Math 107 - Fall 2005
Math: A Practical Art
Section 01: M-F 10:30 – 11:20 @ 2501A

Instructor - Swati Sircar

Basic Information | Syllabus | Course Organization | Course Plan - Day by Day | Policies

Resources (Handouts & Worksheets) | Homework + Quizzes + Project


Basic Information

Office: Room 5335 in Foss Building (5000)
Office hours: M-F 9:30-10:20 @ 5335 or by appointment.

In addition I might be in my office till 2:30. But this is not for sure. Hence, if you can not come during the office hours, make an appointment - i.e. emailing me ahead of time, or letting me know before or after class - to be on the safe side. Also you can call 206-533-6789 (or 6789 from campus phone) to check if I'm there.

Holidays: Nov 11 (Veteran's Day) & Nov 24-25 (Thanksgiving)

Text: Mathematics, A Quantitative Reasoning Approach by Jeffrey Bennett & William Briggs
Optional: If you want, you may buy the Student Solutions Manual for this book.

Math Learning Center: This is a wonderful place to work on this class. There you can get help in terms of tutoring, handouts related to specific topics, old exams & quizzes. You can also check the course website & take print outs from there. Check out their website for location, hours & other details.

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Syllabus

Course Description:
We are going to cover the following topics this quarter. We will work on some more topics which will be decided later.

Be sure to keep up with the material covered in class. It is strongly recommended that you read material before it is covered in class. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out all information from the class you missed, including material covered, HW assigned, worksheets & quizzes done & any other announcements made.

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Course Organization

NOTE:
  1. Worksheets & Home Works may carry less weight towards the course grade but they are your main tools to learn the course material. So do them regularly & do not skip any. In case you missed one do it at home to get the most out of this course.
  2. You might be required to take print outs of the Worksheets & the handouts from the resources page.
Worksheets:
  • We will do worksheets regularly in class to learn the subject by doing it. They are geared to help you learn better & faster.
  • All the WSs will be available online. It's your responsibility to get each WS from the course website, bring it to class & do it. I'll announce in advance when we will do which worksheet. Check the day by day "Plan" where it will be clearly mentioned.
  • You will get 2 points for participating in a WS. Turn in your worksheets after you complete them. One WS might continue for several days & will be due on the day of the test.
  • Please staple your WS if it has multiple pages. I will not accept it otherwise.
  • For solution check with your class mates. Also when I return the worksheets I include my comments & correct solutions. Sometimes I go over the worksheets in class also. You might be asked to present problems from the worksheet in class as well.
  • Note: WSs carry more weight than HWs. So if you have to prioritize, do the WSs first.
Home Works:
  • Home work from the text will be assigned, collected on the day of the quiz (unless mentioned otherwise). They will be graded & returned within a week.
  • All HWs are posted online. I will also announce the HWs in class.
  • If you want to move ahead feel free to do so. You can turn in your HW earlier.
  • HWs should be turned in during the class. But you can turn them in up to 5:00 to turn it in my mailbox at the FOSS building (5000) without being late.
  • Please assemble problems in order & staple together.
  • The grade will be for attempting all problems. So to be sure check your answers with your class mates or the solution manual.
It is highly advised that you do not wait for the weekend to do your HW but do them as & when we cover those portions in class. Since there is no fixed "Quiz-day" of the week, you are required to be up to speed with the class.

Quizzes:
  • As soon as we finish a substantial portion of the syllabus there will be a quiz on it. There is no fixed "Quiz-day" of the week.
  • However the Quiz-days are mentioned in the day by day "Plan". Please note: this is only a tentative one & the actual Quiz-days may differ depending upon how fast/slow we progress.
  • I will remind the class on the one day before the Quiz-day.
  • Calculator policy closer to each quiz.
  • All quizzes will be graded & returned within 1-2 days.
  • All solutions of the quizzes will be posted online within that day.
  • If you miss a quiz talk to me. I'll decide whether you can retake that depending on the situation.
  • If you know you will miss a quiz ahead of time, let me know ASAP. That'll ensure greater chance of a makeup quiz.
Project:
  • Reading:
    • Each group has 1-3 sections to cover from the book
    • You are supposed to read this on your own & learn it
    • List of project options

  • Homework: (6 points) - Due Friday, Dec 2
    • Do the problems ONLY from the section(s) you are reading

  • Write up: (6 points) - Due Friday, Dec 2
    • This should cover:
      • Why you chose this topic & / or how you think this will be useful for you in future?
      • What you learnt?

