Course designed to introduce and solidify the concepts needed for calculus. Topics include properties of real numbers, functions, polynomial, rational and trigonometric, systems of equations and equalities as well as with expressions involving exponential and logarithmic functions.
By the end of this course, students will be able to analyze and apply the fundamental concepts of functions, including polynomial, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions; interpret and solve problems involving analytic geometry; and explore the theory of equations to prepare for advanced study in calculus and related fields. Topics include:
- Identify and apply basic skills such as adding/subtracting, fractions, order of operations, multiplying, and factoring throughout the course
- Solve liner, quadratic, exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric equations
- Compare functions and their inverses
- Graph polynomial, rational and trigonometric functions
Canvas (required)
No textbook purchase is required for this course.
Optionally, students can follow Precalculus: A Unit Circle Approach, by, Ratti and McWaters. MyMathLab contains an electronic version of the textbook with additional practice problems. You can optionally purchase it separately, on-line, or packaged with the hard copy textbook. We will cover most of chapters A, 1-5, 7.1. However, no textbook purchase is required for this course.
Your final grade is a weighted sum of your grades of online/lecture/studio activities, quizzes, exams and the final.
Welcome Module 1%
Office Hour Requirement (OHR) 2%
Pulse Checks (PCs) 2%
Buzzers 3%
Knowledge Checks (KCs) 2%
Activities 3%
Quizzes 3%
Graphing Projects (GPs) 4% (1% each)
Exams 60% (15% each)
Final Exam 20%
The standard 10-point scale will be used to assign letter grades, but the cut-offs may be lowered to arrive at a standard distribution for the course:
A: [90%,100%]; B: [80%, 90%); C: [70%,80%); D: [60%, 70%); F: [0, 60%)
You are expected to come prepared and actively participate in every class session. In the event of an absence, you are responsible for all missed materials and any additional announcements or schedule changes given. The instructor is not responsible for re-teaching missed information. Students should refer to the class calendar to know what information was covered while they were not in class. Students are advised to get contact information from a fellow classmate who they can contact if they need to get copies of notes.
Students who are absent because of participation in approved Institute activities (such as field trips, professional conferences, and athletic events) will be permitted to make-up exams missed during their absences. Approval of such activities will be granted by the Student Academic and Financial Affairs Committee of the Academic Senate, and statements of the approved absence may be obtained from the Office of the Registrar.
In the event of a medical emergency or an illness that is severe enough to require medical attention, students are responsible for contacting the Office of the Vice President and Dean of Students (Division of Student Life) as soon as possible to report the medical issue or emergency, providing dated documentation from a medical professional and requesting assistance in notifying their instructors.
Class disruptions of any kind will not be tolerated and may result in your removal from the classroom and/or loss of participation points for that day.
Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. All work submitted must be original and properly cited. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will result in immediate consequences as outlined in the university's academic integrity policy.