure that you have your PIN number and password by the first class meeting. Homework: Homework is absolutely essential to success in any mathematics course. This course will require one problem set per class. Homework will be graded and returned (with solutions) by the next class meeting. Homework Policy: Homework is due at the beginning of the following class. Regarding the rules of academic honesty, I advise you to read Writing with Sources, posted at before doing your first homework. If you cannot come to class or anticipate that you will be late to class you may mail your homework to: David Arias Andover High School 80 Shawsheen Rd. Andover, MA Homework must be postmarked by the date the homework is due. Any homework turned in more than 15 minutes after the beginning of lecture and before the solutions are handed out (during next class) will receive half credit. No homework will be accepted after the solutions have been posted on our web page. *The two lowest problem-set scores will be dropped to consider situations such as: student was sick, student had an accident, student was late to class, student had to travel out of town, student could not attend review section; student could not attend class; student mailed homework and it did not reach its destination; student has a heavy course load, etc. If you think that you would be missing homework regularly due to any reason during the semester, I would advise you to plan accordingly. In general, there is not extension of homework deadline. 2

3 Homework Format: The problem sets should be neatly and logically presented. Some suggestions follow: work should be presented vertically; at least one space should be left between problems; the problem numbers and final answers should be clearly marked (preferable circled or underlined); and the problem sets should be stapled. The instructor will solve many problems during class. The clarity of his solutions will be a sample of the clarity you need to show in your homework. If your solution is not clear to the instructor, you will not get credit for it. Remember that writing well and clearly (in any discipline) is a way of showing respect for your own work. Take pride in what you have done! If you miss a lecture, you are still responsible for handing in homework on time. Find out about assignments by visiting the instructor s web page or by ing a message to him. Messages will be answered from Monday to Friday, from 9 pm. to 10 pm. Tests and the Final Exam: There will be three 60-minute tests and a two-hour final exam. Tests will be given in September 21, October 19, and November 16. No make-up tests will be given for any reason. If you cannot attend one of the tests, your grade will be calculated according to Scheme B below. The final exam will be given in December 14. If you cannot take the final exam in December 14, you have to file an appeal to the makeup Examinations Committee, at the Extension School. After evaluation of your case, the committee might (or might not) allow you to make-up the final exam at a later date. Any change of tests and final exam dates will be communicated to you very well in advance. If a no-school day is officially declared on any of our test dates, mentioned above, the corresponding test will be given during the next class meeting. If you want us to mail you your final exam, bring a self addressed and stamped envelope by December 14. Students will not be allowed to start working on any of the three 60-minute tests during the first half of the corresponding class meeting. Those tests will be given during the second half of the corresponding class meeting. Thus, students are advised to plan accordingly. Grading Policy: The final grade will be calculated according to one of the following schemes: Scheme A: Homework 15% Scheme B: Homework 14% Test 1 17% Test A 23% Test 2 17% Test B 23% Test 3 17% Final Exam 40% Final Exam 34% Test A and Test B are the two tests that you would take in scheme B. If you miss more than one test (there is not extension of test dates), the grade in the second or third missing test will be zero (0). Homework grade will not replace either a test grade or the final exam grade. The final exam grade cannot be substituted by any of the test grades. Final course grade will be translated into letter grades as follows: A(94-100), A (90-93), B+(87-89), B(83-86), B (80-82), C+(77-79), C(73-76), C (70-72), D+(67-69), D(63-66), D (60-62), E(less than 60). 3

4 Extra Help: Please take advantage of the opportunities to get extra help. Although you might not need extra help during the semester, please make sure that your schedule will allow you to attend our available extra help. In previous semesters, some students decided to register in courses (other than Math E-10) whose schedule interfered with the schedule for our review sections and math question center. Later, some of those students found that they needed extra help in the course Math E-10. Unfortunately, they were not able to attend any of our available help. Please make sure that this will not be your case. It is important to keep up with the material presented in class. Thus, if you are having difficulties, please get extra help as soon as possible. Review Section: Review sections will be conducted every Monday, 6:30-7:30 pm., room TBA. The Math Question Center: Mondays, 5:30 pm. to 7:30 pm., and Tuesdays, 7:35 pm. to 9:35 pm., Sever Hall 215. This is a walk-in, first-come first-serve, question/answer session. Several tutors are available to help students in a variety of extension school math courses. Note that the Question Center is open to many students so try to arrive early. Other Suggestions: It is a good idea to read the sections before we go over them during lecture. It is extremely helpful to be familiar with the concepts before they are presented to you. Ideally, the lecture should be a clarification and an extension of the material that you have already read about. Start the homework as early as possible. The material will still be fresh and you'll have sufficient time to work on it thoroughly. In addition, you will have plenty of time to identify the areas where you need help and to prepare the questions you will ask during review section or during your meeting with personnel at the Math Question Center. Please, ask questions. We are here to help you succeed in the Precalculus course, so use us! 4

5 Math E-10 Precalculus Fall 2010 Tentative Course Outline (Subject to change) Text: Functions Modeling Change: A Preparation For Calculus, 3rd Edition, Connally, Hughes Hallett, Gleason, et al., (available at the Harvard Coop) Class Date List of topics Sections in Textbook 1 08/31 Chapter 1: Functions, lines, and change /07 Chapter 2: Functions /14 Chapter 2: Functions (continued) /21 Chapter 3: Exponential functions 3.1 TEST 1: Lessons 1.1 to /28 Chapter 3: Exponential functions /05 Chapter 4: Logarithmic functions /12 Chapter 5: Transformations of functions and their graphs /19 Chapter 6: Trigonometric functions 6.1 TEST 2: Lesson 1.1 to /26 Chapter 6: Trigonometric functions /02 Chapter 6: Trigonometric functions Tools 11 11/09 Chapter 7: Trigonometry /16 Chapter 8: Composition of functions 8.1 TEST 3: Lesson 1.1 to /23 Chapter 8: Inverse and Polynomial Functions /30 Chapter 9: Rational Functions /07 Review 16 December 14 Final Exam: Chapter 1 to Chapter 9 5