Madisonville Community College

Fall 2008 Syllabus

 

MT 150 36423-75M1      College Algebra and Functions

 

Prerequisites:

A grade of “C” or higher in MT 120 or as determined by placement examination.

 

Instructor:

Elyssa Lear

Office:

Muhlenberg:

Shaver Education Center

Room 103

Madisonville:

Joe C. Davis Building

 Room 101A

Phone:

824 – 1834 voicemail  or

757-9881 or

toll free 1-877-659-0819

 

 

Email:

elyssa.lear@kctcs.edu  ** Best way to get in touch with me.**

 

Website:

 

www.madisonville.kctcs.edu/facstaf/elear/

** Assignment sheet and daily outline are posted here**

 

Office Hours:

Muhlenberg:

MTWR:  8:00 – 9:15 am

              1:00 – 2:00 pm

 

* I’m on the Muhlenberg campus everyday.

Fridays by appointment

Tutoring Hours:

Muhlenberg:

Learning Center, Room 110

MTWR:  1: 00 – 2:00 pm

 

 

 

 

Textbook:

College Algebra An Early Functions Approach  by Blitzer

 

Materials:

Pencil is required.  Calculator – TI 82 or TI 83.  Graph paper optional.

 

Attendance:

Regular attendance is essential for successful completion of this course.  Although it is not computed directly into your grade, attendance will be considered in borderline cases.  Perfect attendance will be rewarded with 10 points added to the final exam grade.  For each class missed, 2 points will be deducted from this bonus.

 

Course Description:

Selected topics in algebra and analytic geometry.  Develops

manipulative skills and concepts required for further study in

mathematics.  Includes linear, quadratic, polynomial, rational,

exponential, logarithmic and piecewise functions, systems of

linear equations and inequalities, and introduction to analytic

geometry.

 

Course Objectives:

The goals of this course are the following:

  • To recognize functions and specify the domain and the range of a given function.
  • To graph linear, quadratic, polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, and piecewise functions.
  • To write function expressions and equations of conic sections from data, verbal descriptions, or graph.
  • To perform operations with functions.
  • To find inverse functions.
  • To solve linear and nonlinear systems of equations and inequalities.
  • To graph parabolas, ellipses, circles, and hyperbolas.
  • To recognize the equations and important features of the conic sections.

 

Holidays:

We will observe the following holiday:

         Monday, September 1st  – Labor Day

         Monday, October 13th – 18th – Fall Break

         Tuesday, November 4th – Election Day

         Thursday, November 27th - Thanksgiving

 

Withdrawal Policy:

Students have until Monday, October 6th  to withdraw on their own from a class.  From October 6th until Friday, December 5th   permission to withdraw must be given by the instructor and must be indicated by the instructor’s signature on the drop slip.  Students are officially enrolled and are assigned a final grade unless the appropriate steps to drop a class are followed.  It is the student’s responsibility to manage the drop/add process for their class if necessary.  There will be no withdrawals after December 5th.

 

** Make sure that a signed drop slip is turned back into the office.  Otherwise the withdrawal will not be processed.  **

 

 

 

Course Requirements:
  1. There will be 5 regular exams, each worth 100 points each.
  2. The final is comprehensive.
  3. Homework will be assigned for each section covered.  You are expected to complete all assignments.
  4. There will be timed homework quizzes given each day.  These will consist of selected problems from the homework assignments.  You may use your homework during these quizzes.  All work must be shown in order to receive credit on the quizzes.  Answers alone will not receive any points.
  5. There may be in-class activities.

 

Late-Work Policy:

Any assignments with a due date must be turned in that day during class.  Once class is over, the assignment is considered late.  No late assignments will be accepted. 

 

Make-Up Policy:
  1. In-class activities may not be made up.
  2. Homework Quizzes may not be made up.
  3. Missing an exam is a serious matter.  It is the students responsibility to contact the Instructor and schedule a make-up exam.  Make-up exams must be taken within two days of the original test date.  After that time, no make-ups will be given.  Make up exams will be left in the Learning Center for you, after the two day grace period they will be removed and you may no longer make up that exam. 

