Instructor: Mrs. Cynthia Bishop
Fax: (325) 942 – 2503
Office: MCS 220B
Office Phone: (325) 942 – 2315 ext. 259
Office Hours:
| Mon / Wed / Fri |
10:30am-12:00pm;
3:00pm-3:30pm (in MCS 211) |
| Tues / Thurs |
10:00am-11:00am;
2:00pm-3:45pm |
No appointment is necessary if you come to my office at
these times . If you need to see me at a time outside
of my office hours, please make an appointment with me.
Textbook: Prealgebra, Fifth Edition, by Aufmann,
Barker, Lockwood.
Course Content: Refer to the attached Student Learning Outcomes and
Content sheet for information on the topics covered in
this course.
Math Lab : You paid a lab fee for this course which entitles you to use
the 130A/130B math lab. This lab is especially
for you. It is not required, but it is an excellent place to do homework or get
help on specific questions.
M – F: 1:00 – 4:00 pm (MCS 211) M-Th: 6:00-8:00 pm (MCS 211)
Final Exam: We will have a comprehensive Final Exam . Dates and times are
as follows:
Math 130A.030 (MWF 12:00pm-12:50pm): Monday, May 11, 2009 from 1:00 pm
– 3:00 pm
Math 130A.050 (MWF 2:00pm-2:50pm): Monday, May 11, 2009 from 3:30 pm –
5:30 pm
Exams: We will have four in-class exams and a final exam. Calculators
are NOT allowed on any exam. If you
miss an exam, you need to get in touch with me immediately! I will replace your
lowest exam score with
your final exam, if it is to your benefit. You are given this second chance to
allow for unavoidable absences.
You need to think of this as your insurance in case you get sick or have a
family emergency. You may take
an exam early ONLY if I excuse the absence. If you leave the room during an
exam, I may take your
test and grade it AS IS!
Attendance: You are expected to attend all
scheduled class meetings, arrive on time, and stay for the entire class period.
Class attendance is an important consideration in suspension decisions. You will
be marked absent if you
are more than 10 minutes late or if you leave early. If you are tardy, it is
your responsibility to let me know
after class so that I can change my records. Three tardies count as one absence.
The attendance policy is as
follows:
0 Absences: +2 on final average
1-5 Absences: no change to average
6+ Absences: -1 point off final average for each absence
Homework: We will have assigned exercises from the
textbook and from worksheets. You may collaborate on your
homework assignments with other classmates, but each student must turn in his or
her own homework paper.
Follow the Homework Guidelines on the last page of this syllabus.
Homework is due at the BEGINNING of class. If you have trouble
completing a homework assignment,
see me for assistance or attend lab BEFORE it is due. If you are absent, it
is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
to contact me or view my web page for the new homework assignment. You may send
your homework to
class with a friend, drop it by my office early, or fax it to the office. I will
drop 3 homework grades. This is
the leeway you are given to allow for unavoidable absences. Do not waste them.
EACH STUDENT IS ALLOWED ONLY THREE LATE PAPERS. There are no exceptions
to the late
policy. Homework assignments that are more than two weeks past the due date will
not be accepted. After
the late papers are used, all other late assignments will receive a grade of
zero.
Grading Scheme
| Homework/Quizzes |
15% |
| Each Exam (4) |
15% |
| Final Exam |
25% |
The following table determines how letter grades will be
assigned in this course.
| 90% and above |
80% to 89% |
70% to 79% |
60% to 69% |
less than 60% |
| A |
B |
C |
D |
F |
Note: You must obtain a C or better to earn credit for this
course.
Special Needs: Persons with disabilities which may
warrant academic accommodations must contact the Student Life
Office, Room 112 University Center, in order to request such accommodations
prior to any accommodations
being implemented. You are encouraged to make this request early in the semester
so that appropriate
arrangements can be made.
If you have any simpler needs ( like needing me to speak louder, needing to sit
in a certain location, needing
a larger font, etc.), let me know immediately.
Academic Honor
Code Statement: Angelo State University expects its students to maintain
complete honesty and integrity in their academic
pursuits.
Common Courtesy : Turn off all pagers, cell phones,
or any other electronic communication devices before entering the
classroom. Place these items in your backpacks. I do not want to see them on
your desk or in your laps.
THIS MEANS NO TEXTING DURING CLASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I reserve the right to ask you to leave class if I catch you texting. If you are
asked to
leave, you will receive an absence for that day. See the attendance policy
above.
Please refrain from carrying on personal conversations once class has started.
It is rude to me and to your
peers when you persist on conversing with your friends. Be courteous to your
peers when they are
responding in class by listening to what they have to say.
Drop Date: Friday, April 3, 2009 is the last day to drop a course with a W or
withdraw from ASU.
