Call Number: 46461
Section Number: WC801
Classroom: West Charleston I Building, Room 308
Class Meeting Times: Tuesday 8:00 AM—9:20 AM and
Thursday 8:00 AM—9:20 AM (exception: CSN Holidays and Breaks)
MATH 126 Precalculus I 3 (3,0,0,0)
A rigorous discussion of algebra concepts necessary for calculus
is the focal point of this course. Topics include an in-depth
investigation of algebraic functions and their graphs
and solutions of systems of equations. Prerequisite: MATH
096 or MATH 097 both with a grade of C or better; or a
satisfactory ACT/SAT/Placement Test Score. Note: This
course serves as a prerequisite course for MATH 127 and is
essential for students planning to take calculus.
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
Precalculus: Concepts Through Functions,
A Right Triangle Approach to Trigonometry,
by Michael Sullivan and Michael Sullivan, III
a handheld scientific calculator
You must use graph paper to do graphing homework problems.
I will assign, collect, and check your homework for correctness. Use graph paper for problems whose answers are graphs.
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.
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.
There is no extra credit.
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
For the fall, 2009, semester, the
"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!"
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.
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.
Class attendance is required. You are responsible for everything that you miss if you are absent, regardless of the reason for your absence.
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.
| Date | Section Number | Section Title |
|---|---|---|
| September 1 | F.1 | The Distance and Midpoint Formulas |
| F.2 | Graphs of Equations in Two Variables; Intercepts; Symmetry | |
| F.4 | Circles | |
| September 3 | 1.1 | Functions |
| September 8 | 1.2 | The Graph of a Function |
| September 10 | 1.3 | Properties of Functions |
| September 15 | 1.4 | Library of Functions; Piecewise-defined Functions |
| September 17 | 1.5 | Graphing Techniques: Transformations |
| September 22 | 1.6 | Mathematical Models: Constructing Functions |
| September 24 | 2.1 | Properties of Linear Functions |
| 2.2 | Building Linear Functions from Data | |
| September 29 | Exam #1 | |
| October 1 | 2.3 | Quadratic Functions and Their Zeros |
| October 6 | 2.4 | Properties of Quadratic Functions |
| October 8 | 2.5 | Inequalities Involving Quadratic Functions |
| October 13 | 2.6 | Quadratic Models |
| October 15 | A.11 | Complex Numbers |
| 2.7 | Complex Zeros of a Quadratic Function | |
| October 20 | 2.8 | Equations and Inequalities Involving the Absolute Value Function |
| October 22 | 3.1 | Polynomial Functions and Models |
| October 27 | Exam #2 | |
| October 29 | A.3 | Polynomial Division |
| A.5 | Synthetic Division | |
| November 3 | 3.2 | Properties of Rational Functions |
| 3.3 | The Graph of a Rational Function | |
| November 5 | 3.4 | Polynomial and Rational Inequalities |
| November 10 | 3.5 | The Real Zeros of a Polynomial Function |
| November 12 | 3.6 | Complex Zeros; Fundamental Theorem of Algebra |
| November 17 | 4.1 | Composite Functions |
| November 19 | Exam #3 | |
| November 24 | 4.2 | One-to-One Functions; Inverse Functions |
| November 26 | Thanksgiving Day Recess | |
| December 1 | 4.3 | Exponential Functions |
| 4.4 | Logarithmic Functions | |
| December 3 | 4.5 | Properties of Logarithms |
| 4.6 | Logarithmic and Exponential Equations | |
| December 8 | 4.8 | Exponential Growth and Decay; Newton's Law; Logistic Growth and Decay |
| December 10 | 10.1 | Systems of Linear Equations: Substitution and Elimination |
| 10.6 | Systems of Nonlinear Equations | |
| December 15 | catch-up; review | |
| December 17 | Final Exam | |