PRECALCULUS II SYLLABUS
U20 Math 142 for Fall 1997
3 CREDIT HOUR
Instructor: William V. Thayer
Washington University - University College
Section information:
U20 Math 142 Sec. 1 meeting on Thursday
from 6:30 to 9:00 PM in Cupples I Room 218
Campus hours
Near Classroom on Monday from 5:45 to 6:20 PM
Textbook: PRECALCULUS, Fifth Edition by David Cohen
Textbook Material Covered: Chapter six through twelve.
OPTIONAL AID: Student Solutions Manual To Accompany PRECALCULUS
Additional Materials: Graph Paper and a Scientific Calculator
Prerequisite: U20 Math 141 Algebra or equivalent.
TYPICAL CLASS PERIOD: The first part, twenty to fifty minutes, of class is
open for answering questions about the previous assignment including
exercises, reading material, or classroom notes. You are encouraged to
answer other students assignment exercise questions by presenting chalk board
work.
While presenting exercises is expected, this communication
is not graded. Use this time to experiment with your
ability to understand an exercise and convey your understanding to others.
Don't worry about any mistakes you may make, that's part of learning.
The second part of class is used to introduce new material with examples
and discussion. It is generally assumed that prior to the date listed on
the Course Schedule, you took notes as you read from the new section(s).
You may wish to include the textbook examples in your class discussion of
new material and your instructor will cover these and other examples.
Individual communication is not permitted in class when attention is
directed to one individual. Some class time is devoted to group problem
solving.
HOMEWORK: For each section listed below, read the topics discussed in class
and work every other odd numbered exercise (1,5,9,...). Develop your problem
solving methods on the first few exercises of a given type then work for
speed and accuracy. Complete other odd numbered exercises if needed for
mastery. Ask about the stubborn unfinished exercises at the start of the
next class meeting! Develop a dogged attitude about doing homework problems
on time and frequently review. Each exercise section will take several
hours or more. Spread weekly homework evenly over four to six days for best
results.
Date / / Topic Section Numbers
Aug. 28 / / chapter five review if needed/ start chapter six
Sept. 04 / / finish chapter six
Sept. 11 / / 7.1 through 7.4
Sept. 18 / / First Test
Sept. 25 / / 7.5 through 8.1
OCT. 02 / / 8.2 through 8.5
OCT. 09 / / 9.1 through 9.3
OCT. 16 / / 9.4 through 9.6
OCT. 23 / / 10.1 through 10.4
OCT. 30 / / Second Test, 10.5 through 10.7
Nov. 06 / / 11.1 through 11.4
Nov. 13 / / 11.5 through 11.8
Nov. 20 / / 12.1 through 12.3
Dec. 04 // 12.4 through 12.8
Dec. 11 // Final Exam (half covering chapters 10, 11 and 12, then general)
TESTS: A test is given after each unit of work as shown above.
The tests are composed of the same type of exercises you found in the
assignments (80 to 90%) and from material highlighted during class (20
to 10%). Unit tests are graded and returned the next week.
Ask for help if you need to develop better test taking skills. The
final exam will count as two units.
GRADES AND THE GRADE SCALE: Test grades correspond to percentages of highest
raw scores. The final grade is based on the average of test units with the
following scale used on each unit.
A 90% - and above,
B 80% to 89%,
C 70% to 79%,
D 50% to 69%, and
F below 50%
Attendance: You are expected to attend all classes. Call me before class
if emergency conditions prevent you from attending.
Copyright © 1982 through © 1997 with all rights reserved by William
V. Thayer, Mathematics Department, St. Louis Community College at Meramec,
11333 Big Bend Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63122-5977, Telephone: 314 984 7866,
Email: thayer@stl-online.net
Web Pages URLs http://www.stlcc.cc.mo.us/mc/users/thayer
or http://www.stl-online.net/thayer