| Instructor
Information |
| Name: |
Michael
Greenwich |
| Biography: |
BS. in Mathematics (1983),
MS. in Statistics (1984), and Ph. D. in Mathematical Statistics (1987),
all from University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Teaching at Talladega College, Talladega, Alabama (1987-1988), at Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, Indiana (1988-2003),
and at the College of Southern Nevada since Fall of
2003.
Statistical consulting in industries since
1989. |
| Home
Page: |
http://www.nevada.edu/~greenwic/ |
Emergency
E-Mail: |
michael.greenwich@csn.edu
Note: Due to the
wealth of computer viruses spread through e-mail and the daily barrage of
unsolicited junk mail (SPAM), any current student wanting to send the
instructor a course-related message must do so using the course e-mail (Course Mail) on
Angel. The instructor's emergency e-mail address is to
be used ONLY if the course e-mail system on Angel is unavailable.
Non-Emergency e-mail sent to this regular e-mail will, most likely, be
ignored.
|
| Phones |
Use the
course e-mail system (Course Mail) provided within Angel. Do not use phone
to contact the instructor. |
| Fax: |
(702) 651-5881
|
| Office: |
CSN Charleston Campus, Building H, Room
101-A |
| Office
Hours: |
In Office (H 101-A): 2:00 -3:00 pm on M and 12:00-12:30 W
Note: These office
hours are in effect from August 31 to December 9, 2009 (except for September 9 and November 11).
Additional
Hours: By Appointment |
| |
|
| Course
Information |
| Number/Title: |
MATH 126, Precalculus I (3 Credits) |
| Section(s): |
803 (46465), MW 12:30 to 1:45 pm, I-308 on West Charleston Campus |
| Dates: |
Monday, August 31 through
Saturday, December 19, 2009 |
| Description: |
This course focuses on rigorous treatments of algebraic concepts and topics necessary for calculus. Topics
include in-depth investigations of algebraic functions and their graphs and solving systems of linear equations, linear
equations and inequalities, radicals, absolute value equations and
inequalities, and quadratic equations. Prerequisite:
MATH 096/097 with C (not C-) or higher or a anticipatory ACT/SAT/Placement test score or equivalent. |
| Method of
Instruction: |
Students will
attend classes (required), read the textbook, and do the suggested homework problems. Students will also learn the materials by taking tests on line till they understand the materials.
Note: Technical difficulties and any difficulties
(beyond your control or not) will not be an acceptable excuse for missing
deadlines or neglecting to complete the assigned work (tests &
exams). |
| Location(s): |
Room I-308 on West Charleston Campus for lectures
Internet - Angel Access: http://onlinecampus.csn.edu/default.asp for tests and exams
| IMPORTANT: The Angel program requires you to
use one of the following web browsers or their newer
versions: |
- AOL 7.0
(PC)
- AOL 8.0
(PC)
- AOL OSX
(OSX)
- Microsoft
Internet Explorer 5.0, 5.5 and 6.0 (PC)
- Microsoft
Internet Explorer 5.1 (OS9, OSX.1)
- Microsoft
Internet Explorer 5.2 (OSX.2)
- Netscape 6.2.x
(PC and Mac)
- Netscape 7.0
(PC & OSX)
|
| If you
have any questions, contact your instructor
immediately. | |
Note:
Various features in this course, including the required online
tests and exams, use pop-up windows. Thus, to be able to participate in
this course, you should disable any "Pop-Up Blocker" software installed on
your computer. |
Angel
Access: |
Where: Go to http://onlinecampus.csn.edu/default.asp
Login Instructions: Login with the last 8 digits of your student ID and the password you use for your network account. If you have not activated your network account or forgot your C Number click below:
Activate Account/Forgot C Number
