MTH 108-Intermediate Algebra 009-Fall 2014 Monday, Wednesday, & Friday 12:00pm-1:30pm; Room A124 Instructor: Jeffrey Mudrock Class Tutor: Carime Penaranda E-mail: jmudrock@clcillinois.edu (I can only respond to your CLC e-mail) Phone: 847-543-2617 Office: A133 Office Hours: Monday: 9:00-9:45 am & 1:45-3:00 pm Tuesday: 3:30-7:15 pm Wednesday: 9:00-9:45 am Thursday: 3:30-7:15 pm Friday: 9:00-9:45 am I am also available by appointment. Website: http://jmudrock.weebly.com/mth-108.html Course Description This developmental course is the second course in the algebra sequence that further develops the concepts of basic algebra. Intermediate algebra topics include, but are not limited to: polynomial inequalities, systems of equations and inequalities; quadratic, rational, radical, exponential and logarithmic equations and functions. Modeling and problem solving will be introduced throughout the course. NOTE: This course does not apply to any associate degree or career certificate program. Prerequisites MTH 102 (B or Better) or appropriate score on the Math Placement Test or Math ACT of 22 or higher. Course Requirements Text: Bittinger, Ellenbogen, Johnson, Elementary and Intermediate Algebra Graphs and Models, 4th Edition, Addison-Wesley, 2012. Calculator: TI-84/TI-83 Plus Graphing Calculator. Classroom Policies Students are expected to come to class on time and prepared. Students are expected to participate in class. Cell phones should be turned off or put on silent during class. Texting during class will not be tolerated. Students that disrupt the learning process of other students will be asked to leave. Attendance Students are expected to attend all classes and arrive on time. In the event of an absence, it is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor of the circumstances as soon as possible. Absences will cause students to lose points in the In class work/quizzes portion of their grade. If a student informs the instructor of an absence as soon as he or she possibly can, he or she will be given the opportunity to make up missed in class work. All make up in class work must be completed within one week of the student s return to class, and all make up in class work must be completed before the final exam date.
Late homework will be accepted up to two class days after it is due (the only exception is the final graded homework which will only be accepted up to one class day after it is due) and it will be graded at a 50% deduction. So, if a homework assignment is worth x points x/2 points will automatically be deducted from that assignment if it is turned in late. The late homework penalty can be waived when a documented serious illness, necessary absence, or other reasons beyond the control of the student prevent any kind of submission of the homework on the due date. Any student with an extended or prolonged absence may be dropped from the course unless the instructor is informed of the student s intent to remain enrolled in the course. In the event of an absence it is the student s responsibility to obtain missed information, handouts, and/or homework assignments. There will not be any make up exams. Homework There are two types of homework assignments: Graded Homework and Recommended Homework. Graded Homework will be assigned on Monday or Wednesday and collected no earlier than one week after it is assigned. Graded Homework will be graded for accuracy. That is, it will be graded just like an exam. Students are expected to show all of their work on graded homework. Partial credit will be given for homework solutions which make progress toward the correct answer or show a partial understanding of concepts. There will be approximately 12 graded homework assignments. They will range in value from 10 to 20 points. There will be a total of 224 points from graded homework assignments. Recommended Homework will be assigned at the end of each class and will always be from the text. Recommended Homework will not be collected or graded, but students are encouraged to ask the instructor questions regarding the recommended homework. Doing both the graded homework and recommended homework is the most important thing that a student can do for success in this course. Students should not hesitate to see their instructor or class tutor in the Math Center when questions about the homework arise. In Class Work/Quizzes Every class, with the exception of exam days, will contain some type of In Class Work or Quiz. In Class Work is usually in the form of Graded Examples which are example problems that occur during lecture. Students can work on these problems individually or in groups. Every piece of In Class Work will be worth 3 points. A Quiz will always be announced at least one day before it will be given. However, the announcement of an upcoming quiz will only occur in class and not on the website. So, students must come to class to hear about upcoming quizzes. All Quizzes will be worth 3 points.
