Effective Fall 2016

MATH 1050-<section #> Precalculus for Life Sciences

Semester, Year>

days, time, location>

Instructor: <name>

Office: <location>

Office phone: <number only if you have an actual office

Email: <university email address>

Office hours:<office hours and location>

Tutorial center hours: <tutorial center hours and location>

Tutorial center phone: 323-343-5374

Final Exam: <date, time, location

Text: Calculus for the Life Sciences2nd ed.by Greenwell, Ritchey, Lial, e-book custom edition(ISBN 9781323492109). This text will also be used for Math 2040 and Math 2050. You can purchase the MyMathLab access code (which includes the e-text) at the bookstore, the BookMart, orat <Direct students to the flyer on how to register at MyMathLab, for example on Moodle or include it in the syllabus.>

Math 1050 Prerequisites:Score of 50 or more on ELM or MATH 0930 with a minimum C grade. Rudimentary knowledge of Microsoft Excel.Intended for Life Science majors.

Math 1050 Catalog course description: Linear, polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic and sinusoidal functions and their properties in a biological context. Analysis of basic discrete dynamical models. Basic probability. Matrix operations, including eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Lecture 5 hours, Activity2 hours. Graded ABC/NC.

Exit exams: If you feel that you should be in a higher-level math class, you can take the Math 1081 and 1085 exit exams in the University Testing Center (Library South, second floor) any time before the Add deadline. If you pass both the Math 1081 and 1085 exit exams, then you will be permitted to enroll inMath 2040; if you pass only the Math 1081 exit exam, then you will be permitted to enroll in Math 1085,provided that you enroll in either Math 1085or Math 2040 within one year.After the Add deadline, you will not be able to take the exit exams again for this course unless it has been over one year since you have last taken Math 1050 or the exit exam(s). Contact the Testing Center (x3-3160) for more information.

Topical outline:

Overview of the modeling process, properties of functions, definition of a function, linear functions, polynomials and rational functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, trigonometric functions, geometric and arithmetic sequences, discrete dynamical systems (DDS), analysis of discrete dynamical systems, basic probability theory, conditional probability and independence, systems of equations in 3 or more variables, eigenvalues and eigenvectors of matrices.

Student Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of this course, students will:

  • Understand the modeling process
  • Be able to find the domain and range of a function and apply transformations to functions
  • Know how to convert units
  • Be able to fit a function to data using Excel or other appropriate methods and compute the error
  • Be familiar with basic functions used in biological models, such as polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, and sine/cosine functions and be able to graph these
  • Be able to find the roots (zeroes) of a polynomial function
  • Be able to use the laws of logarithms and exponentials to solve exponential and logarithmic equations, for example to determine doubling time and half life
  • Understand how to work with sequences, including geometric and arithmetic sequences, in the context of DDS
  • Be able to formulate a simple discrete-time model and analyze its long-term behavior, including the stability of its equilibrium values
  • Be familiar with some basic biological models such as Malthusian and logistic growth models
  • Know basic concepts of probability theory, including conditional probability and independence, and how they apply to the life sciences
  • Be able to perform matrix algebra, including adding, subtracting, and multiplying matrices, to solve a linear system of equations
  • Be able to compute the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a matrix and interpret them in the context of biological models

Requirements: <attendance, assignments, homework, quizzes, tests, etc.

Grading system: <indicate your grading system>

Emergency preparedness:

The meeting point for Salazar Hall is in the parking lot at the bottom of the ramp. In an emergency, leave the building using staircases (and in an earthquake, wait to do so until the shaking has stopped). Move quickly to the meeting point and follow the instruction of the building coordinators. Make sure to check in with me so I know that you are accounted for. If one of your classmates needs help in evacuating, please assist. If you know that you will need assistance in an emergency and it is not obvious that this is the case, please see me so I can be aware of your need for assistance.

ADA statement: Reasonable accommodation will be provided to any student who is registered with the Office of Students with Disabilities and requests needed accommodation.

Academic honesty statement: Students are expected to do their own work. Copying the work of others, cheating on exams, and similar violations will be reported to the University Discipline Officer, who has the authority to take disciplinary actions against students who violate the standards of academic honesty.

Student responsibilities: Students are responsible for being aware of all announcements that are made in class, such as changes in exam dates, due dates of homework and papers, and cancellation of class due to instructor’s absence. Students are responsible for announcements made on days that they are absent.Students mustcheck their CSULA email account regularly for information from the instructor and the Department. Failure to do so may result in missed deadlines or other consequences that might adversely affect students. Note that you can forward this email account to any other account of your choosing.

Last updated 5/11/16Page | 1