COURSE SYLLABUS
MATH 120
FUNDAMENTALS OF COLLEGE ALGEBRA
GENERAL INFORMATION
Instructor: Richard KampfPhone: 1-775-753-2284
Office: Lundberg 128E-mail:
Office hours: MW – 1:30-2:30Text: Mathematics, A Practical Odyssey
TTh – 4:00-5:00 Johnson and Mowry
Required : Scientific CalculatorPrerequisites: Math 096, sufficient score on placement test,
or SAT/ACT score.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course contains an introduction to various topics in mathematics, including logic, sets, combinatorics, probability, statistics, finance mathematics, exponential functions, logarithmic functions, and matrices. Course is wide in scope. This course fulfills the lower division mathematics requirement for a Bachelor of Arts Degree.
METHOD OF INSTRUCTION
Primarily, the material of this course will be taught in lecture format. The format is relaxed with student questions being allowed at any time during the lecture. My philosophy is that questions are best answered when they arise in students minds.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Attendance is important, especially in a math class. New concepts will arise in the course of the semester and if you are not in class you may find them difficult to grasp. Also, the testing schedule is flexible in that we may have to adjust the lectures as the semester progresses to accommodate the material to be covered. Hence, it will be your responsibility to keep abreast of any changes that may occur. Attending class will insure that you know where we are in the material at all times.
If for some reason you cannot attend on a test day, I require a minimum of 24 hours notice prior to the test and that the test be taken within two school days (Mon. through Fri.) in the testing center.
THE CLASS ROOM
The class room is a place of learning and should be treated as such. Keep the cell phones turned off and the chatter to a minimum. Show courtesy to others in the classroom and make the learning experience a good one.
GRADING
Throughout the semester there will be six tests, four will be in class and two will be take home. Each test will be somewhat cumulative, covering some material from past chapters. The two take home tests will have a short writing assignment as a requirement of the general education requirement.
At the end of each section covered, I will assign a group of problems. These assignments are to be kept in a notebook and turned in with each test for my review.
Take home tests will be handed out on selected Fridays and will be due in class, along with your homework on the following Monday.
The following is a breakdown of the grade calculus for this course:Tests –90%; Homework – 10%
Typical calculation for final grade: 0.90(test average) + 0.10(homework average)
Final grade:
percentage / Grade100 through 92 / A
91 through 90 / A-
89 through 88 / B+
87 through 82 / B
81 through 80 / B-
79 through 78 / C+
77 through 72 / C
71 through 70 / C-
69 through 68 / D+
67 through 62 / D
61 through 60 / D-
Below 60 / W
LEARNING OUTCOMES/ASSESSMENT
The successful student will be able to:
Outcome / AssessmentDetermine the validity of an argument using truth tables and symbolic logic.(Chapter 1) / Tests and home work
Use Venn diagrams in solving cardinal number problems.(Chapter 2) / Tests and home work
Use the Fundamental Counting Principle, permutations, and combinations in solving problems.(Chapters 2 and 3) / Tests and home work
Use the basic rules of probability in calculating the probabilities associated with given events.(Chapter 3) / Tests and home work
Calculate mean, median, mode, and standard deviation of a population or given data set.(Chapter 4) / Tests and home work
Use graphs, including histograms and pie charts, to describe data sets.(Chapter 4) / Tests and home work
Calculate probabilities for normally distributed populations.(Chapter 4) / Tests and home work
Find the margin of error and level of confidence associated with surveys.(Chapter 4) / Tests and home work
Use financial formulas to find interest, future value, present value, monthly payments, and construct an amortization schedule. And applications to real world situations.(Chapter 5) / Tests and home work
Use Exponential and logarithmic functions to model natural phenomena which displays growth or decay whose rate is proportional to the amount at a given time.(Chapter 10) / Tests and home work
Solve systems of equations.(Chapter 11) / Tests and home work
GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
Math 120 meets the gen. ed . requirements of communication skills, critical thinking, personal /cultural awareness, personal wellness, and technological understanding.
Communication skills –
As time permits, students will be called on to give a verbal account of material under discussion. Be prepared by reading the material in the text before class. The take home tests will contain a short essay question on some topic from the text (not necessarily a topic covered in class). This written assignment should be no more than 250 words. If you find it necessary to hand write this assignment please make sure that it is legible, I would prefer that it be typed. The grading of this document will be based on structure and content.
Critical thinking –
- Lectures – The material of the lectures will support your ability to understand mathematical principles and use these rules in problem solving.
- Tests – In order to complete each test you will need to use reasoning and independent thought to work through each problem.
Personal and cultural awareness –
The nature of mathematics is that it permeates our daily lives (even if we don’t realize it).
- Probability and statistics are underlying forces in the determination of insurance rates, the stoke market, retirement accounts, health care payments, traffic problems, phone usage, video games, science, and politics to name a few.
- Logic is the basis of our social structure including law, the tax code, computers, loans, banking, and business, the scientific method.
Personal wellness –
This may be a stretch, but a good understanding of the information in chapter 5 will allow you to make sound financial decisions. In the present environment we live in, this becomes a necessity as your comfortable survival depends on what you know and how you use it.
A basic understanding of logic will allow you to negotiate through contracts and protect yourself from bad financial decisions.
Technological understanding –
The use of the calculator will be a simple introduction to technology. As the semester progresses you may find the need to use a computer to construct you test essay questions (preferred by the instructor. The use of the internet may help you with materials for your essays.
LESSON PLAN – MATH 120
DATE / LECTURE MATERIAL / NOTESJAN 23 / 1.1
JAN 28 / 1.2 1.3
JAN 30 / 1.4
FEB 4 / 1.5
FEB 6 / 2.1
FEB 11 / 2.2
FEB 13 / 2.3 & 2.4
FEB 18 / HOLIDAY
FEB 20 / TEST CHAPTERS 1 AND 2
FEB 25 / 3.1 & 3.2
FEB 27 / 3.3
MAR 3 / 3.4
MAR 5 / 3.5
MAR 10 / 3.6
MAR 12 / 4.1
MAR 17 / 4.2 & 4.3
MAR 19 / 4.4
MAR 24 / SPRING BREAK
MAR 26 / SPRING BREAK
MAR 31 / 4.5
APR 2 / TEST CHAPTERS 3 & 4
APR 7 / 5.1
APR 9 / 5.2
APR 14 / 5.3
APR 16 / 5.4 / TEST*
APR 21 / 10.0 A &B
APR 23 / 10.1
APR 28 / 10.2 & 10.3
APR 30 / 11.0
MAY 5 / 11.2
MAY 7 / 11.4 / TEST#