Mathematics 1001 S
Quantitative Skills and Reasoning
Spring Semester 2008
Monday 6:00–8:45
Instructional Complex 220
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Instructor: |
Dr. S. Karmakar |
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Office: |
Instructional Complex 228 |
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Office Hours: |
MWF 11:00–1:00, |
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M 5:00–6:00 F 2:00 - 3:00 |
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And by appointment |
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Office Phone: |
770 358-5833 |
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E-mail: |
s_karmakar@gdn.edu |
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Web Page: |
www.gdn.peachnet.edu/faculty/s_karmakar |
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Prerequisite: |
Exemption from or completion of Learning Support Mathematics |
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Credit: |
3 semester credit hours |
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Calculator: |
Graphing calculator required. TI-83 recommended. |
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Text: |
Bennett, Jeffery and Briggs, William. Using and Understanding Mathematics: A Quantitative Reasoning Approach. Third Edition. Addison-Wesley. 2005. ISBN: 0-321-227733-5 |
Course Description
This course is an alternative in Area A of the Core Curriculum and is
not intended to supply sufficient algebraic background for students who intend
to take Precalculus or the Calculus sequence for
mathematics and science majors. This
course places quantitative skills and reasoning in the context of experiences
the students will be likely to encounter.
It emphasizes processing information in context from a variety of
representations, understanding of both the information and the process, and
understanding which conclusions can reasonably be determined.
This course will emphasize student preparation, critical thinking, and
problem solving. To do well in the
course, you must read the assignment ahead of time and prepare questions,
do problems from the text, and prepare for test by reviewing those problems
worked in class and at home. Over the
course of the semester, you should devote about two hours of outside work for
each hour in class. Quantitative Skills
and Reasoning demands your time and effort!
First, study the examples worked in class as well as those in the
textbook, then practice, practice, practice problems.
Course Objectives
This objective is directed toward the following general education
expected outcome of the college:
Mathematical Skills: Students will demonstrate a basic knowledge of the
fundamentals of college-level mathematics.
Upon completion of Quantitative Skills and Reasoning, students should
have an understanding of:
1. Constructing and analyzing logical
arguments based on the rules of inference.
2. Financial Management and compound
interest.
3. Statistical reasoning; statistical graphs
and tables; correlation and causality; data distributions and measures
of variation; fundamentals of
probability.
4. Exponential growth and modeling; doubling-time and half-life.
5. Linear growth and modeling.
6. Quadratic modeling.
Method of Evaluation
A. There will be four (4) in-class tests given
during the semester. There will be NO make-up tests given except for
sickness and other emergencies in which case proper documentation is needed and
the make-up test must be taken within two days of the missed test. All tests will be taken without references of any description. Just having
the correct answer to a test question will NOT earn you credit for the
problem; you must use clear mathematical reasoning and clear mathematical
writing to show me how you arrive at your solution
B. There
will also be a comprehensive Final Examination given on Wednesday, April 30,
2008 at 7:15 pm.
C. The
student’s final grade will be computed as follows:
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Tests (20% each) |
80% |
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Final Exam |
20% |
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TOTAL |
100% |
D. The
following grading scale will be used.
89.5
or above A 59.5 to 69.49 D
79.5
to 89.49 B Below 59.5 F
69.5
to 79.49 C
Class Procedures
Attendance:
Attendance at class is important. I will
take attendance by passing an Attendance Sheet for you to sign. If your signature is not beside your
name for a particular day, you are considered absent. It is your responsibility to make sure you sign
the Attendance Sheet. Students
absent two consecutive days without contacting me may be withdrawn from the
course. Students are responsible for
every instruction, every change in the syllabus, and all material covered in
class whether or not they are present. Students
who enroll in the course late are responsible for material covered before they
enrolled.
Working Problems: Most students will benefit by working many, many problems for
practice. On the Tentative Course
Outline is a list of suggested problems for each section covered. These are intended to give the student
practice in specific concepts that are taught in class. The problems will not be graded. However, I strongly encourage you to work
them to better prepare for the tests. I
will use approximately the first ten minutes of class to answer any questions
about the homework problems. Math is not
a spectator sport!
Group Work:
I encourage students to work together on homework.
Academic Honesty: Each student must do his or her own work on exams without any
assistance from any outside source not specifically authorized by me. The student handbook details school policies
on academic honesty.
Accommodations for Students with Learning
Disabilities: Only students who have documented their learning
disabilities through the
Classroom Etiquette: Students are expected to treat the instructor and
other students with respect. Please
refrain from the following during class time:
1. Talking with other students (other than
during classroom or group activities).
2. Leaving class early (other than an
emergency).
3. Leaving the desk to sharpen a pencil in
the middle of a lecture.
4. Consistently late coming to class.
5. Cell phones ringing during class.
6. Placing or receiving cellular phone calls
during class.
Office Procedures
When you come to my office for help, please be
prepared by doing the following.
1. Bring your textbook, your calculator, and
you class notes.
2. Make sure you have read the section in
the text, read the class notes, and studied the examples.
3. Be prepared to show me at least two
odd-numbered problems, from the section, that you have worked.
4. Bring your incomplete or incorrect
solution to each problem about which you have a question.
5. Ask for help as early as possible. Don’t wait until the day of a test!
Tentative Course Outline
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Date |
Section |
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Mon, Jan 7 |
1A: Recognizing Fallacies 1B: Propositions and Truth Values 1C: Sets and Venn Diagrams |
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Mon, Jan 14 |
1D: Analyzing Arguments 2A: The Problem-Solving Power of
Units 4B: The Power of Compounding |
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Mon, Jan 21 |
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day College Closed |
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Mon, Jan 28 |
Review Test I 5A: Fundamentals of Statistics |
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Mon, Feb 4 |
5A: Fundamentals of Statistics 5B: Should You Believe a
Statistical Study? 5C: Statistical Tables and Graphs |
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Mon, Feb 11 |
5D: Graphs in the Media 5E: Correlation and Causality Review |
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Mon, Feb 18 |
Test II 6A: Characterizing a Data
Distribution 6B: Measures of Variation |
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Mon, Feb 25 |
6B: Measures of Variation 7A: Fundamentals of Probability 8A:
Growth: Linear versus Exponential |
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March 3 – March 7 |
SPRING BREAK No Classes |
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Mon, Mar 10 |
8B:
Doubling-Time and Half-Life 8C: Real
Population Growth Review |
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Mon, Mar 17 |
Review TEST III |
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Mon, Mar 24 |
9A:
Functions: The Building Blocks of Mathematical Models 9B:
Linear Modeling Unit 9B
Supplement |
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Mon, Mar 31 |
Supplement
(concluded) 9C:
Exponential Modeling Unit 9C
Supplement |
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Mon,
April 7 |
Handout: Quadratic Functions and
Modeling |
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Mon,
April 14 |
Review |
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Mon, April 21 |
Test IV |
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Mon,
April 28 |
Review |
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Wed, April 30 |
Final Exam (7:15 – 9:15 pm) |