Math 136 Precalculus

Math 136 – Precalculus Winter & Spring 2016

Professor: Jeff Vaughn Email: [email protected] Phone: (812) 493-6503 Course Handouts, etc. available online at vault.hanover.edu/~vaughnj/precalculus

Course description: Precalculus (which is also known as Analytic Geometry) is primarily the study of the mathematics developed prior to the development of Calculus (in the 1600’s) and which is needed prior to taking a course in Calculus. The student is expected to have mastered all of the material covered in Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry prior to taking this course. Today (fortunately) we have much better mathematical notation than was used in the 1600’s, and automated means of calculating and graphing. We will make extensive use of calculators and computers.

Required materials: A scientific calculator capable of computing trigonometric, exponential, and logarithmic functions. Any good scientific calculator will work for this class. Bring your calculator each day. If you are weak in working with fractions, you may want to consider a calculator such as the Casio fx-115ES PLUS Natural V.P.A.M., the TI 36X Pro, or any calculator that helps in working with fractions. But with that said, there is a strong correlation between having very good skills in basic math and algebra and succeeding in later mathematics classes. If you do not have these basic skills, most mathematics will be very hard for you. I strongly suggest building those skills with whatever means you can – tutors, peer mentors, websites such as www.kahnacademy.com and seeking help during activity periods, etc.

The required textbook is Precalculus – McGraw-Hill/Glencoe, 2011, and is provided as well as the online version at http://connected.mcgraw-hill.com . If you have any trouble accessing the online material, let me know.

We will make extensive use of online resources such as www.kahnacademy.com , www.wolframalpha.com , and other websites which specialize in helping to understand and analyze the material at hand. Use the websites outside of class – after school, on your own at home, at the library, etc. Let me know if you are having problems using these tools.

Grading: Your grade will be determined by the following method: a grade will be given for each half of the semester (first half semester = quarter 3 and second half semester = quarter 4), and a comprehensive final exam will be given. Each half-semester grade will count as 40% of the final grade for the course, and the comprehensive final exam will count as 20% of the final grade. Each half semester grade will be computed as follows: % of quarter grade % of final grade Class Participation 10% 4% Homework and Computer Labs 20% 8% Exams (~ 2 or 3 per half semester) 70% 28% ------Maximum possible points: 100% 40%

There will not be an option to take a test later if you are not ready, and you will need to complete the test in the time allotted. If you are not present on the day of the test, a very good reason must be provided (doctor’s note, divine intervention, principal intervention, or perhaps parental intervention - if it is divinely inspired). Any make-up exam that I might give will be different and probably more difficult than the original exam. The purpose of this dual-credit class is to obtain college experience. In college you must be prepared and present on the days of exams, and you must complete the exam in the allotted time. Study hard and be able to do that.

I will probably not have time to make practice exams this semester, so thoroughly study the homework and class notes. I also cannot give partial credit if you don’t show your work, so show your work on test questions.

My job is to do my best to teach this material to you, your job is to do your best to learn it, and my last job in this class will be to make sure your final grade accurately depicts what you know about the subject.

Homework: I will check homework for completion, but the answers are in the back of the book and I expect you to check your own work and ask questions if you cannot work a problem. Show your work – don’t just copy the answers and turn in a page of answers you never derived on your own; I want to see your work on the paper. The exam questions will be based on the homework and the problems discussed in class. If you can do the homework and class problems, you will do well on the exams.

Please spend time each day working the practice problems so you will understand the material and do well on the exams.

The homework assignments and labs are due on the day specified. If you have questions, the due date can be delayed for one day without penalty. After that the grade for the homework (10 points) will be reduced by 2 points for each additional day it is late.

I will have a homework box in the back of the room. It is your responsibility to put the homework in the box rather than for me to use class time to collect it.

Class Participation: Work the homework problems and review the material covered in class and come to class each day prepared to discuss the assignments and material. Make an effort to join in the discussion and offer advice, opinions, and solutions. I consider a grade of 10 in class participation to be earned by those who are prepared, pay attention, ensure a class environment where others can learn (by not disrupting class or distracting other students). Grades below 10 will be given for those who do not do those things, and much lower than 10 for those who disrupt class, distract others, and in general make total class learning difficult.

