Metropolitan Campus
Business & Technology Unit
Autumn/2007
MATH-1250
CONTEMPORARY MATHEMATICS
Credits: 04
Section(s) Day(s) Time Rm
82165 M W 12:00 pm-1:50 pm MLA 113
Instructor: Dr. Joseph Arendt
Office: Mailboxes in Part-Time Faculty Office
Metro Health Sciences Building, Room 118
(Usually somebody is there who can put something in my mailbox)
Phone: (800) 954-8742 (letters TRIC on phone for last four digits)
E-mail Address: Joseph.Arendt@tri-c.edu
Web Site: http://home.att.net/~arendtj
Office Hours: Before and after class, or by appointment.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Contemporary mathematics as it applies to today's world. Includes modeling and solving real life problems from behavioral, managerial, and social sciences. Topics include linear programming and management science, probability and statistics, biological and financial growth, and mathematics of social choice.
Lecture Hours: 04 Laboratory Hours: 00
COURSE PREREQUISITE(S):
MATH-0960 Beginning Algebra II; or MATH-0980 Intensified Beginning Algebra; or sufficient score on assessment test; or departmental approval: equivalent coursework.
PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of MATH-1250 Contemporary Mathematics, the student should be able to:
A. Demonstrate the capacity to engage in logical thinking
B. Critically read technical information.
C. Exercise sound judgment in making personal and social decisions.
D. Demonstrate an appreciation for the power of mathematics.
E. Create mathematical models for a variety of problems.
F. Use analytic and quantitative means to solve problems using mathematical models.
G. Find the best methods for solving real-life problems.
H. Create linear programming models for business/management problems.
I. Use geometric means to find the optimal solution for business/management problems.
J. Demonstrate the ability to produce and interpret data and draw conclusions about the world around us.
K. Demonstrate the ability to determine simple probabilities and solve related problems.
L. Demonstrate an understanding of the role of mathematics in measuring and predicting growth in:
1. the study of finance
2. the biological sciences
3. population
M. Demonstrate an appreciation for the role of mathematics in individual and societal choices.
N. Use the calculator/computer as a tool in computation and problem solving.
INSTRUCTOR'S EXPECTATIONS:
I expect regular attendance, selected homework announced weekly in class to be turned in on time, and ability to explain and use main concepts from this course. Careful reading of my Grading Policy will show that attendance by itself is not part of the grade. Only test scores and homework grades are used. Nevertheless, material from all lectures will appear in the homework and tests, so excellent attendance is highly recommended, and regular attendance fit well with success of students in the previous semester.
I expect homework to be honestly done. The appendix of the textbook and/or the Student’s Solutions Manual supplies answers to most of the problems asked for. Solving the problems oneself first, only after this comparing to these supplied answers to find and correct errors is an excellent studying technique. By all means, this kind of checking with the supplied answers and a search for corrections to get that answer should be done.
TEXTBOOK/INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS:
Contemporary Mathematics, Special Edition for Cuyahoga Community College, First or Second Edition, Compiled by Johnson, McCraith, Sheppard, Van Pelt; Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2005
A calculator is required in this course. The type of calculator that I recommend is typically priced between ten and twenty dollars, although more expensive and capable calculators are allowed. At a minimum, it should have an “a b/c” key, a change-sign key, a standard deviation function, and a pi key. More expensive calculators such as graphing calculators will also work if one desires to have one, but that is not expected for this course. Sample calculators are the TI-30 series such as the TI-34, the Sharp EL-531V, the Casio FX-250, the Casio FX-115, the Sharp 506g, or Sharp 509g. The instructor will not provide a calculator to students who do not have one.
ATTENDANCE:
Regular class attendance is required. An instructor may withdraw a student for excessive absence if the student has missed the equivalent of one week of instruction unless arrangements satisfactory to the instructor can be made by the student to demonstrate that he/she can make acceptable academic progress (College Policy).
WITHDRAWAL:
Students may withdraw from any semester course prior to the end of the twelfth week of the full term, or 80 percent of any instructional part of term. Specific withdrawal dates are available by term in the Campus Admissions and Records Offices or published in the schedule of courses.
Up to the last day of the twelfth week of the semester, a student may withdraw from a course(s) for any reason. Withdrawal from a course prior to the last day of the second week of the semester will have no notation made in permanent records--withdrawal thereafter will be noted with a "W."
