AMTH 108-001 APPLIED COLLEGE ALGEBRA SUMMER I 1999

AMTH 108 Section 001
APPLIED COLLEGE ALGEBRA
Summer I, 1999

Class Meets	M-F 12:00-2:40 PM in ADMN 224
Final Exam	Thursday, July 1, 2:00pm
Instructor	Jane C. Beattie
Office	ADMN 201P
Telephone	(803)641-3426(W)
	(803)648-1447(H)
	Leave area code and slow, clear messages on answering machine
email	janeb@usca.edu
Office Hours	Monday - Thursday, 3:00-4:00; or by appointment.
	Additionally, anytime my door is open, I’ll be glad to tutor or talk with you so come by if you have questions. If the office hours do not work for you, we can decide a time that will be mutually convenient. I look forward to getting to know you so drop by with questions or to just to chat.
Text	*EXPLORATIONS IN COLLEGE ALGEBRA, First Edition, by Kime/Clark and COURSE PACKET. If you do not have access to a computer with a CD Rom drive, you must purchase the Graphing Calculator Manual.**
Required	TI-83 Graphing Calculator
Attendance Policy	Much of the work done for this course is done as group work during class. You can not readily make up the material missed if you are absent. It is strongly recommended that you do not miss any of the classes. However, the Attendance Policy established by the Department of Mathematical Sciences states that the maximum number of absences allowed in this class before a penalty is imposed is four. Please refer to the 1998-99 Bulletin, page 27, for further information.

Weights		Grade Scale
3 Major Exams	20% each	90-100	A	70-77	C
Classwork/Homework/Project	20%	88-89	B+	68-69	D+
Cumulative Final Exam	20%	80-87	B	60-67	D
		78-79	C+	0-59	F

Special Circumstances	If you have a physical or learning disability which might affect your performance in this class, please contact the Office of Disabled Student Services as soon as possible. Once an evaluation has been made, appropriate accommodations will be determined.
Course Philosophy	USC Aiken's Mission Statement encourages "thinking critically and analytically, questioning, searching our concepts" which this course exemplifies. Until recently, math classes had to put their major emphasis on algebraic computation. With the advent of hand-held technology for graphing, tabling, and computer algebra, much of this computation can be shifted to machines and the time and energy thereby freed up can be reallocated to the study of conceptual issues. To best prepare students for the world of work and for the world of modern college-level mathematics coursework, there is a need to put less emphasis on pencil-and-paper algebraic manipulation and to focus more on using graphs and tables and more on understanding and interpreting results.
	This class may not look much like other math classes you have attended. The instructor might lecture a lot less, and you June find yourself working with your classmates in small groups. The exploratory approach results in a lot more questioning and discussion than is common in math classes. Sometimes you might wonder why the instructor does not tell you straight out what you are supposed to learn, instead of allowing you to explore the issue. The answer is that sometimes there is no "straight out" solution to the problem, and that the process of exploring can be as important as memorizing the "facts".

This course is designed to emphasize

Strengthening students' conceptual understanding in mathematics.

Building an intuitive understanding of properties of functions, using the rule of 4: students explore each function graphically, numerically, and algebraically; then, communicate their conclusions in both written and oral forms

Giving student-centered learning experiences in small groups and individualized work based on open-ended inquiry problems

Using real world data

Integrating technology with mathematical processes

Stimulating students to become critical readers of quantitative arguments

Providing a model for future teachers of the new pedagogies

Expanding students' interest and opportunities in pursuing additional quantitative courses either in mathematics or in other disciplines

Algebra content emphasized in the course

Use of variables and replacement values for these variables

Operations with positive and negative numbers

Coordinates on a graph of the Cartesian plane

Concept of average rates of change

Properties of linear functions-domain, range, intercepts, slope-intercept form (y = mx + b), meaning of m and b, parallel and perpendicular lines, applications to problems involving real data

Systems of linear equations and various methods of solution, interpretation of point of intersection in real-life contexts

Expressions involving positive and negative exponents, scientific notation, orders of magnitude, estimating results

Properties of exponential functions-domain, range, meaning of constants in y = Cax , applications of exponentials in real-life contexts

Properties of power functions, polynomial functions, and logarithms to base 10, implications of positive and negative powers, direct and inverse proportion

Properties of quadratic functions-domain, range, vertex, maximum or minimum values, meaning of a,b, and c in y = ax2 + bx + c, roots of quadratic found by graphing, factoring and quadratic formula, applications of quadratics in real-life contexts

Assignments

You will be assigned to read each Chapter included in this course. You are assigned all Algebra Aerobics in the sections covered. Daily Quizzes will be items similar to the HW assignment, or the assignment, itself, June be graded. Complete solutions to the problems are expected. Additional homework assignments will be given, collected and graded. All classwork must be turned in no later than the next class period. NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED. Some assignments will be in the form of oral presentations. Details will be given in class.

Make-up Tests

NO MAKE-UP TESTS WILL BE GIVEN. If you must miss a scheduled exam, contact me prior to the exam (see phone numbers above). If the absence is excused then the Final Exam grade will replace the missing grade. For unexcused absences, the exam grade will be zero. Final Exam is: Thursday, July 1, 2:00pm.

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Send comments to: janeb@usca.edu.
URL:http://www.usca.edu/math/~mathdept/sjcb/992m1081.html
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