Class Schedule: TF 11:30 – 12:35, W 1:00 – 2:10
Instructor: B. Gold; Office Location: HH
C-6; Office Telephone: 571-4451
Office Hours: M 11:00 - 12:00, T 10:00 - 11:00, W 4:30
– 5:30, Th 3:00 - 4:00, F 1:15 – 2:15
E-mail Address: bgold@monmouth.edu
Required Text: Miles and Nance, Mathematics: One
of the Liberal Arts
Course Requirements: Weekly reading responses, in-class
group work, daily journal, weekly homework, student-created problems, two
major papers, quizes
Methods of Evaluation and Grading Policy: 30% of the grade
will come from in-class group work, 20% from the two major papers, 15%
from the weekly reading responses, 10% each from weekly homeworks, student-created
problems, and the quizes, and 5% from the journal.
Attendance Requirement: Attendance is required.
Because in-class group work constitutes the largest portion of the grade,
any unexcused absences will result in grade penalties, and students must
make up individually work missed due to excused absences.
Last date to Withdraw with automatic assignment of “W” grade:
March 29, 1999
Statement on Academic Honesty: Work submitted by you as
an individual is to be your own, with no assistance from others.
Similarly, group work is to be the work of members of that group and no
one else. By signing the names of all members of a group to this
work, the group is asserting that all contributed a significant amount
to that work. If work of others is used, it is to be clearly indicated
and appropriate citations used. All cases regarding suspicion of
plagarism, or cheating during quizes will be referred to the University’s
Academic Honesty Committee for investigation and action.
Statement on Special Accomodations: If you have a documentable
disability and may need special accomodation, you are urged to inform me
of that status as soon as possible, even if you plan to try doing without
any special accomodation. I will not make special accomodation after
the fact. (After a quiz has already been taken and failed, I will
not change the grade, for example, although once you’ve self-identified,
special accomodations can be made for later quizes.)
Success in mathematics: All who can learn to speak their native language correctly can learn any undergraduate-level mathematics they choose to study, but not necessarily without effort. Reading mathematics differs from reading a novel, and thinking about mathematics differs from thinking about other subjects. We will work on these skills throughout the semester. If you come to class regularly, having done the work assigned, you will have no problem succeeding in this course, and will, I hope, begin to see some of the fun and beauty of mathematics.
Reading responses are due Tuesdays for the week’s reading. They should, at a minimum, show that you have done the reading for the week by summarizing it in a few paragraphs, and thought about the reading by writing at least an additional paragraph of response or comment.
Journals should be written after each class. They simply
involve finishing the following sentences:
1. In class, I felt...
2. In class, I learned...
3. The most positive result of class was...
4. The least positive result of class was...
5. Some additional comments related to class are...
I will collect roughly 1/4 of the class’s journals each week (so that
I will look at your journal 3 times during the semester), randomly.
You are to bring your up-to-date journal to class every Friday,
for possible collection.
Quizes will occur after we finish chapters for which they are appropriate. The first quiz will cover chapter 2. Quizes will last 30 minutes. In preparation for quizes, students will create, and solve, their own problems over the quiz material the week before the quiz, and these problems will serve as a study guide for the quiz.
Homework will usually be problems from the text, although on occasion it will involve other kinds of exercises. Homework will usually be due on Wednesdays.
The two major papers will be announced at least two weeks before they are due.
Outline of Course Content:
Chapters1, 2, and 10; and some of 3, 5.1-2, 7, 8, and 11, depending
on the interest of students in the class.
1/20 Read “What Constitutes a Problem?” and “What Is Not a Problem?”, pages 4 and 5, and “Problem-Solving Strategies”, page 6. Write a brief response to these paragraphs, and bring it go class Friday. Begin working on problems 6, 7 and 8 from pages 10 – 11, due next Wednesday. I want not just the solution, but a description of how you got to the solution, including false starts, and why you believe the solutions are correct. Don’t forget to bring your up-to-date journals Friday.
1/22 For Monday, read and write a response to section 1.3.
1/26 Don’t forget to bring in problems 6, 7, and 8 from 1/20 to class on Wednesday, 1/27
1/27 For next Wednesday, do problems 1, 2, and 6 from Exercises 1.3, and problem 11 from Chapter 1 Review Exercises. Don’t forget to bring your journals Friday.
1/29 For Monday, read and write a response to pages 19 – 31.
2/2 Addition and subtraction, base 8. Reminder that homework 1, 2, and 6 from Exercises 1.3, and problem 11 from Chapter 1 Review Exercises is due Wednesday.
