22383 MTH 014A - 0 - Pre-Calculus Spring 2003 Tues, Thurs, 4:00 pm - 5:20 pm , KSC 104 Herbert J. Bernstein (yaya@dowling.edu) Syllabus

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Copyright © 2002, 2003 Herbert J. Bernstein and other parties. All rights reserved.

This is the syllabus for one section of MTH 014A for Spring 2003. As the course moves forward, students should return to this page frequently for updated material. This syllabus is based on course materials by Prof. R. Grinnell, whose assistance is gratefully acknowledged. This syllabus applies only to the specified section. Students taking other sections should consult the course materials for those sections.

Catalog description:

Prerequisites:

There are three alternate prerequisites for MTH 002A:

• SAT in mathematics of 450 or higher; or
• Passing score on the math placement examination; or
• MTH 001A

In order to help evaluate student preparation for this course, there will be a special evaluation quiz during the first meeting of this course. This evaluation quiz will be evaluated but will not count towards the student's grade in the course.

This Spring 2003 section is:

Instructor:

• Name: Prof. Herbert J. Bernstein
• Office: KSC 121, Lab: KSC 020
• Phone: +1-631-244-3035
• Email: yaya@dowling.edu

Office Hours:

• Monday 8:15 pm - 8:45 pm;
• Tuesday 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm;
• Wednesday 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm;
• Thursday 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm; and
• By appointment

See http://www.bernstein-plus-sons.com/.dowling/HJB_Contact_Info.html

If at all possible, please use email to schedule meetings in advance to avoid conflicts with other students and other obligations of the instructor.

Please note that excellent tutors are available at the Academic Service Center (ASC) at the Racanelli Center, +1-631-244-3141. Students are encouraged to make use of the ASC. Tutoring, drill and working in study groups are very helpful in mastering mathematics.

Text and required materials:

• Text: Michael Sullivan, "Trigonometry", 6th ed., -- 2001, ISBN: 0130412244.
• Calculator: Each student should have access to a computer or to a calculator to do exercises for this class. The computer should have a modern spreadsheet program. The calculator should be a "scientific calculator" or a "graphing calculator". Students are advised to bring a portable computer or calculator to examinations, and are encouraged to bring a portable computer or calculator to class.

Attendance:

Attendance will be taken at all class meetings. All absences must be explained in writing (or via email). Students who miss 2 or more lectures must meet with the instructor to review their progress in the course. Grades will be reduced for unexcused absences (see grading policy, below).

Daily Quizzes:

In order to help students put in the level of attention and continuous effort required to derive full benefit from the course, a short quiz (1-4 question, 5-10 minutes) will be given at the start of each class meeting. Eighty percent of these quizzes will be counted towards the course grade (see below). The remaining twenty percent of these quizzes will count as extra credit. There will be no makeups for these quizzes.

In order to prepare for these quizzes, students will have to do the assigned readings and problems in advance of the lectures.

Homeworks:

Students will be assigned all problems in relevant chapters of the text. At the start of class on some of the due dates a small randomly selected subset of the assigned problems may be selected for grading. No substitute problems will be accepted. No problems will be accepted late. On certain other due dates, the one or more of the problems on the daily quiz will be drawn from the assigned homework.

Grading Policy:

• Classroom attendance and participation: 20%
• Best 80% of daily quizzes: 20%
• Homeworks: 20%
• Midterm: 20%
• Comprehensive Final: 20%

Note that the evaluation quiz given during the first meeting of this class does not count towards the course grade.

All students will be required to actively participate in classroom discussions and to work problems at the board in class. An open-book, open computer/calculator midterm and an open-book, open computer/calculator final will be given.

In general, no assignments will be accepted late and no makeups will be given for missed quizzes or examinations. Requests for exceptions to this policy will be considered only for the most pressing reasons (illness requiring hospitalization, death in the family, reserve call-up, etc.), must be submitted in writing in a timely manner, and will be granted only if the instructor has sound reason to believe that the student is highly likely to master the material of the course within the current semester.

Warning:

Students are warned that most high schools do not provide students with adequate preparation in Mathematics for them to be able to take this course. Dowling offers a course, MTH 001A, which helps to provide the necessary preparation. If you have great difficulty with the evaluation exam, and/or find if difficult to read the text book and keep up with the problems, you should consider switching to a section of MTH 001A and taking this course when you are better prepared.

Course Objectives

• To develop the skills necessary to the study of Calculus;
• To develop the skills necessary to the study of Discrete Math;
• To re-enforce the student's understanding of basic algebra and geometry;
• To explore the concept of a function; and
• To understand polynomial, exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions.

Course Topics and Reading Assignments

• Review (Appendix A)
  • Algebra review
  • Geometry review
  • Solving equations
  • Inequalities
  • Roots and exponents
  • Lines
• Functions and their graphs (Chapter 1)
  • Coordinate systems
  • Graphs and circles
  • Functions
  • Graphing techniques
  • 1-1, onto, inverses
• Exponential and logarithmic functions (Chapter 7)
• Trigonometric functions (Chapter 2)
  • Angles
  • Trigonometric functions
  • Graphs of trigonometric functions
• Analytic Trigonometry (Chapter 3)
  • Inverse trig functions
  • Trigonometric identities
  • Sums and differences
  • Angle formulae

Midterm:

Final:

Assignments:

The first assignment, due 6 February 2003, is to read Appendix A, sections 1-3, and to do all the problems for those sections.

The second assignment, due 13 February 2003, is to read Appendix A, sections 4-6, and do all the problems for those sections.

The 3^rd assignment, due 20 February 2003, is to read Appendix A, sections 7-8, and do all the problems for those sections.

The 4^th assignment, due 27 February 2003, is to read Chapter 1, sections 1-3, and do all the problems for those sections.

The 5^th assignment, due 6 March 2003, is to read Chapter 1, sections 4-6, and do all the problems for those sections.

The 6^th assignment, due 13 March 2003, is to prepare carefully for the midterm, which will be given on 13 March 2003, by reviewing Appendix A and chapter 1.

The 7^th assignment, due 20 March 2003, is to read chapter 7, and do all the problems for sections 1 through 4.

The 8^th assignment, due 27 March 2003, is to reread chapter 7, and do all the problems for sections 5 through 7.

The 9^th assignment, due 3 April 2003, is to read chapter 2, and do all the problems for sections 1 through 3.

The 10^th assignment, due 10 April 2003, is to reread chapter 2, and do all the problems for sections 4 through 6.

Note the spring break is from 17 to 25 April. This would be a good time to catch up or even get ahead on the reading and problems.

The 11^th assignment, due 1 May 2003, is to read chapter 3 and to do all the problems for sections 1 through 5.

The 12^th assignment, due 8 May 2003, is to reread chapter 3 and to do all the problems for sections 6 through 8. You should also review all the material in Appendix A and Chapters 1, 7, 2 and 3 to prepare for the cummulative final on 15 May 2003. Warning: The final starts at 3 pm.