|
|
Special Note to AOL users:
|
AOL users
have reported some difficulties with the class management system. If you
are intending to use AOL to access the course materials, you will either
want to use the latest Version of AOL, or a different browser. Nearly
every computer sold in the last three years contains a copy of Internet
Explorer. After you log onto AOL, you can simply open Internet Explorer
and use it instead of AOL's browser. |
| Hard/Software Requirement: |
Students are
required to have Internet access. If a student does not have Internet
access from home, he/she may use any of CSN's computer labs. To use a lab,
students must provide identification and proof of enrollment in a course
at CSN. You can also find Internet access at a local public library. It is
students' responsibility to access this course on Angel. You are also
required to take all the tests and exams on line. |
| CSN
Computer Labs: |
Most of
you will probably do your tests at home or at
work. Technical problems will NOT serve as a valid excuse
for missing deadlines or incompletion of any tests (exams). If you are having problems with your
computer or do not have the required software, feel free to use any
of the on-campus Computer Labs. Do not wait till the last day to
take a test. Visit http://www.csn.edu/pages/444.asp for more information. |
|
| |
| Textbook |
| Required: |
Precalculus, Sullivan & Sullivan
ISBN
0-13-187476-4 |
Purchase
Information: |
In Person:
Available at any CSN Bookstore
Order Online:
E-Follett.com, Half.com. | |
| |
|
| Course
Objectives |
| Goals: |
| Upon
completion of this course, students should be able to: |
- Graph linear
equations in two variables.
- Work with Work with
functions and functional notation.
- Graph functions.
- Solve systems of
linear equations.
- Solve linear
inequalities.
- Perform arithmetic
on irrational and complex numbers.
- Solve non-linear
equations.
- Be able to apply and
extend the concepts.
| |
| |
|
| Special Notations Used In
This Course |
| Exponents: |
When typing
an exponential expression, it will not be possible to superscript
exponents. Instead, use the ^ symbol (shift-6 on most
keyboards) to indicate exponents. Thus, to indicate the expression
x5, type x^5. As with all exponential expressions, be very
careful with the inclusion or exclusion of parentheses.
7y^3 = 7 · y · y · y, and
(7y)^3 = 7 ·7 ·7 · y · y · y = 343y^3. |
Fractions
& Rational
Expressions: |
Depending on a
fraction, parentheses for its numerator and/or denominator might be needed.
You can write the fraction, three-fifth, as 3/5. In fact, you should not write it as, (3)/(5), since it is not in its simplest form. However, To indicate the rational
expression  , you must type
(x+2)/(x-3). If you type x+2/x-3, you are actually indicating  , which is not the same as the intended
expression.
Generally, If the numerator or
denominator contains several terms, parentheses should be used. Also, if a denominator consists of more than one factor, the denominator should be in parentheses. For instance, 7/2x is different from 7/(2x) because 7/2x=3.5x but 7/(2x)=3.5/x (That is, if x=10, then 7/2x is 35 and 7(2x) is 0.35). |
| Radicals: |
Since it is
impossible to type a  symbol, we
will indicate square roots using sqrt( ) notation. For example, to
indicate  with the sqrt( )
notation, type sqrt(5). Also, to indicate a cube root, use cbrt( ). If it is an nth root (where n is an integer greater than 3), then type nroot(). For instance, a 16th root of x is 16root(x). |
| Example: |
It is
possible to have to type an expression containing some or all of the above
notations. For example, to indicate the expression  , you need to type 2sqrt(xy^5)/3.
