Math 97 - Winter 2006
Fundamentals of Intermediate Algebra I

Section 03: M-F 10:30 – 11:20 @ 2210

Instructor - Swati Sircar

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

Resources (Handouts) | Homework + Worksheets + Quizzes + Final



Basic Information

Office: Room 5335 in Foss Building (5000)
Office hours: M-F - 11:30-12:20 @ 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: Jan 16 (Martin Luther King Day) & Feb 20 (President's Day)

Text: Beginning & Intermediate Algebra, Third Edition by Lial, Hornsby, McGinnis
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.

Top



Syllabus

Course Description:
We are going to cover the following topics this quarter.
  • Equations of Lines & Functions (Quiz 1)
  • Systems of Linear Equations (Quiz 2)
  • Inequalities & Absolute Value (Quiz 3)
  • Rational Expressions & Applications (Quiz 4 & 5)
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.

Top



Course Organization

NOTE: 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.

Worksheets:
  • We will do worksheets regularly in class to learn the subject by doing it. They are geared to help you learn better & faster.
  • They might be used as an introduction to a topic or done after we master a technique. They can be at the beginning or end of a class.
  • All the WSs are available online. You can get them from the course website or from me.
  • You will get 2 points for participating in a WS. Turn in your worksheets after you complete them. Typically each WS will continue for several days & will be due on the day of the quiz.
  • It is your responsibility to attend the classes on time so that you do not miss them. If you do miss then get the WS from the web or from me & do it. 
  • 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.
  • Grace period for any WS is one week from the due date. WS’s turned in later than that will get less credit.
Home Works:
  • Homework 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 will be posted online at least a week before the due date & sometimes several weeks ahead. 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 staple your HW if it has multiple pages, at least put your name on each page. Otherwise I will not be responsible if pages get lost.
  • The grade will be for attempting all problems. So to be sure check your answers with your class mates or the solution manual.
  • Grace period for any HW is one week from the due date. HWs turned in later than that will get less credit.
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 (typically 2-5 sections) 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 one day before the Q-day.
  • All quizzes will be graded & returned within 1-2 days.
  • The worst quiz-score will be dropped.
  • All solutions of the quizzes will be posted online within 2 hours.
  • 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.
Final:
  • You can bring one page both sides hand written notes for the exam.
  • Calculators are not allowed unless I provide them.
  • There will be 2 midterms & a final on the date mentioned below in the classroom. Midterms will be during class hours & the final will be 10:30-12:30.
  • Before each midterm there will be practice tests which will not be graded.
  • Cheating is not allowed during the exams & I reserve the right to deduct points if I suspect cheating.
  • Solution to each exam will be posted online within 2 hours.
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.
  • Your actual grade might be slightly higher depending on my understanding of your mathematical abilities.

Worksheets   10%
Home Works   5%
Quizzes   60%
Final Mar 22, Wed 25%
Total   100%

Top



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 / Final Syllabus for Quizzes / Final
1 Review + 7.1 - -
2 7.2, 7.3 - -
3 7.3 + 2.8 Q 1 (Jan 25) 7.1, 7.2, 7.3
4 9.1, 9.2, 9.3 - -
5 8.1 Q 2 (Feb 8) 2.8, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3
6 8.1 - -
7 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 Midterm 2.8, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3
8 8.5, 6.1, 6.2 Q 3 (Mar 1) 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5
9 6.3, 6.4, 6.5 Q 4 (Mar 9) 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4
10 6.6, 6.7 + Final Review Q 5 (Mar 17) 6.5, 6.6, 6.7
11 Final Review Final 2.8, 6.1 - 6.7, 7.1 - 7.3, 8.1 - 8.5, 9.1 - 9.3

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.

Top



Homework + Worksheets + Quizzes + Final


No Home Work Worksheet Due Date Quiz Solution
1 7.1: 1, all 4-10, 13, odds 17-29, 41, 49, all 51-56, 59, 65, all 67-70, odds 71-79, odds 85-93, 105 
7.2: 1, all 7-14, 21, 27, 31, 37, odds 41-47, 51, 61, odds 65-69, odds 73-81
7.3: odds 5-57, 61, 63, 67-73, 77, 78, 81, 85
W 1 Jan 26 Q 1 S 1
2 2.8: all 3-6, odds 7-13, 17-23, 27-41, 45-49, 53, all 55-58, odds 59-65, 77-91
9.1: all 1-6, odds 7-19, 20, odds 21-35, 36, odds 37-61, 69, 71
9.2: 1, odds 5-11, 15-25, 29-39, 43-81, 85, 87, 91
9.3: odds 7-13, 19-33, 47, 49
W 2 Feb 8 Q 2 S 2
  Midterm needs to be taken outside class to improve Q 1 &/or Q 2 score. Review Worksheet Feb 17 Midterm Solution
3 8.1: odds 1-13, 23, 25, 31-37, all 39-42, 45
8.2: odds 1-19, 23-31
8.3: all 1-4, odds 5-37
8.4: every other odd 1-25, odds 27-39
8.5: 1, 3, 7, odds 11-29, 33-51
W 3 Mar 1 Q 3 S 3
4 6.1: odds 3-7, 13-23, 27-33, 37-59, 65-69, 77-81 
6.2: every other odd 5-21, 23, 25-53, 55, odds 57-63
6.3: every other odd 3-23, 29-49, 57-69
6.4: every other odd 9-45, 47, odds 51-75
W 4 Mar 9 Q 4 S 4
5 6.5: every other odd 7-35
6.6: odds 9-13, every other odd 17-33, odds 37-41, every other odd 43-67, odds 73-85
6.7: odds 5-13, 19, 23-41
W 5 Mar 17 Q 5 S 5
Final Solution to Final

Top



Back