Remember, however, that a developmental class cannot be dropped unless you are
self-placed in the course.
Fundamentals of Mathematics I
Math 130A
Student Learning Outcomes
1 The students will demonstrate factual knowledge including the mathematical
notation and terminology used in this
course. Students will read, interpret, and use the vocabulary, symbolism,
and basic definitions used in arithmetic, geometry, and
beginning algebra .
2 The students will describe the fundamental mathematical principles,
generalizations, and properties arising from the
concepts covered in this course. Students will identify and apply the basic
operations on the real numbers and polynomials; the
properties of the real numbers ; solving first-degree equations; and the formulas
for finding perimeter, area, volume, surface area,
and circumference.
3 The students will apply course material along with techniques and
procedures covered in this course to solve problems.
Students will use the facts, formulas, and techniques learned in this course
to solve a wide variety of application problems to
include percent, geometry, and proportions .
4 The students will develop the basic skills and knowledge necessary to be
successful in college-level mathematics courses.
Students will acquire a level of proficiency in the fundamental concepts of
arithmetic, geometry, and beginning algebra to
promote success in college-level math courses.
Course content
Textbook: Prealgebra, Fifth Edition, by Aufmann, Barker, Lockwood. The
following chapters including particular sections listed
are covered. (See textbook “Contents.”)
1. Whole numbers. Standard notation; addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division; rounding; estimating; application
problems; divisibility rules ; properties of whole numbers; order of operations;
exponents; evaluating algebraic expressions; and
solving equations with whole numbers.
2. Integers. Number line; addition, subtraction, multiplication, and
division; properties of integers; absolute value; order of
operations; applications; and solving equations with integers.
3. Fractions. Factors; multiples; addition, subtraction, multiplication,
and division; mixed numerals; complex fractions;
application problems; exponents ; order of operations ; and solving equations with
fractions.
4. Decimals/Real number system . Notation; addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division; rounding; fractions to decimals
and decimals to fractions ; application problems; approximation; number line;
reducing radicals; and solving equations with
decimals.
5. Variable Expressions . Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and
division of polynomials; laws of exponents; use of distributive
property; translation of verbal expressions into variable expressions; and
properties of real numbers.
6. First-Degree Equations. Techniques in solving first-degree equations;
application problems; the rectangular coordinate system;
translating sentences into equations; and graphing linear equations.
7. Measurement and Proportion. Dimensional analysis; ratios and rates;
proportions and applications; and metric and U.S.
customary systems.
8. Percents. Basic percent equation; percent problems; and writing percents
as fractions and as decimals.
9. Geometry. Classifying angles; sum of angle measures of triangles;
classifying polygons; perimeter and area of squares,
rectangles, triangles, parallelograms, and trapezoids; area and circumference of
circles; volume and surface area of rectangular
solids and cylinders; vertical, corresponding, and alternate interior angles;
similar triangles; and the Pythagorean theorem.
10. Statistics and Probability. Mean, median, and mode.
11. Factoring . Trinomials; greatest common factor.
Homework Guidelines
Mathematics is a language, and as such has standards of writing which should be
observed. For instance, in a
writing class, one must respect the rules of grammar and punctuation, one must
write in organized paragraphs
built with complete sentences, and the final draft must be a neat paper with a
title. Similarly, there are certain
standards for mathematics assignments:
1.This will be the stapled to the front of your homework
assignment. Make sure the cover page is completely filled out.
Homework assignments without a cover page will receive a grade of zero.
2. Work each problem on standard-sized paper ONLY.
3. Write legibly; if the grader can’t read your answer, it’s WRONG. Your
homework assignment
should not look like scratch paper.
4. Write out the problem (except for word problems).
5. STAPLE your work behind the cover sheet. Papers that are not stapled
will receive a grade of zero.
6. Clearly indicate the number of the exercise you are doing. If you
accidentally do a problem out of
order then include a note for the grader.
7. If you run out of room at the end of a problem, continue onto the next page;
do not try to squeeze
lines together at the bottom of the sheet. You CAN use both sides of a sheet of
paper.
8. Use sufficient space for each problem, with at least one blank line
between different problems.
9. Show your work. This means showing your steps, not just writing the
problem and the answer.
Show every step between the problem and the answer or else it will be WRONG.
10. Do not do magic. Plus signs , minus signs, “=0”, radicals, and denominators
should not disappear in
the middle of your work, only to mysteriously reappear at the end. Each step
should be complete.
Use mathematical notation correctly.
In general, write your homework as though you’re trying to convince someone that
you know what you’re
talking about. Completely worked and corrected homework exercises make excellent
study guides. If students
develop good habits while working on the homework, they generally perform better
on the exams.
WARNING: POINTS MAY BE DEDUCTED IF THESE STANDARDS ARE NOT FOLLOWED!!