    • Length = roughly one page, at least half page
    • Preferably typed (though not a must). If handwritten, write clearly.
    • If typed, use font = Times Roman, size = 12 pts, single spaced.
    • If typed, preferably email your write up to me & no need to give me a hard copy / print out in that case.

  • Presentation - Thursday, Dec 8 or Friday, Dec 9
    • Visual: (10 points) - can include but not limited to -
      • poster
      • scrap book
      • transparencies
      • white board presentation (I will need the notes)

    • Verbal: (8 points) - in front of the class
      • Total time for the group 10 min
      • Pick which day you want to present - Thursday or Friday
      • Each group member has to present one part
      • Grading as a group or individually as each group decided

      • You can make it interactive
      • Be prepared to take few questions on your presentation from the audience

      • This is the place to show your creativity. 
      • Do web search & / or go to the library to collect material.

      • You can do a dry run or bounce of your ideas with me if you want.
      • Dry run has to be done by Monday, Dec 5.
      • Note: This is important since you won't get a 2nd chance after final presentation on Thu or Fri.
Course Grade:
  • The course will be graded on a linear scale with 90% = 4.0 & 70% = 2.0 with exams etc. having the weight mentioned in the chart below. This extends to 57% = 0.7; any lower % will result in 0.0. 
  • This chart below might change as the quarter progresses. The website will reflect it & I'll announce such changes in class as well.
  • Your actual grade might be slightly higher depending on my understanding of your mathematical abilities.

Worksheets 15%
Home Works 5%
Projects 30%
Quizzes 50%
Total 100%

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Course Plan:

Week by Week: Here is the tentative plan for the quarter. I might make slight changes as the term progresses. We might move quicker or slower than indicated at some point.

Week Sections Quizzes Syllabus for Quiz
1 review, 3A - -
2 3D, 4A, 4B - -
3 4B, 4C, 4D Quiz 1 3A, 3D
4 5A, 5B, 5C Quiz 2 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D
5 5D, 5E Quiz 3 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 5E
6 6A, 6B Quiz 4 6A, 6B
7 7A, 7B - -
8 7C, 7D Quiz 5 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D
9 Project start up
10 Project discussion
11 Project presentation

Day by Day: Here is a more day by day plan. Again this is tentative & I will keep it up to date as the quarter continues. Check this is for the upcoming Quiz-dates.

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Homework + Quizzes + Project

No Home Work Due Date Quiz Solution
1 3A: all odds 7-109
3D: all odds 5-43		 Oct 14 Q 1 S 1
2 4A: odds 9-13, 31, 35, 59, 45, 51, 55, 63, 71-81
4B: odds 9-13, 39, 45, 49, 53, 57, odds 59-67, 73, 75, odds 81- 93
4C: odds 7-17, 25, 27, 31, 35, 37, odds 41-51
4D: odds 11-19, odds 23-45, 49, odds 53-59		 Oct 19 Q 2 S 2
3 5A: all odds 9-59
5B: all odds 5-43
5C: odds 7-23, 39, 45
5D: odds 9-15, odds 19-33
5E: odds 7-39		 Oct 28 Q 3 S 3
4 6A: all odds 7-37
6B: all odds 7-25		 Nov 4 Q 4 S 4
5 7A: odds 7-15, 21-47, 51-57
7B: odds 5-9, 13-27, 31-41
7C: odds 7-19, 23-31, 37, 39
7D: odds 5-29		 Nov 18 Q 5 S 5

Project HW - Due Friday, Dec 2

Option 1 Critical Thinking 1A: 28, 34
1D: 16, 18, 58, 60
1E: 46
Option 2 Exponential & Logarithms 8A: 29
8B: 38, 58
8C: 24, 30
8D: 38, 40
Option 3 Geometry & Fractals 10A: 84, 86
10B: 86, 90, 96
10C: 28
Option 4 Math & Art 11B: 18, 22, 34, 36
11C: 12, 18, 22
Option 5 Voting 12A: 30, 34, 36
12B: 42, 44, 48, 52
Option 6 Apportionment 12C: 14, 20, 26, 36, 40, 42
Option 7 Network 13A: 36, 40, 42
13B: 22, 24, 26

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