If a student misses class time for the equivalent of one week of instruction, an instructor has the option to withdraw the student for excessive absence. The instructor may elect not to exercise this option, however, and it is the student's responsibility to make sure that an official withdrawal takes place.
All transactions involving withdrawal from courses shall be done in writing and on forms provided by the college. A student's failure to attend classes shall not constitute an official withdrawal. The withdrawal date for this course without a record on the transcript is September 8, 2007. The withdrawal date with a W grade on the transcript is November 16, 2007.
TESTS, QUIZZES & HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS:
There will be four regular tests, plus a cumulative, comprehensive final exam. That is, the final exam covers all material from start to finish in the course. Homework to be collected will be a selection taken from what is on the syllabus, and the selection will be announced in class two classes before the due date. The lowest of the four regular tests will automatically be excluded. The final exam must not be missed, and will not be replaced with any other test score.
FINAL EXAM:
Wednesday, December 19, 2007, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm, MLA 113. PLEASE NOTICE STARTS A HALF HOUR BEFORE NORMAL CLASS TIME STARTS! This is by Tri-C final exam schedule. The Final Exam is two hours long. It is cumulative and comprehensive final exam, which means that it covers all material from start to finish in the course.
MAKE-UP POLICY:
Only for a verifiable doctor’s excuse will a make-up test be scheduled. This is a strict requirement, but keep in mind that one of the four regular tests will be dropped as explained in the Grading Policy/Scale. For assigned homework, it will be accepted late with a penalty of the instructor’s discretion until that material is covered on an exam, after which that late homework will not be accepted.
GRADING POLICY/SCALE:
A grade of A for 90%-100%; B for 80%-89%; C for 70%-79%; D for 60%-69%; F for 0-59%.
Lowest score of four regular tests (not including the final) will be dropped. The final exam is mandatory. No other test score will substitute for it.
20% each (for 60% total) Three regular tests (after lowest dropped)
5% Homework
35% Final exam
Consider if one had 90% on each of the four tests and 90% on the homework, but missed the final exam. One of the four regular tests automatically goes away. This then works out to (90%)(0.2) + (90%)(0.2) + (90%)(0.2) + (90%)(0.05) = 58.5%. That is under 60%, so it is an overall grade of F! This means one can be going into the final exam with a low grade of A, but merely by missing the final exam get an F! Taking the final exam is vitally important! The final exam is two hours long rather than one hour, and it is comprehensive and cumulative, so covers material from the start through the end of the course.
INCOMPLETE (I) GRADES:
A notation of "I" indicates that a student has not completed all course requirements as a result of circumstances judged by the instructor to be beyond the student's control. A student must complete all course requirements no later than the end of the sixth week of the academic term following the semester in which the "I" was noted. Failure to complete such requirements will result in an "F" (failing) grade.
ACADEMIC CREDIT:
In order to award one (1) semester hour of college credit, the Ohio Board of Regents requires two hours of significant student study outside of class for each one hour in class for the equivalent of an academic semester (16 weeks).
DISABILITIES
Students with disabilities at Cuyahoga Community College are expected to take an assertive role in communicating with faculty and staff members about their need for reasonable accommodation.
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please contact me as soon as possible.
Please communicate to the instructor any disability that might prevent taking the test in the classroom in the same time period as the other students early in the class well before the test itself is taking place. For my courses, under no circumstances will a regular classroom test or the final exam be given as a take-home test to be done without supervision overnight or over several days. Instead, a different location and time will be provided to students with disabilities who require it, with more time allowed or other requirements that they might have.
MATH TUTORING AVAILABLE
The Math Tutoring Lab is available for assistance. Tutoring is free and no appointments are needed. The hours are:
Monday through Thursday 9:00 am - 8:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Tutoring begins on September 4, 2007.
The Math Tutoring Lab will be closed whenever the college is closed.
The phone number is 216-987-4647. The Math Tutoring Lab is located on the fourth floor of the Metro library.
Their web site is:
http://instruct.tri-c.edu/metromathtutors
http://instruct.tri-c.edu/metromathtutors
If you want to talk to me, I can be reached at
arendtj@att.net
Last modified September 4, 2007