Introduction:
Depending on your major, Precalculus
is either a required terminal math course or a preparation for calculus.
In either case, it is an extensive study of the functions that you might
see in a calculus course or maybe even in real life.
Goals:
The goal of this course is that you
will be prepared for calculus. This requires that you have a thorough
understanding of functions of many different varieties. It also requires
that you have a thorough understanding of trigonometry, a topic which we will
spend more than half of the term on.
What is required of the student?
As with most endeavors, what you get
out of this course will be directly related to what you put in. Mathematics
cannot be learned by watching someone else. It's a participatory
sport. I will spend less time lecturing than you are probably used
to. A great deal of class time will be spent having students present solutions to
problems in class and in group activities.
The Final will be given 7:00 am - 9:00 am on Thursday, December 13 . The final is comprehensive and departmental.
Grades:
Your grades will be determined as
follows:
Homework- 25%
3 Tests @15% each - 45%
Final Exam - 30%
Attendance:
Attendance is expected at all class
meetings. You may be withdrawn from the class if you miss more than 3 class
periods. You are responsible for any work that you missed during an absence.
Please come see me as soon as possible if you have missed a class or if
you need to miss a future class.
Withdrawal:
The deadline for withdrawal with a
grade of W is Monday, October 15 . Any withdrawal after that date will result
in a WF. If you feel that you must withdraw please try to do so on or before
October 15.
Make-ups:
You will not be permitted to make up any
homework or problems presented at the board. Make-ups for tests or the
final exam are given only in exceptional
cases (such as illness or family emergencies). You must notify me immediately
when such an emergency arises and you must provide written evidence of your
emergency.
Presentations and Homework:
It is absolutely essential, and I
can't emphasize this enough, that you work problems in order to learn mathematics. You will be given the choice of working problems from Webassign online homework (see https://www.webassign.net) or to work problems from the textbook.
If you choose to work problems from the textbook, you will work these outside of class. You should
write detailed solution of these problems. You will be called on to present solutions to one or more of these problems in class. I get to choose which ones you will be called on to present, so you need to be prepared to present any of them. Solutions presented in class will be graded on a 2 point
scale, (see below). Online homework assignments completed with an 80% score or better will earn you 2 points. You can receive credit for either the online homework or the textbook homework problems presented in class but not both. No points can be earned for online homework completed with a score of less than 80%. Your goal
is to earn 50 points during the term. Earning 50 points will give you a perfect
(100%) homework average. Otherwise your homework
average will be the points you earned as a percentage of 50.
The point scale for solutions presented in
class:
0 - You have major errors or no real progress toward a solution.
1 - You have some minor errors, your
solution is not complete, or your presentation is not clear.
2 - You have a clear, correct, and complete
solution.
I reserve the right to award more than 2 points for solutions to particularly challenging problems or for particularly clever solutions.
Study groups:
I recommend that you get
together with other students in your class to study together. This
not only will make studying more fun but will also allow you to learn from
each other. You will find that you learn both while receiving help
from others and while giving help to others.
The Math Assistance Center:
The Math Assistance Center located at N337 Allgood Hall is staffed by qualified students who have had at least two courses beyond precaculus and who are ready to help you. A schedule can be found at: http://www.aug.edu/mcs/helpsessions/MACSchedule.pdf
Test Schedule:
(Subject to change.)
| Test | What will be covered | Date |
| 1 | Chapter 2 | Sept. 18 |
| 2 | Chapters 5 and 7 | Oct. 9 |
| 3 | Chapters 4, 6, 7.2 - 7.5 | Nov. 29 |
| final | comprehensive | Thursday, December 13 (7-9 am) AH E251 |