2/3 Multiplication, base 8. Homework for 2/10: section 2.2 problems 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13. Don’t forget to bring your journals Friday.
2/5 Division, base 8. For Tuesday, read pages 31 – 43, and write
a reading response.
2/9 Fractions to decimals and back. Reminder that homework section 2.2 problems 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13 is due Wednesday.
2/10 Fractions, base 8. Homework for 2/17: handout. First paper due Friday! Don’t forget to bring your journals Friday.
2/12 Decimals, base 8. For Tuesday, read and respond to pages
44 – 53.
2/16 Modular arithmetic. Reminder that homework from handout is due Wednesday.
2/17 Divisibility. Homework for 2/24: Student-Created Problems handout. Don’t forget to bring your journals Friday.
2/19 Check digits. For Tuesday, read and respond to pages 54 –
60.
2/23 Check digits. Reminder that Student-Created Problems are due Wednesday.
2/24 Review for quiz. Homework due 3/3: page 61 problems 2, 3, 6, 8, 15, 17, 20, 21. Don’t forget to bring your journals Friday.
2/26 Quiz 1 and introduction to sets. For Tuesday, read and respond to pages 76 – 78 and pages457 – 464.
3/2 Quiz 1 and Check digits. Reminder that homework on check digits is due Wednesday.
3/3 Bahnzaf index. Homework for next Wednesday: page 79 #11, 12, 13, 16, 17 Don’t forget your journals for Friday.
3/5 Bahnzaf index. For the Tuesday after break, read and respond
to pages 79 – 91.
3/16 More voting theory from 11.5: majority rule, plurality, binary voting. Don’t forget homework from p. 79 due Wednesday.
3/17 More voting theory from 11.5: Condorcet winner, runoff election, Borda count. Homework for next Wednesday: page 468 # 5, 7, 9, and page 93 #15, to be turned in by groups. Don’t forget (1) your journals are still due Friday, and (2) rewrites of the first paper are also due Friday – bring with original version of paper and article the paper came from.
3/19 Section 3.3: set operations. For Tuesday, read and
respond to pages 296 - 306. Rewrite of paper 1 due.
3/23 Section 3.4: Venn diagrams. Don’t forget homework from pages 93 and 468 for Wednesday.
3/24 Sections 8.1 – 8.2: Introduction to probability. Homework for next Wednesday: p. 306 #2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 15, 19; p. 315 # 3, 4, 6, 15 done in groups. Don’t forget journals for Friday.
3/26 Section 8.2: Probability. For Tuesday, read and respond
to pages 308 – 319. Second paper assigned, due 4/16
3/30 Section 8.3 Some counting rules. Don’t forget homework from pages 306 and 315 for Wednesday.
3/31 For next Wednesday, page 319 problems 3, 6, and 7, and page 328
problems 15, 24, 25, done in groups, are due.
4/2 Section 8.4: Finding probabilities. For Tuesday, read
and respond to pages 320 – 327. Also bring in student-created problems
Tuesday.
4/6 Section 8.5: Probabilities of compound events. Student-created problems due. Don’t forget homework from pages 319, 328 due Wednesday.
4/7 Section 8.5 and quiz review. Don’t forget your journals Friday. Homework for next Wednesday: page 396, #2, 5, 7, 11, 14, 17, done individually.
4/9 Quiz 2 and sections 10.1 – 10.2. For Tuesday, read and respond
to pages 390 – 400.
4/13 Section 10.2: Unit pricing and sales discounts. For Wednesday, don’t forget homework from page 396.
4/14 Section 10.3: Simple interest. Homework for next Wednesday: Individually, page 400 # 1, 4, 11 and page 408 # 1, 4; groups: page 400 # 8, 9, and page 408 # 5, 7, 13, 16. Don’t forget that paper 2 is due Friday, and don’t forget your journals.
4/16 Section 10.4: Compound interest. Paper 2 is due.
For Tuesday, read and respond to pages 401 – 413. Also, bring in
Student-created problems Tuesday
4/20 Section 10.4, student-created problems due. For Wednesday, don’t forget homework from pages 400 and 408.
4/21 Student-created problems review. Homework due for next Wednesday: page 414 # 1, 5, 6 (individual).
4/23 Quiz 3 and Section 10.5: Annuities. For Tuesday, read
and respond to pages 415 - 419
4/27 Section 10.5. For Wednesday, don’t forget homework from page 414.
4/28 Section 10.6: Loan payments. For Friday, do page 419 # 3, 7, 8.
4/30 Section 10.6.