MAT 170
Precalculus
Fall 2005 Syllabus


Instructor: Ted Lai
Office: PSA 727
Office Hours: 1:00 – 2:30 MW or by Appointment
Office Phone: (480)965-1159
Email: ted@mathpost.asu.edu
Web Page: http://mathpost.asu.edu/~ted

Prerequisites: (1) A grade of 'B' or better in MAT 106 or equivalent or grade of 'C' or better in MAT 117 or equivalent, and (2) completion of department Unified Placement Exam. The placement exam is taken online and must be completed by the end of the first week of classes.
Materials: Precalculus 3rd Ed. By Faires and DeFranza. Graphing calculator also required. Talk to your instructor about a recommendation. Student solutions manual highly recommended.
Graphing Calculator: The recommended models are TI-83, TI-83 Plus, Casio 9750, and Casio 9850. Any calculator that has a computer algebra system (CAS) will not be allowed on the exams. This includes, but is not limited to, the TI-89, TI-92, Casio Algebra FX 2.0.

Graphing Calculator Workshops

                                        Wed, Aug. 31, 3-5pm:  For TI calculators, in room PSF 166
                                                                              For CASIO calculators, in room PSH 151
                                        Thu, Sep. 1, 3-5pm:      For TI calculators, in room MURDOCK 101
                                                                               For CASIO calculators, in room PSH 152 <>

Grades: Grades will be determined by student performance on homework and quizzes, three midterm exams, and a cumulative final exam. The grade distribution and scale are as follows:
3 midterm exams:              50%
homework, quizzes, etc:    25%
cumulative final:                 25%


97-100% A+         87-89 B+       77-79 C+             0-59 E

93-96% A              83-86 B         70-76 C

90-92% A-            80-82 B-        60-69 D

Attendance: Instructors will take attendance on a regular basis. A key to success in any mathematics course is regular attendance. In addition, it is the student's responsibility to be aware of any announcements made in class regarding course policies or assignments.


Exams: Three exams will be given during the semester and will be administered in the department Testing Center, PSA 21. To be admitted to the testing center, students will need a SunCard and a label. The instructor will pass out the labels in class before the exams. Students have unlimited time to take the exams, subject to testing center hours. For more information, go to http://fym.la.asu.edu/~fym/TestingCenter/tstcenter.shtml Make-up exams are not allowed without prior approval from the instructor.

Exam Schedule: Take note of the exam dates. Lack of awareness of exam times does not constitute an excuse for missing an exam. Make-up exams are not allowed without instructor approval.

Exam       Coverage                    Dates (MWF, MW)        Dates (TTH)

Exam 1    Chapter 1                    Sep 13 – 14                    Sep 14 - 15
Exam 2    Chapters 2 and 3         Oct 11 – 12                    Oct 12 - 13
Exam 3    Chapter 4                    Nov 15 – 16                   Nov 16 – 17

Final Exam: The cumulative final exam will take place on Thursday, December 8 at 6:40-8:50p.m. Make-up finals are not allowed with the only exceptions being (1) religious observance, (2) more than one final exam scheduled at the same time, or (3) more than three final exams scheduled on the same day.

Homework: Homework will be submitted via the internet using the online homework system WeBWorK. Students will log in using their ASURITE login name and password. Go to http://webwork.asu.edu and choose the link with your instructor's name under MAT 170. Late homework submission will not be allowed. However, the lowest homework score will be dropped. For additional practice, see the homework list at the end of this document.

Quizzes: Quizzes will be given on a regular basis to test students' knowledge of the concepts covered on WebWork exercises. There will be anywhere between 12 and 15 quizzes during the semester. They may be announced or unannounced, so students must be present and be ready for a quiz at anytime. Make-up quizzes will not be allowed. To allow for situations where a student cannot be present for a quiz, the three (3) lowest quiz scores will be dropped, effectively allowing each student to miss 3 quizzes without penalty.

Getting Help: The department offers free tutoring in the Tutor Center. Click on the link to see the hours and location. You can also get help at the Learning Resource Center and in the dormitory tutor centers. However, the BEST place to get help is your instructor's office hours (after all, who do you think writes the exams?)

