MATH 105-75, Fall 2012

This class has completed. Information on this web page may not be applicable to future semesters.


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Course information:

Instructor: Jake Wildstrom
Office: Natural Sciences Building 113
Primary office hours: Monday 11:30–12:30, Thursday 11:00–12:00
Secondary office hours: Tuesday 14:30–15:30, Wednesday 15:30–16:30, and by appointment
Phone number: (502)852-5845 (x5845)
E-mail: djwild01@louisville.edu
TAs:
Adam Bamforth
Office: Natural Sciences Building 321
Office hours: W14–16, R9–11
E-mail: adam.bamforth@louisville.edu
Jacob Townson
Office: Natural Sciences Building 212
Office hours: W12–14, R10–12
E-mail: @louisville.edu
Lecture: MW 16:30–17:45 in Natural Sciences 030.
Recitation: W 18:00–18:50 in Natural Sciences Building 212E or 317.
Prerequisites: Appropriate placement score or equivalent coursework.
Special notes: This course does not meet the specific mathematics requirements of some majors, and is not a prerequisite for any other math course.
Textbook: Topics in Contemporary Mathematics, sixth edition, by Wiley Williams, ISBN 1-4652-7717-X.
Learning Goals: In this class, we will use mathematical modeling to solve practical problems, with applications to management science, social choice, and personal finance. This course fulfills a General Education requirement in Mathematics. One goal of the course will be to practice critical thinking skills. Key elements of critical thinking include: identifying the question or problem, developing an abstraction or model, and drawing practical conclusions based on theoretical analysis.
General Education Content: MATH 105 is a general education course. This course satisfies the university general education requirement in the mathematics content area. Students who satisfy this requirement will demonstrate that they are able to do all of the following: represent mathematical information symbolically, visually, and numerically; use arithmetic, algebraic, and geometric models to solve problems; interpet mathematical models such as formulas, graphs, and tables; estimate and check answers to mathematical problems, determining reasonableness and correctness of solutions.
Calculators: Students are expected to have, and to be able to use, a calculator with the ability to do logarithms and exponents. Almost all scientific and graphing calculators have these abilities. If you do not already possess such a device, the FX-300MS, TI-30X IIS, and TI-30XA (among many other devices) are inexpensive and suitable. Students may not share calculators or use calculator functions of multipurpose devices (e.g. cellphones, laptops, tablets) during assessments. If you are not familiar with the operation of a calculator or uncertain as to whether a certain calculator will suffice, please speak with the instructor or a TA.
Responsibilities: You are responsible for attending class on a regular basis and maintaining comprehension of the scheduled class objectives for each day. You are expected to be active participants in class, and to attend the scheduled quizzes and examinations in your scheduled recitation section, and to complete the projects in a timely fashion. Assignments are provided for your benefit and you are expected to work on them for your own benefit in order to grasp concepts for the course.
Special needs: Any scheduled absence during a quiz or examination, or any other special needs, must be brought to my attention during the first week of class. Unscheduled absences will be handled on a case-by-case basis, with exceptions generally made only for documented emergencies.
Honesty: There are many outside resources available to help you succeed in this class, including consultation during office hours and cooperation with other students. It is important, however, that all papers handed in be the result of your individual comprehension of the course material. Duplication of others' work is both a disservice to your own education and a serious violation of the university's academic honesty policy.
Grades: Homework is ungraded and is provided for study purposes. Quizzes will be based on the homework problems, and will each be renormalized to be worth 15 points. The four midterm examinations will each be worth 100 points, and the two projects will each be worth 50 points. A 90% (558 points) overall guarantees a grade of A– or better, 80% (496 points) guarantees a B– or better, and 70% (434 points) guarantees a C– or better.
Changes: The syllabus is subject to change. Changes will be announced in class and updated online.

Course schedule

This schedule is tentative and may not reflect our progress at any particular time in the class; treat this as a rough guide only.

Week Monday Wednesday
1
August 22nd
Section 1.1
August 24th
Sections 1.2, 1.3
2
August 29th
Section 1.4
August 31st
Sections 1.5, 1.6
Quiz \#1
3
September 5th
Labor Day
September 7th
Sections 1.7, 1.8
Quiz \#2
4
September 12th
Section 2.1
September 14th
Section 2.2
Exam \#1
5
September 19th
Section 2.3
September 21st
Section 2.4
Quiz \#3
6
September 26th
Sections 2.5, 2.6
September 28th
Section 2.7
Quiz \#4
7
October 3rd
Mid-term break
October 5th
Section 3.1
Exam \#2
8
October 10th
Section 3.1
October 12th
Section 3.2
Quiz \#5
9
October 17th
Section 3.2
Project \#1 due
October 19th
Section 3.2
Quiz \#6
10
October 24th
Withdrawl date
Section 4.1
October 26th
Section 4.2
Exam \#3
11
October 31st
Section 4.2
November 2nd
Section 4.3
Quiz \#7
12
November 7th
Section 4.3
November 9th
Section 4.4
Quiz \#8
13
November 14th
Section 4.5
November 16th
Section 4.6
Quiz \#9
14
November 21st
Section 4.6
November 23rd
Thanksgiving
15
November 28th
Section 4.7
November 30th
Section 4.7
Exam \#4
16
December 5th
Review/catchup
December 7th
Reading day
17
December 12th
Final exam, 17:30--20:00

Schedule of assignments


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