|
| General
Instructions: |
Your answers
to the questions in tests and exams must be in the simplest form unless
otherwise instructed. Do not use spaces when you type your answers. It is
required to type your answers in Angel using the notations for fractions
and exponents (regardless of whether or not a question specifically instructs to use
these notations, if fraction and/or exponents are involved in the
answer) unless otherwise instructed. Also, you are required to follow all the instructions. Failing to follow instructions or to use notation correct will result in loss of points. |
| Notation Quiz: |
You are required to take Notation Quiz before taking any test/exam. You are also required to review it just before taking a test/exam each time. The notation test does not count for your course grade directly but will significantly affect it indirectly because you will lose points for using any notations incorrectly in this course. |
| Review Quiz: |
You should take Review Quiz, on Foundations 1, 2 & 3, before taking tests. It is one of the three quizzes that do not count for the course grade directly but will significantly affect your course grade indirectly. You take all of them and take them seriously. |
| |
|
| Policies |
| Calculators: |
Calculators are
required in this course (you are required to learn how to use it yourself). You can use a calculator that you used in the prerequisite course as long as it is a scientific calculator, a graphing calculator is fine too. |
| ADA
Notice: |
Any student who
qualifies for "reasonable accommodations" in accordance with the American
with Disabilities Act must notify the instructor in writing of such by the
end of the first week of class. If you have a documented disability that
may require assistance, you will need to contact the Disability Resource
Center located in the Student Service Center on each campus. Their phone
numbers are (702) 651-4700 at Cheyenne, (702) 651-3086 at Henderson, and
(702) 651-5089 at West Charleston. Please visit
http://www.csn.nevada.edu/drc/ for more information. |
| Dishonesty: |
Academic
dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated. It is a serious offence. Any
incident of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Vice President of
Academic Affairs, and the most serious course of action will be
recommended. |
| Missed
Tests & Exams: |
There are no
acceptable excuses for missing or failing to complete any test.
This includes technical difficulties (or other computer problems),
children, illness, deaths in the family, traffic court, vacations, or any
other legitimate (or imaginary) problems. Tests are available
for an extended period of time so that students can make appropriate
arrangements to complete the required work. Thus, any missed test (and exam)
will be scored as a zero, and no deadline extension, no retake, or no
make-up work of any kind will be offered. Stay ahead of the deadline
schedule for tests and exams. Do not wait till the last day to take a
test. |
Religious
Holidays: |
(From the CSN
Student Handbook) CSN is sensitive to the religious obligations of its
students. Any student missing class, tests, exams or any other
class work because of an observance of religious holidays shall, whenever
possible, be given an opportunity to make up the missed work. You must
notify the instructor in writing of such an event before the date of
occurrence. This policy shall not apply in the event that administering
the assignment at an alternate time would impose an undue hardship on the
instructor or the College which could not have been reasonably
avoided. |
| Withdrawals: |
If you stop
coming to lectures or stop logging into the course or quit completing the required tests/exams, you will
NOT be assigned an automatic "W" or "Withdrawal" grade. If you wish to
withdraw from this course, it is your responsibility to officially drop
it by the drop date listed in the college catalog. The instructor
does not assign a "W" to the students under any
circumstance, no exception. |
| Incomplete: |
An Incomplete
is issued only when the requirements for Incomplete are completely
satisfied; see the CSN Student Handbook/Planner for the requirements. A
student must request and substantiate the satisfaction of the
requirements, in writing, for incomplete to receive the
incomplete. |
| No
Exception: |
All the
policies and such given in this syllabus and anywhere else apply to
every student in this course without any exception. No special arrangement is made even for students who register in this course late. Please
do not think you are special or exempt for any reason. Every student is
treated equally in this course, no discrimination and no special
treatment; your backgrounds, situations, circumstances do not make any difference. You will be evaluated by nothing but your performances on the
tests and exams as described in this syllabus. |
| Times/Dates: |
All the hours
(time) and dates used in this course and by CSN are local to Las Vegas,
NV, USA. |
| Language: |
English is the
instructional language of this course. |
| Changes: |
The
instructor reserves the rights to change and not change anything in this
course syllabus as necessary. If any change, it will apply to all the
students in the course. |
| |
| Grading
|
| Homework: |
