Math 181a-b-c

Basic Mathematics, Whole numbers, fractions, and decimals.

Instructor:             George Drake: B.A., M.A., and C.Ph. all in math from UC Davis.

Office:    F130

Phone:    (530)541-4660x256

Office Hours:

                Because of extremely limited space in F130, the instructor’s office hours will normally begin in an available classroom and persist there until such time as the room ceases to be available, or student questions are exhausted, whichever occurs first.  Always go initially to the room indicated first in the schedule below, but, if no one appears to be there, then go to F130, where the instructor will be completing the office hour:

M.W.:     3:20-4:20                 A209/F130

                T.:           2:50-3:50                 A211/F130

                Th.:         2:50-4:10                 A211/F130

                F.:            12:10-12:50             A211/F130

                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, a limited number of 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

Text:                       Basic College Mathematics, fourth edition: John Tobey and Jeffrey Slater; Prentice-Hall; 2002.   ISBN# 0-13-090954-8

Class Meets:         T. Th. 10:30-11:45 (no break) in A 211

Syllabus: (Note: This is a tentative schedule of lecture dates for the three courses, Mat 181a, b c, which will be offered one right after the other in the same room.  It is subject to change via announcement in class.)  Notice that 181c meets twice during finals week according to its normal schedule!

Mat 181a

                Date:                       Sections:

                1/7           Introduction + §1.1       

1/9           §§ 1.2 - 1.4

1/14         §1.5

1/16         §§1.6 - 1.7

1/21         §§1.8 + 7.5

                1/23         Review + Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic (FTA) handout

                1/28         First administration of chapter test   

                1/30         Go over first attempt at exam.

2/3           Last opportunity to pass chapter test and qualify for admission to Mat 181b.  (Note:  individual appointments must be made for this administration of the exam.)

Mat 181b

                2/4           FTA + §2.1           

                2/6           §§2.2 - 2.4

                2/11         §§2.5 - 2.6

                2/13         §2.7

                2/18         §§2.8 - 2.9

                2/20         §2.9 + review

                2/25         First administration of chapter test.

                2/27         Go over first attempt at exam.

                3/3           Last opportunity to pass chapter test and qualify for admission to Mat 181c.  (Note:  individual appointments must be made for this administration of the exam.)

Mat 181c

                3/4           §§3.1 - 3.2

                3/6           §§3.3 - 3.4

                3/11         §3.5

                3/13         §§3.6 - 3.7

                3/18         §3.7 + review

                3/20         First administration of chapter test

                3/25         Go over first attempt at exam

                3/25         Last opportunity to pass chapter test and qualify for admission to Mat 181d.  (Note:  This test will be given in A211 at the usual class time.)

General Policy Statement

Mat 181a-b-c

I)             Time Commitment:

                Two hours out of class for each 50 minutes of class time.

II)            Note Taking:

                You are expected to keep comprehensive notes on lectures.  Note taking is a critical skill for success in math and science classes (at least).  Like all skills, it is only developed by practice.  Bring a notebook devoted to Mat 181a-c every day.  Enter the date before the lecture begins, and take notes throughout the lecture.  Arrange with another student to get notes and assignments from any classes you miss.

III)           Attendance:

                Instructors may drop students if they miss a total of two more meetings than the number of times the class meets per week.  See me if you wish to be exempted from this policy.

                However, If you wish to drop the class by a certain date in order to avoid various kinds of penalties, you must attend to the task yourself by going directly to the Admissions and Records office.  The Instructor is not responsible for a student not meeting deadlines!

IV)           Grading:

                1) Scores which count toward your grade are as follows:

Homework (approximately 10 % of grade)

Chapter tests (publisher produced: approximately 90% of grade.) *

                                * 80% of homework from a chapter must be attempted and handed in before the chapter test will be given to the student.  Homework from the sections covered in the previous week’s lectures will be collected every Tuesday.

                2) If a student receives a score of “retake” on an exam, s/he must retake the exam.  Because of the press of time, the retaken exam must be arranged individually with the instructor and completed by the dates indicated in the syllabus.  Failure to pass this last opportunity results in an F for the module and denial of entry into the succeeding module. 

                3) If the student receives a grade on the first exam which s/he would like to improve, the student may also retake the exam as above, and the original score is not jeopardized by retaking the exam.

                4) Tests are not to be taken home by students, even after being graded and recorded.  Tests which leave the campus may inadvertently result in a student getting an F in the pertinent module.

V)            Homework:

                When working homework, be aware: 

                1) Handouts supersede the text and may be introduced into the curriculum without advanced notice.  Be sure that you know whether you have missed any handouts when returning from an absence.

                2) Students should always read the appropriate sections or handouts prior to attempting to do homework.  In reading the text, the student must also realize that mathematics is a participation sport.  You must work your way through a math text.  Simply reading it does not suffice.  When you encounter a practice problem in the middle of a section, stop and work the problem, then check the answer which is fully worked out at the back of the book (pages SP1 ff).

                3) Unless over-ruled in a class announcement, homework consists of working every third exercise beginning with number 1 and continuing until the exercise set is exhausted.  I.e., working numbers 1, 4, 7, 10, etc. until there are no more exercises.  Homework through the previous Thursday is due every Tuesday.  I.e., if the lecture on Tuesday was §5.1 and the lecture on Thursday was §§5.2-5.3, then the homework from §§5.1-5.3 is due the following Tuesday.  

VI)           Miscellaneous:

                Students will not be allowed to use a handheld calculator for any portion of this class.

                Students are always required to show their work.  If there is any question in a student's mind whether a grader will doubt that a step might have been completed mentally, the student should write "B.I." (for "By Inspection") next to the written work.

                There is no prerequisite for Mat 181a, but anyone who has attended school as a child has been exposed to most, if not all, of this material before.  If you were not referred to Mat 181 as a result of taking the mathematics assessment test, be sure to take it immediately.