Math Department Tutor Center:

          http://fym.la.asu.edu/%7Efym/TutorCenter/TutorCenter.shtml
Learning Resource Center:
         http://www.asu.edu/vpsa/lrc/

Important Dates:

Sep 5                               Labor Day Holiday
                                        Department Drop Back
Oct 28                             Course Withdrawal Deadline
Nov 11                            Veteran's Day Holiday
Nov 24-25                       Thanksgiving Holiday
Dec 6                               Complete Withdrawal Deadline and Last Day of Classes

Schedule:


Week

Dates

Sections Covered

1

Aug22 – Aug 26

Introduction, 1.2

2

Aug 29 – Sep 2

1.3 – 1.6

3

Sep 5 – Sep 9

1.6 – 1.8

4

Sep 12 – Sep 16

Review, 2.2 – 2.3

5

Sep 19 – Sep 23

2.4 – 3.2

6

Sep 26 – Sep 30

3.2 – 3.4

7

Oct 3 – Oct 7

3.4 – 3.6

8

Oct 10 – Oct 14

Review, 4.1 – 4.2

9

Oct 17 – Oct 21

4.3-4.4

10

Oct 24 – Oct 28

4.5 – 4.6

11

Oct 31 – Nov 4

4.6 – 4.8

12

Nov 7 – Nov 11

4.8 – 4.9

13

Nov 14 – Nov 18

Review, 5.2

14

Nov 21 – Nov 25

5.3

15

Nov 28 – Dec 2

5.4, Review

16

Dec 5 – Dec 9

Review, Final Exam


Practice Problems: In addition to completing homework on WeBWorK, the instructor may occasionally collect problems from the text for a grade. Even if these problems are not collected, it is recommended that students complete these problems for extra practice.


Section

Problems

1.2

12,19,26,29,32,33,38,41,46,52,57,60,65

1.3

6,13,18,21,25,30,39,44,50,52,56,59

1.4

1-8,16,23,31,36,39-42

1.5

4,11,16,20,22,26

1.6

1,4,6,7-14,18,21,28,30,37,40,51-54,57,63,66,70,72

1.7

14,18,19,24,29,35,40,42

1.8

21,24,29,30,32,36,38,41,44

2.2

4,7,12,15,18,22,23,29,33,38

2.3

2,3,5,7,10,13,17,20,23,24

2.4

2,8,11,14,16,21,23,29,31,34,36,38

2.5

1-6,8,13,15-18,20,23,25,28,33,36,37

3.2

1,11,13,16,18,20,22,24,25,32,35,41,47,48

3.3

1,3,5,7,10,14,15,17,20,22,23,26,33,38

3.4

2,4,5,10,13,16,18,21,31,35,40,42,43,45

3.5

1-9(odd),15,23,27,30

3.6

1,4,8,13,18,20,22,30,36,40,45,49,54

4.2

1-13(odd),22,23,25,30,34 ,42

4.3

1,2,3,7-31(odd),39,41,43,45,46,51,53,54

4.4

1,4,7,9,11,14,17,19-22,31,35,36

4.5

1-7,11,16,21,29,30,33,35,36,44

4.6

1,2,6,7,10,12,14,17,19,22,23,24,31-39,42,43,51

4.7

1,4,9,12,15,22-27

4.8

1-33(odd),43-46

4.9

1,3,6,7,13,18-25

5.2

7,8,11,19,20,21,27,33,35,38,40

5.3

3,8,9,12,15,20,23,26,29,32,36,39,44,50,52,55,60,65

5.4

2-5,7,10,11,14,16,19


Ethics: It is highly unethical to bring to the instructor's attention the possible impact of your mathematics grade on your future, including graduation, scholarships, athletic eligibility, jobs, etc. Instructors may exercise an option to withdraw you from the course if they think you are compromising their ability to assess your work independently of any other consideration.


Disclaimer: The instructor has the right to change this syllabus as he or she sees fit. Any changes will be announced in class. It is the student's responsibility to attend class and thus be aware of such changes.