As you finish a section, please find exercises in "Assess Your Understanding" in the textbook that you should do and do them. The same with exercises in the chapter review and the cumulative review as you finish each chapter of the textbook. Also, take the chapter test given at the end of each chapter. This homework will not be collected and graded; it is for your understanding of the materials. The homework is already given implicitly. |
| Syllabus
Quiz: |
You will
begin the course by reading this course syllabus and taking a quiz on the information and policies laid
out in this syllabus. The Syllabus Quiz is available in the Course
Content of this course on Angel. Although the score on the Syllabus Quiz will not
count toward your overall course grade, you MUST get a perfect score on it
before any of the remaining tests and exams in the course will be made available
to you. If you do not get a perfect score, review your answers and the
Syllabus, and then retake the Syllabus Quiz. Any test/exam missed due to a
failure to take or get a perfect score on the Syllabus Quiz will be scored
as a zero, and no make-up work will be allowed or
offered. |
| Tests on Line Anywhere: |
There will be
eight, 10-point online tests (numbered Test 1 to Test 8) to be taken on line before the due dates. They will be made available (along with their deadlines) on Angel as the semester progress. Any test not taken
by these specified deadline will be scored as a zero. You can take each test as often as possible before its deadline. Absolutely no
make-up test, no deadline extension, and no retake test will be offered
for any reason (beyond your control or not), no exception. The test score total (TST) will be included in the course
grade calculation as listed below. Again, you are required to take all the tests on line but allowed to take them anywhere you wish
Note: No score adjustment on tests, before and after the deadlines. |
| Exams on Line at West Charleston Testing Center: |
There will be
one Mid-Term Exam (ME) and one comprehensive Final Exam (FE) of 40 points
each. These exams are closed-book exams and will be taken on line, only once each, on specified dates at the Testing Center on West Charleston Campus. Any exam not taken on these
specified dates will be scored as a zero. Absolutely no make-up exam,
no date extension, and no retake exam will be offered for any reason
(beyond your control or not), no exception. Each exam must be completed
within the posted time limit. Answers saved after time has expired will
not be accepted. At the end of the semester, each of these exams will be
included in the course grade calculation as listed below. Again, you are required to take exams on line at the Testing Center on West Charleston Campus (visit http://www.csn.edu/administration/student/services/testing/main/wcharleston.asp for hours and other information). |
| Computer
Grading: |
You are
required to enter all responses (such as answers to questions in the
tests and exams) using the specified formatting notation indicated in
this syllabus. Additional required notation may also be listed in the
instructions for individual questions. Tests and exams will be
automatically graded by the computer, which, unfortunately, sometimes
fails to recognize alternate forms of correct answers. Although you are
required to enter all responses using any specified formatting notations,
it will be in your best interests to review every test and exam after it
has been graded. If you have an answer you believe was incorrectly marked
wrong, it is your responsibility to contact the instructor for a possible
adjustment to your exam score within one week. However, the correct notations are part of this
course. You will lose points for incorrect or lack of use of
notations. Also, you will lose points if you fail to follow instructions. |
| Extra
Credit: |
Absolutely no
extra work for extra credit will be offered in this course. Please do not even ask for it. |
| Calculation: |
Course Grade
= TST + ME + FE.
Course Grade point totals will be rounded to the
nearest whole number.
Note that quiz scores will not count for the course grade.
|
| Grade Scale: |
There are a total of 160
possible points.
A: 144 (90% of 160) Points to 160 Points
B:
128 (80% of 160) Points to fewer than 144 Points
C: 112 (70% of 160) Points to fewer than 128 Points
D: 96
(60% of 160) Points to fewer than 112 Points
F: Below 96 Points
No +/- grades
will be issued. Any student who has points fewer than 96, but has not
officially withdrawn from the course, at the end of the semester will
receive an F for the course. |
| |
|
| Tips For Success
|
| Study: |
You should
read the textbook and lecture notes repeatedly until you understand
everything in them and attempt the homework in both the
textbook. For each hour of class time, you should
spend an additional two hours studying each week. Since this is a 3-credit
hour course, you should be spending approximately 9 hours per week
studying the materials for this course. Study to understand, not to
memorize, the materials in this course. Memorization (as opposed to
understanding) is the worst thing that anyone can do in a mathematics
course and in life as well. |
| Don't
Procrastinate: |
Don't wait
until the last minute to take a test. You are strongly advised to
complete each test (get perfect) at least a day or two before the deadline.
