Syllabus, Precalculus, Math 160, Summer 2002

 "Mathematics creates opportunities."

Course Supervisor:  Dr. Warren Esty, 994-5354, Wilson 2-238 (East wing, South wall).

Course Instructor:  Derrick Cerwinsky, 994-7134, Ham 7.  [email protected].  Email is the best way to get in touch with me.

Required text:  Precalculus, second edition, by Warren Esty. There is an optional solutions manual to the second edition available from the bookstore with solutions to the odd-numbered problems. A graphing calculator is required. A TI-83, 82, 81, 85, or 86 is recommended, but any brand or model that does not also do symbolic manipulations will do.  We will use the TI-83 in class and we recommend it.  (The TI-92 and TI-89 "symbolic manipulators" and similar models will not be allowed on quizzes and exams).

Prerequisite. Regardless of what courses you have taken in high school, you must test into this course (or have passed the Math 105 at MSU or have transfer credit for an equivalent course from another university). You can test in using the Montana State University Mathematics Placement Test or with sufficiently high ACT (at least 25) or SAT (at least 570) math scores. Satisfying any one of these prerequisites is enough. Students who do not satisfy at least one of these prerequisites will be required to drop the course.

This course is primarily for students who wish to (eventually) take Calculus, Math 181 or Math 175, for science and engineering (not Math 170, Survey of Calculus, for business). In addition, it satisfies a requirement in Architecture, Physical Therapy, Biomechanics, Computer Science, and Exercise Physiology. If you are taking this to prepare for calculus and you can do algebra and trig well, you should skip this course and take calculus. Students who have taken rigorous high school Algebra II and Trigonometry courses are strongly encouraged to review a bit and take (or retake) the Placement Test. If the results are good, or if you have high SAT (at least 610) or ACT (at least 27) math scores, you should proceed directly to Calculus, Math 181 or Math 175. If you are currently enrolled in Precalculus and you place into Calculus, the Calculus course supervisor will help you find a slot in a section of calculus this term.
   When you enter this course, Precalculus, you are expected to be familiar with the methods of algebra, and almost all students enrolled will have studied some trig.
   This is a university course designed for students with ambition and drive who intend to take calculus and succeed at a demanding and rewarding field such as engineering, mathematics, statistics, physics, chemistry, or other science.

Work. This course requires a lot of work. You will participate in class, take frequent quizzes, and take 3 units exams and a two-hour comprehensive final exam. You are expected to study about two hours outside of class for every class hour. Experience shows that most students who do well attend class regularly.

•  There will be two quizzes weekly.
•  This course is different. You are expected to learn mathematics by reading it. We will not have time to cover all the material in class. Reading the entire section is part of the homework. You are responsible for all the material in the text, regardless of whether it is covered in class.
•  Feel free to ask in class how to do any problem, assigned or not.
•  On your quizzes and exams: Show work! Correct answers with little or no supporting work will receive little or no credit.

Etiquette. Proper etiquette is required. During class, students will not engage in any potentially distracting behavior such as reading a newspaper or whispering about non-math subjects. Cell phones must be turned off, and pagers or watches that make a sound, however quietly, must have the sound off. Talking on a cell phone during an exam is automatically considered cheating.

About Calculators.  A graphing calculator is required. A TI-83, 82, 81, 85, or 86 is recommended, but any brand or model that does not also do symbolic manipulations will do. We will use the TI-83 in class and we recommend it. (The TI-92 and TI-89 "symbolic manipulators" and similar models will not be allowed on quizzes and exams).
    In this course you are supposed to develop essential algebraic concepts. Graphing calculators can help and are required. We recommend the TI-83. However, sophisticated "symbolic manipulators" like the TI-89 and TI-92 might allow you to skip the work required to develop these concepts. Therefore, on exams and quizzes you will be required to show enough work to demonstrate that you understand the mathematics of solving the problems and the TI-89 and TI-92 (and similar models) will not be allowed. Solutions that do not exhibit enough work to prove that you understand the mathematics will receive little or no credit.

Exams and Grading.  Three unit exams: 100 points each. The comprehensive final: 200 points. Quizzes: 100 points. Total 600 points.
 Working with others on your homework is encouraged. Quizzes must be taken at the scheduled times and total 100 points.
    Each exam will have its curve announced. Usually 85 is the lowest A-, 75 is the lowest B-, 65 is the lowest C-, and 55 is the lowest D. This scale also holds for the quizzes. Your course grade will be determined by the total points out of these 600. If this ideal scale holds for all four exams, you would need to average (including quizzes) 86 to get at least an A-, 76 for at least a B-, 66 for at least a C-, and 56 for at least a D.

   Conflicts.  You are required to take all exams and the final exam at the scheduled hours. Any exceptions must be approved well in advance by the course Instuctor.  Cheating on an exam will be treated as a very serious offense, subject to the severest penalties of the Student Conduct Code.