Syllabus—Math 096—Intermediate Algebra—Section WC802—Fall, 2009

Class Information

Call Number: 46341
Section Number: WC802
Classroom: West Charleston I Building, Room 307
Class Meeting Times: Monday 9:30 AM—10:50 AM and Wednesday 9:30 AM—10:50 AM (exception: CSN Holidays and Breaks)

Catalog Description

MATH 096 Intermediate Algebra 3 (3,0,0,0)
Topics include rational expressions and equations, linear equations and inequalities, radicals, quadratic equations, graphs, and applications. Prerequisite: MATH 095 with a grade of C or better; or a satisfactory ACT/SAT/Placement Test score.

Instructor

Name: Davis Finley
Office: West Charleston H Building, Room 101P
Telephone: (702) 651-5713
Email: davis.finley@csn.edu
Web: http://www.nevada.edu/~finley

Office Hours

West Charleston H Building, Room 101P

Required Items

Textbook

picture of textbook cover Beginning and Intermediate Algebra, 4th Edition, by Lial, Hornsby, and McGinnis

Calculator

a handheld scientific calculator

Graph Paper

You must use graph paper to do graphing homework problems.

Course Outcomes

Homework

I will assign, collect, and check your homework for correctness. Use graph paper for problems whose answers are graphs.

Grading

Exams

There will be four exams: Exam #1, Exam #2, Exam #3, and the Final Exam.

There will be restrictions on the use of electronic devices during the exams. Be prepared to take the exams without the use of a telephone, a music/audio player, a computer, or any other electronic device whose use I decide to ban. Be prepared to take the exams using a small, handheld calculator that cannot function as a communication device or play music/audio.

Make-up Exam

No student may take more than one make-up Exam. There is no make-up Final Exam.

If you miss one of Exam #1, Exam #2, or Exam #3, you must take a make-up Exam for it.

If you miss two or more of Exam #1, Exam #2, and Exam #3, you must take a make-up Exam for one of the missed Exams, and your score on all the other missed Exams—the ones for which you are not allowed to take a make-up Exam—is zero.

Extra Credit

There is no extra credit.

Grade Computation

At the end of the semester, your course score will be calculated using your four Exam scores as follows:

Item Weight
Exam #1 score 25%
Exam #2 score 25%
Exam #3 score 25%
Final Exam score 25%

The maximum possible course score is 100.

If your course score is

Important Dates

For the fall, 2009, semester, the

Disability Resource Center

"The College of Southern Nevada makes every effort to make its campuses fully accessible to students with disabilities. The college's Disability Resource Center offers accommodations to help students with documented disabilities with their academic pursuits. In addition, the DRC offers Disability Specialists and DHHS Coordinator to answer any questions or help solve any problems that may arise due to a documented disability. The office also offers adaptive equipment to those who qualify to ensure equal access to all CSN sponsored activities.

We offer accommodations on all campuses and learning centers!"

Academic Integrity

Scholastic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent. You are expected to have read and understood the current issue of the General Catalog & Student Handbook regarding student responsibilities and rights, and the intellectual property policy, for information about procedures and about what constitutes acceptable on-campus behavior.

Cell Phones

If you bring a cell phone to class, please leave it on (if it has sufficient battery life) and set to "vibrate" for incoming calls and messages. If you wish to answer or to place a cell phone call, please step outside the classroom far enough to prevent your conversation from being audible in the classroom.

Attendance Policy

Class attendance is required. You are responsible for everything that you miss if you are absent, regardless of the reason for your absence.

Disclaimer

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, make-up exam, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.

Tentative Course Schedule (subject to change)

Date Section Number Section Title
August 31 6.1 The Fundamental Property of Rational Expressions
September 2 6.2 Multiplying and Dividing Rational Expressions
September 7 Labor Day Holiday
September 9 6.3 Least Common Denominators
September 14 6.4 Adding and Subtracting Rational Expressions
September 16 6.5 Complex Fractions
September 21 6.6 Solving Equations with Rational Expressions
September 23 6.7 Applications of Rational Expressions
September 28 10.1 Radical Expressions and Graphs
September 30 Exam #1
October 5 10.2 Rational Exponents
October 7 10.3 Simplifying Radical Expressions
October 12 10.4 Adding and Subtracting Radical Expressions
October 14 10.5 Multiplying and Dividing Radical Expressions
October 19 10.6 Solving Equations with Radicals
October 21 10.7 Complex Numbers
October 26 11.1 Solving Quadratic Equations by the Square Root Property
11.2 Solving Quadratic Equations by Completing the Square
October 28 11.3 Solving Quadratic Equations by the Quadratic Formula
November 2 11.5 Formulas and Further Applications
November 4 3.3 The Slope of a Line
7.1 Review of Graphs and Slopes of Lines
November 9 Exam #2
November 11 Veteran's Day Holiday
November 16 3.4 Equations of a Line
7.2 Review of Equations of Lines; Linear Models
November 18 7.3 Functions
November 23 8.1 Solving Systems of Linear Equations by Graphing
November 25 8.2 Solving Systems of Linear Equations by Substitution
November 30 8.3 Solving Systems of Linear Equations by Elimination
December 2 8.5 Applications of Systems of Linear Equations
December 7 9.3 Linear Inequalities in Two Variables
December 9 Catch-up; Review
December 14 Exam #3
December 16 Final Exam