That way, if you experience a technical or any kind of problem, there
would be enough time to resolve the problem before the actual deadline.
Remember, no make-up work will be offered, for any reason. Generally, you
will be better off if you stay ahead of the schedule. All the tests are available for an extended times. |
| Ask
for Help: |
If you find yourself falling
behind or become even the slightest bit confused, seek help immediately!
Feel free to e-mail your instructor at any time. You should receive a
response within 24-48 hours. Each student receives 12 free hours of
tutoring for each class in which they are registered. The Tutorial Center
on the Charleston Campus is located in the lobby of the D Building. Also,
there is an open Math Lab on each of the Charleston, Cheyenne, and
Henderson Campuses. These Math & Science Resource Centers are staffed
with tutors and math instructors, and their use is free of
charge.
Visit http://www.csn.edu/pages/1558.asp for more information.
|
Rework
Examples: |
Pay close
attention to the examples found in the textbook and your lecture notes.
After reading through them, write down the problem and try to work it
without looking at the textbook or anything
else. |
| Connections: |
When doing
homework problems (exercises), try to identify the process and point of doing the
problem. If all you do is crunch out numeric answers, you won't get very
much from them. Many homework exercises are intended to enforce the
understanding of concepts. If you can see the intended connections, you
may find that you need only work a few problems before you understand
them. |
| Instructions &
Notations: |
First, please read the
questions in the tests/exams very carefully and understand what they are
asking for the answers. If you do not give what is required for the
answer, you do not receive any points for your answer. Many questions come
with instructions, and you are required to follow the instructions. Your
answers that do not follow instructions would not receive any points even
if otherwise correct. Also, you are required to give you answers in the
simplest forms unless otherwise instructed.
Notations are very important part of
mathematics. It is not just a notation. It is mathematics. Please pay your
close attention to notations in this course. You are required to learn,
know, and use notations correctly. |
Check
Answers: |
Use the book
wisely. After completing an exercise, compare your result with the answer
in the book. If the results are different, try to solve the exercise
again. If you believe your answer to be correct, feel free to ask your
instructor, a tutor, a classmate or a friend.
Also, check all your
answers thoroughly before you finish a test/exam. It is your
responsibility to give correct answers as instructed in the appropriate
notations.
|
| Study Together: |
Studying with
other students could be very beneficial. Often, another student can relate
to a simple problem and offer advice. If you can clearly explain how to
work a problem to another student, your own understanding will be greatly
reinforced. Also, if you cannot explain how to correctly work a problem,
you may find you may need to work a little harder on some topics. You can
communicate and study with other students. However, discussions on
specific questions in tests before their deadlines are
prohibited on or off Angel. All the correspondences and activities on
Angel are recorded and monitored. Check your e-mail and Announcements
regularly for messages from your instructor. |
Do Not Be Afraid of Making
Mistakes But Catch Them: |
Don't be
afraid to make mistakes. Everyone, including your instructor, makes a few
careless or other mistakes. Mistakes are part of the natural learning
process. Don't get discouraged by them; profit by them. Always take the
time to review your work and graded tests/exams. The best way to start
reducing the number of careless mistakes you make is to identify the kind
of mistakes you are prone to making. That way, you know what to watch out
for when working future problems. However, always, check your answers to
catch your mistakes and incorrect answers in every test/exam before you
submit it. Checking your answers improves your grade. |
| |
|
Important Dates as
Listed in the College Class Schedule
Visit http://www.csn.edu/pages/2681.asp for more information (this is a 16-week course) |
| 08/31 |
First day of the
2009 fall semester. |
| 09/06 |
Final date to
receive a 75% refund. |
| 09/06 |
Final date to
drop a course without a grade or W. |
| 09/07 |
Labor Day (CSN closed) |
| 11/08 |
Final date to
drop a course (the grade will be W). You cannot receive a W after this
date. |
| 11/11 |
Veteran's Day (CSN closed) |
| 12/19 |
Final day of the
2009 fall semester. |
| |
|