How to study: I cannot emphasize this enough! If you are trying to learn how to do something; e.g., learn to play a musical instrument, change the brake pads on your car, do needlepoint, etc., and you watch someone else do it for you, you will develop the skill to watch someone do the task and understand the basic concepts of what they are doing while you watch them, but you will not be able to do it. If you go on to do it yourself with the other person assisting you in setting up your work and performing the most difficult steps, you will develop the skill to do the task as long as you have assistance in setting up the work to be done and while also having assistance in overcoming the more difficult steps. But you still will not be able to do the task yourself. If after the first two steps, you start from scratch yourself each time and proceeded until you can finally do the task with no assistance at all, then you will know how to do it (but you will still need to practice to maintain your skill). Think of learning to play a musical instrument, or creative writing. You learn by doing and practicing. You cannot learn math by watching someone else do it, just as you cannot learn to play a musical instrument that way, or a sport, or anything. If you don’t practice until you can do it on your own with a blank sheet of paper, you will not learn how to do mathematics. Imagine that you are trying to learn a skill in sports; e.g., track. Would you not practice at all until the night before the meet (but you would come to the field and sit in the bleachers and watch the coach and others), and then the night before the meet run like crazy to get ready for it? That strategy would not be successful, just as waiting until the night before a test to study is never successful.

My advice to you is this: if you need help in solving a problem, then after you have done it with help, turn that solution over and with a blank piece of paper and no assistance, do the same problem again until you can do it without assistance. It will be hard at first and you will feel like you are only memorizing the solution, but after awhile you will develop the skills to do the problem and ones like it on your own. This advice especially applies to all analytical problems in fields such as math, chemistry, physics, computer science, etc., and also to most skills you learn in life. You learn what you do, and what you need to do is be able to solve problems with just a blank sheet of paper in front of you.

Plagiarism: Submission of someone else's work as your own is plagiarism. It is unacceptable behavior in all situations, and you don’t learn anything from it, either. But, I strongly recommend working together with others on homework and labs – just make sure you can do it on your own and understand what you’re doing when you’re done.

Looking at someone else’s exam or at unapproved notes during a test: is a very bad idea that could have extremely serious consequences for you academically. The consequences of doing that in college are career terminating. Just don’t do it.

Extra help: I want you to learn this area of mathematics. Everyone learns at different speeds and in different ways, but no one learns without practicing. I will do everything in my power to work with you and help you, but you need to be open about letting me know when you need help. Feel free to contact me via phone, text, and/or e-mail. I am almost always here during the third period and the activity period and will be happy to use that time to help. This semester I will need to leave school after the 4th period to teach at Hanover College. I won’t be done there each day until after 4 pm.

I can sometimes help in evenings and on weekends, but I won’t want to make that effort if you haven’t been making an effort, too. I definitely don’t respect someone’s work ethic who is not studying and then wants a private crash course the night before the test. Just honestly work hard each day and I will do my best to work with you.

Please also remember that you can come any day during activity period (and even third period). There is also a peer mentor available, fellow classmates (study groups?), and a volunteer on Thursday evenings. There is www.kahnacademy.com and other online resources.

You really don’t care how long it took your mechanic to learn how to work on an engine, nor how long it took your plumber or electrician to master their trades. But you do care that they can do the job for you now. Likewise, it doesn’t matter if you learn this material quickly, or if you need to put in extra time to master it. But it does matter that you put in the time and effort and do master the material. If you put in the effort all semester, I will be happy to help you. But, please don’t fall behind, not let anyone know, and then hope for a miracle in the last couple of days before the test. It never works.

Very Tentative Schedule: We will cover the rest of chapter 6 and chapters 7, 8, 9, 10 this semester. I hope to finish chapter 6 (matrices) by mid-January, chapter 7 (conic sections) by mid-February, chapter 8 (vectors) by mid-March, chapter 9 (polar coordinates and complex numbers) by late April, and chapter 10 (sequences and series) by the end of May. It is a fast pace; don’t let yourself fall behind.