Exams There will be three midterm exams each worth 150 points and a cumulative final worth 200 points. The first midterm will be tentatively held on Friday, September 19. The second midterm will be tentatively held on Friday, October 17. The third midterm will be tentatively held on Friday, November 21. The Final Exam will be held on Monday, December 15 from 12:30 pm to 2:20 pm. Grading There will be 1000 points possible in the class. The midterms will comprise 45% of the final grade (150 points each). The final exam will comprise 20% of the final grade (200 points). Graded homework will comprise 22.4% of the final grade (224 points) and In Class Work/Quizzes will comprise 12.6% of the final grade (126 points). The grading scale is as follows: A- 895 points or above B- 795 to 894.5 points C- 695 to 794.5 points D- 595 to 694.5 points Students will be able to check their grade via blackboard. Missed Exams In the case of a missed exam, a zero will be recorded in the grade book. If a student contacts the instructor as soon as he or she possibly can, (informing him of the absence) the percentage that the student obtains on his or her final exam will replace the zero for his or her missed exam. Tips for Success Come to class. Come to office hours to ask about anything that is unclear. Complete both the recommended homework and the graded homework. Do quality work on all assignments and hand them in on time. Do not be afraid to ask questions and participate in class. Find classmates whom you can work with on the homework and study. Spend a minimum of two hours studying for every hour spent in class. Work to understand the concepts in mathematics beyond step-by-step procedures. Rough Course Outline SECTION TOPIC CLASS HOURS 6.1 Introduction to Polynomial Factorization and Equations 1 6.2 Trinomials of type 1 6.3 Trinomials of type 2 6.4 Perfect-Square Trinomials and Differences of Squares 1 6.5 Sum and Difference of Cubes 1 6.6 Factoring: A General Strategy 1 6.7 Applications of Polynomial Equations 2
7.1 Rational Expressions and Functions 1 7.2 Multiplication and Division 1 7.3 Addition, Subtraction, and Least Common Denominators 1 7.4 Addition and Subtraction with Unlike Denominators 1 7.5 Complex Rational Expressions 1 7.6 Rational Equations 2 7.7 Applications Using Rational Equations and Proportions 1.5 7.8 Formulas, Applications, and Variation 2 8.1 Graphical Solutions and Compound Inequalities 1 8.2 Absolute-Value Equations and Inequalities 1 8.3 Inequalities in Two Variables 2 8.4 Polynomial Inequalities and Rational Inequalities 2 9.1 Systems of Equations in Three Variables 2 9.2 Solving Applications: Systems of Three Equations 2 9.5 Business and Economic Applications 1 10.1 Radical Expressions, Functions, and Models 2 10.2 Rational Numbers as Exponents 1 10.3 Multiplying Radical Expressions 1 10.4 Dividing Radical Expressions 1 10.5 Expressions Containing Several Radical Terms 2 10.6 Solving Radical Equations 2 10.7 The Distance Formula, the Midpoint Formula and Other Apps 1 10.8 The Complex Numbers 2 11.1 Quadratic Equations 2 11.2 The Quadratic Formula 1 11.3 Studying Solutions of Quadratic Equations 1 11.4 Applications Involving Quadratic Equations 1.5 11.6 Quadratic Functions and their Graphs 1 11.7 More about Graphing Quadratic Functions 1 11.8 Problem Solving and Quadratic Functions 2 12.1 Composite Functions and Inverse Functions 2 12.2 Exponential Functions 2 12.3 Logarithmic Functions 2 12.4 Properties of Logarithmic Functions 2 12.5 Natural Logarithms and Changing Bases 1 12.6 Solving Exponential and Logarithmic Equations 2 12.7 Applications of Exponential and Logarithmic Functions 2 FERPA Statement: Although students may forward e-mails from their CLC e-mail accounts to another e-mail account, in order to be in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and to guarantee the student s privacy, CLC personnel will not communicate with the student via e-mail unless the official college e-mail address is used.
STATEMENT FROM THE OFFICE FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: If you have a documented disability that requires academic accommodations, please discuss this with me as soon as possible and contact the Office for Students with Disabilities in room L112 to arrange for all necessary services. To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact the Office for Students with Disabilities (847) 543 2474 in room L112. If you have an Instructor Notification Form, please make an appointment with me so we can discuss the accommodations that you might need in this class. PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING: Although group efforts and interactions with others are highly encouraged in this course, turning in others work/words as your own is not. Likewise, copying work/words/solutions from a text or solutions manual is also unacceptable. The use of unapproved calculator programs is prohibited. Storing class notes on a calculator and/or accessing them during a quiz or exam is considered to be cheating. Any student found doing so will receive a grade of zero for that quiz/exam. The instructor reserves the right to check the content of any student s calculator. All parties involved in any form of cheating, copying, or plagiarizing will receive no credit for the work. In addition, such incidents will be referred to the division dean and/or dean of students. Consequences may be as severe as a course grade of F. STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: The very nature of higher education requires that students adhere to accepted standards of academic integrity. Therefore, the College of Lake County has adopted the Student Rights and Responsibilities Policy (#403) and a Statement of Student Academic Integrity. These may be found in the Student Handbook. Among the violations of academic integrity listed and defined are: cheating, plagiarism, falsification, unauthorized complicity, abuse of academic materials, complicity in academic dishonesty, falsification of records and official documents, personal misrepresentation and proxy, and bribes, favors, and threats. IT IS THE STUDENT S RESPONSIBILITY TO BE AWARE OF BEHAVIORS THAT CONSTITUTE ACADEMIC DISHONESTY. Pursuant to the due process guarantees contained in the Student Rights and Responsibilities Policy and Procedures on Student Academic Integrity, the minimum punishment for the first offense for a student found in violation of the standards of academic integrity is failure in the assignment. In addition, a disciplinary record will be established and kept on file in the office of the Vice President for Student Development.