Cascadia Community College

                                                                  

Math 95  Algebra

Syllabus

 

Math 95, 5 credit                             CC1 031               3:30pm-5:35pm T Th                               Fall,  2006

                                                                                               

 

Instructor: Matt DePies                                                           Office: CC1 389

E-mail: mdepies@cascadia.ctc.edu                                           Webpage:  http://www.cascadia.ctc.edu/Faculty/mdepies/

Office hours:T Th  6:00-7:20pm   

 

General Comments:  Knowledge of mathematics is useful and powerful. I hope after taking this course you will have learned a great deal about mathematics and, in many cases, how it is used. I will try my     best to make the course interesting and understandable.  To that end, if you are confused please ask me to clarify.  Often a slightly different explanation is all that is needed to make the subject clear.  This     class, like all math classes, will require a relatively large amount of time for you to master the material.
        Please note that memorization of material is not very helpful in learning the subject.  There are some formulas you must memorize, but in general understanding how the math works and how it is applied to economic, social, and physical systems is very important.  You should try imagine how a system behaves and think of the mathematics that could describe it.

        **If you feel you need any assistance, please contact me or come to office hours**  It is up to you to come to your instructor's office hours, you will find it helpful throughout your education to do so.  Please do not wait until the end of the quarter if you are having trouble be pro-active.  It may be too late by the end of the quarter.

 
 

Text: Elementary and Intermediate Algebra  by Allen R. Angel, Pearson Education, 2004 (2nd Edition). 

 

Course Topics: We will learn about functions, their graphs, and their applications.  We will also deal with exponentials and logarithms, as well as complex numbers.  Expect not only to learn the basic math, but also how to apply it to real systems.  Expect this to be challenging!  There is tentative class schedule and homework assignment sheet posted on the class website.  We will do our best to follow this, and you should come prepared each class having done the reading for that day and completed the homework.

 

Assignments: 

·         Homework:  Will be assigned each class on the web and turned in at random times.  Quizzes will be based on the previous homework assignment.  If you do your homework, you'll do well on the quiz!

·         Quizzes:  At the end of the quarter you can drop one quiz score.  Quizzes cannot be made up.

·         Midterms and final:  You will have three midterms and a final.   The midterms will be one hour and the lowest score of the three can be dropped. If you miss two midterms you will receive a 0.0 in the class.  The final is two hours (tentatively).  If you miss the final you will receive a 0.0 in the class.  You must give at least 24 hours notice in order to make alternate test arrangements.  No more than one test per quarter will be taken at a different time than the normal time.  In general the drop will make up for any other missed exams.  Regrades:  if you feel there was an error grading your test, you have two class days from its return to bring it to the instructor.

·         In-class Work:  During class problems will be assigned to be worked out in small student groups. Everyone must do the work: if you don't and put your name on the assignment, that is "cheating."  These may be collected and graded.  Also, students may be asked to give presentations of their group work.

                       

Grading: The course grade will depend upon your work on quizzes, tests, and homework.


The grade scale is as follows:

                                   

%

GPA

%

GPA

%

GPA

%

GPA

96-100

4.0/ A

89

3.4/ B+

79

2.4/ C+

68-69

1.4/ D+

95

3.9/ A

88

3.3/ B+

78

2.3/ C+

67

1.3/ D+

94

3.8/ A-

87

3.2/ B+

77

2.2/ C+

66

1.2/ D+

93

3.7/ A-

86

3.1/ B

76

2.1/ C

64-65

1.1/ D

92

3.6/ A-

85

3.0/ B

75

2.0/ C

63

1.0/ D

90-91

3.5/ A-

84

2.9/ B

74

1.9/ C

62

0.9/ D

 

 

83

2.8/ B-

73

1.8/ C-

61

0.8/ D-

 

 

82

2.7/ B-

72

1.7/ C-

60

0.7/ D-

 

 

81

2.6/ B-

71

1.6/ C-

0-59

0.0/ F

 

 

80

2.5/ B-

70

1.5/ C-

 

 

 

Technology:  TI graphing calculator required for the class.  Also highly recommended is access to a computer based mathematical system such as Mathematica(R) or Maple(R).  During class I will do some work with this type of program.


Academic Environment:   I expect this class to be a place where you will all feel free to openly express your thoughts on the subject.  I hope you will take advantage of this and participate during class.  If you are interfering with others or the instructor you may be asked to leave the class for the day.  If this repeats you will be asked to make an appointment with the Dean for Student Learning. 


Attendance: Students are expected to attend each class session. If you have difficulty making it to class on time, please talk to me.  Quizzes will be given at the beginning of class, being late will result in a failed quiz.  Quizzes cannot be made up.


Accommodation: If you require an accommodation for a disability, please contact Sue Ambler, 425-352-8288


Academic Integrity:  Instances of academic dishonesty will be dealt with harshly. Putting your name on a group project when you did not participate is as unethical as copying someone else’s assignment.  The first instance of academic dishonesty will result in a zero on that assignment, referral to the Dean for Student Learning, and a record of the instance in your school records.  The second instance will result in a 0.0 in the course and possible expulsion.