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MAT 154A Intermediate Algebra Fall 2008
Instructor: Bruce Armbrust, phone: 541-4660 ext. 314, email: armbrust@ltcc.edu
Office Hours: Room A210, Mon. 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Thurs. 12:00 – 1:00 PM MSC A201, Wed. 12:00 – 1:00 PM Fri. 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM And as always, by appointment.
Class Time and Location: Tues. & Thurs. 1:00 - 2:50 PM, A211
Textbook: Elementary and Intermediate Algebra, 2nd edition, Mark Dugopolski
Calculator: A scientific calculator is required for this course. Graphing calculators will not be allowed on quizzes and 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: 20% Exam1 (October 14) Exam2 (November 4): 45% Exam3 (November 25) Final Exam (December 9): 20%
You may check your grades at any point in the quarter by going to the following website and looking up your secret number:
http://www.gradesource.com/reports/1027/14267/index.html
Homework: Homework will be due the class period after it is assigned. Homework not turned in at this time will be considered late. You may turn in homework up to two days after it is assigned for half credit. If all homework is turned in, and no more than two are late, the lowest regular exam score will be dropped. Your homework score will be determined in the following way: up to 5 points for completion and one point each for 5 problems chosen at random to be graded.
Quizzes: There will be seven quizzes given over the quarter. These quizzes will be designed to help prepare you for the exams, and quiz problems will be taken directly from the homework assignments. Your lowest quiz score will be dropped. Since your lowest score will be dropped, missed quizzes may not be made up.
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 exam may not be taken after the scheduled exam time.
Registration Information: You must register for this class at the Office of Admissions and Records. You may drop the class with no penalty or mark on your record on or before October 17. After October 17, you may drop the class and receive a grade of W until November 7. After November 7, if still enrolled, you will receive a grade of A, B, C, D, F or I. 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. Don’t make me be a homework enforcer. 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). We also have academic coaches that are specifically set aside for students in Mat 152A, 152B, and 154A who can be found in the MSC. Cindy Littell will be available 1-3pm Mon. & Wed. and 10-11am Wed. Rachel Green will be available 9-10am and 3-4:30pm on Tues. and Thurs. V) Do math every day. Math is just like everything else: if you don’t practice, you become rusty.
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.
Technology in the Classroom: All cell phones, headphones, MP3 players, iPods, etc, must be turned off and put away prior to the start of each class. No electronic devices (other than calculators) may be used during quizzes and exams.
Academic Dishonesty: Academic dishonesty of any form will not be tolerated. Students caught cheating on exams or quizzes will receive a score of zero on the assignment for the first offense and a course grade of F for the second offense. Students my work together on homework assignments (and, in fact, are encouraged to) as long as all students understand the material covered.
Course Schedule: The following is a tentative schedule. If things change (and I have money that says they will), I will let you know.
September23 10.1,10.2 Review of Quadratic Equations 25 10.3,10.4 Graphs and More about Quadratics 30 10.5, Quiz I Quadratic & Rational Inequalities
October2 11.1,11.2 Graphs of Functions and Relations 7 11.3, Quiz II Transformations of Graphs 9 11.6 Combining Functions 14 Exam I 16 11.7 Inverse Functions 21 12.1, Quiz III Exponential Functions 23 12.2 Logarithmic Functions 28 12.3, Quiz IV Properties of Logarithms 30 12.4 Exponential and Logarithmic Equations
November4 Exam II 6 7.3 Systems of Linear Equations with 3 Variables 11 13.1, Quiz V Systems of Nonlinear Equations 13 13.2,13.3 Parabolas and Circles 18 13.4, Quiz VI Ellipses and Hyperbolas 20 14.1,14.2 Sequences and Series 25 Exam III 27 NO CLASS Thanksgiving
December 2 14.3 Arithmetic Sequences and Series 4 14.4, Quiz VII Geometric Sequences and Series 9 Final Exam
The following is a list of all homework assignments for this course. The due dates for the various sections will be given in class.
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