 

Grading Criteria:

The grade you receive in this course will be determined as follows:

          Homework Quizzes/In-class Activities         15%

          Tests (5)                                                       65%

          Comprehensive Final                                      20%

 

Using the grading scale:

           A  -  90% or above              D  -  60% to 69%

           B  -  80% to 89%                 E  -  59% and below

           C  -  70% to 79%

 

 

 

 

 

Course Outline:

Chapter One – Functions and Graphs

1.2                Basics of Functions and Their Graphs

1.3                More on Functions and Their Graphs

1.4                Linear Functions and Slope

1.6                Transformations of Functions

1.7                Combinations of Functions, Composite Functions

1.8                Inverse Functions

*** Test 1 – Chapter 1 ***

 

Chapter Two – Equations and Inequalities

2.1                 Linear Equations and Rational Equations

2.2               Models and Applications

2.3               Complex Numbers

2.4               Quadratic Equations

2.5               Other Types of Equations

2.6               Linear Inequalities and Absolute Value Inequalities

 

Chapter Three – Polynomials and Rational Functions

3.1                Quadratic Functions

3.2               Polynomial Functions and Their Graphs

3.5               Rational Functions and Their Graphs

*** Test 2 – Chapters 2 and 3 ***

 

Chapter Four – Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

4.1                Exponential Functions

4.2               Logarithmic Functions

4.3               Properties of Logarithms

4.4               Exponential and Logarithmic Equations

4.5               Exponential Growth and Decay; Modeling Data

*** Test 3 – Chapter 4 ***

 

Chapter Seven – Conic Sections

7.1                The Ellipse

7.2               The Hyperbola

7.3               The Parabola

*** Test 4 – Chapter 7 ***

 

Chapter Five – Systems of Equations and Inequalities

5.1                Systems of Linear Equations in Two Variables

5.2               Systems of Linear Equations in Three Variables

5.4               Systems of Nonlinear Equations in Two Variables

5.5               Systems of Inequalities

*** Test 5 – Chapter 5 ***

 

*** Comprehensive Final Exam ***

 

 

General Education Competencies:

I. Communicate Effectively

     1.  Read with comprehension.

     2.  Speak and write clearly using standard English.

     3.  Interact cooperatively with others using both verbal and

      non-verbal means.

          Assessments:  1.  Students are expected to read each 

                                 section covered.

                                2.  Homework and tests will contain

                                     questions which require written 

                                     responses.

                                3.  Students are expected to answer

                                questions verbally in the classroom.

                           4.  Students are expected to communicate

                                ideas with each other during group 

                               activities.

II. Think Critically

1.        Make connections in learning across the disciplines and draw logical conclusions.

2.        Use mathematics to organize, analyze, and synthesize 

      data to solve a problem.

       Assessments:  1.  Students will complete a variety of

                                   application problems, making

                                   connections across disciplines.

                              2.  Students will list important

                                    information, create tables, and/or

                                    translate and analyze data provided

                                    when working application problems.

                              3.  Students will analyze problems,

                                    identifying which steps to do first,

                                    and look for ways to simplify or

                                    rewrite the problem making it more

                                   familiar.

III. Learn Independently

1.        Think creatively to develop new ideas, processes, or

      products.

       Assessments:  1.  Students are required to solve

                                   problems individually and independently

                                   by applying what they have learned in

                                   the academic environment.

                               2.  Regular exams.

IV. Examine Relationships in Diverse and Complex

     Environments

1.        Demonstrate an awareness of the relationship of the individual to the biological and physical environment.

Assessments:  1.  Students will work problems that relate

                            to the real world.

 

ADA Requirements:

If you have a documented disability and need any type of accommodation, you are required to register with the Disability Resource Coordinator.  Contact Valerie Wolfe, Disability Resource Coordinator, Room 112, LRC (Madisonville), 824-1708.

 

Resources:

As an MCC student, you have access to free tutoring for this class or any other class.  The options available are:

   1.  Muhlenberg Campus Learning Center

         located in Room 110, provides one-on-one tutoring, 

         and computer access

   2.  North Campus Learning Center

          located at the Learning Resource Center Building,

          Room 110

   3.  North Campus Math Lab

          Tutoring offered by full time math faculty in the Joe C.

          Davis Building, room 130.

  

 

Student Email:

Check your student email periodically.  I will be sending you information through your student email account and only your student email account.

 

Cell Phones:

All cell phones must be turned off or placed on silent upon entering the classroom.  This means cell phones may not be used in place of a calculator.

 

Student Code of Conduct:

The student is required to comply with the KCTCS Code of Student Conduct.  Plagiarism and cheating, as well as the sanctions for these offenses, are defined in this code.  For more information on academic rights, academic offenses, and the right to appeal, see Section VII, 1.0, pg 96, of the student code.  The code can be accessed at www.kctcs.edu/student/code.htm