MATH 130: Precalculus Mathematics

Overview

Math 130 is designed primarily for students who will enter the calculus sequence Math 231–233. Topics include the basic concepts of trigonometry and analytic geometry and algebraic concepts relevant to the future study of calculus. The course is mainly problem-oriented.

The course consists of twenty-two sections. For each section you will review the section notes, read from the text, and complete practice problems.  You will also have the option to complete online tutorials. Each section is concluded with a quiz. The course also includes four tests and a final exam.

Prerequisite
Math 110 (called Math 10 prior to fall 2006), College Algebra, or its equivalent.

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Required Materials

Textbook

Swokowski, Earl W. and Cole, Jeffrey A. Precalculus: Functions and Graphs, 11th edition. Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2008.

The textbook can be obtained from the Higher Grounds bookstore at the Friday Center either by ordering online or by printing and mailing the book order form.

Calculator

A scientific or graphing calculator is required. Symbolic manipulators, such as the TI-89, are not allowed. You may use your calculator on the quizzes, tests, and the final exam. Pay close attention to whether you are in degree or radian mode. The wrong mode will usually result in incorrect answers.

CengageNOW has a calculator and both a 2-D and 3-D grapher (from the CengageNOW site, click on CengageNOW tools). For information about logging on to the Thomson site, see Course Mechanics.

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Course Components

Section Notes

Links for each of the twenty-two sections covered in this course can be found in the Course Structure section. Section notes include the learning objectives, helpful hints, additional worked examples, and a list of practice problems from the text. You should read the discussion portion before reading the text. Keep the discussion notes handy for reference while reading the text.

Practice Problems

A list of practice problems is available in the notes for each section. You should complete every exercise on this list. These problems will not be collected or graded, but they are the foundation for the final exam.

Online Tutorials

Tutorials are available online through CengageNOW for each of the twenty-two sections.  Tutorials include excerpts from the text, practice exercises with step-by-step solutions, practice quizzes, and video clips of solutions to the examples in the text indicated by a red arrow. The tutorials are not part of your grade for this course and are completely optional. They are available if you need them.

Quizzes and Tests

Quizzes

You will take a ten-question, computer-generated quiz on each of the twenty-two sections included in this course. These quizzes are not proctored and can be taken anywhere you can connect to CengageNOW. Quizzes are open book and open note. Remember, you are only hurting yourself if you are not honest about using these quizzes as a learning tool to prepare for the tests. You may take each quiz up to five times, and your highest score will be the one counted. You may also start a quiz, save it, and resume later. After taking a quiz, you should print the quiz and review any errors.

Tests

You will take four computer-generated tests via the CengageNOW site. These tests are closed-book exams but are not proctored.  You will have only one take on each exam with a time limit of ninety minutes.

After taking each test, you will get your score upon submission and have full access to the key.  To access your test on the CengageNOW site, you will click on the Assignments/Tests tab and click on Show Me: All Assignments. You can then print your test and review any errors.

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Study Suggestions

 The following guidelines will help you achieve success in this course:

• Before you begin each lesson, read through the Learning Objectives and the Discussion in the lesson's section notes.
• Carefully read the corresponding section of the text before you attempt the practice problems.
• Be an active learner; keep paper and pencil handy while reading and follow along as example problems are solved.
• Before you take the section quiz, be sure you know how to do each practice problem.
• Carefully review all graded materials and rework problems that were not completed correctly. This will help you avoid making similar errors in the future.
• Always remember that it is important to communicate mathematically when working problems or writing for a test or the final exam. Write in a mathematical fashion using numbers, variables, symbols, and words to clearly express your solution to a problem. A solution to a problem includes not only the answer(s) clearly indicted, but also the logical progression of steps to achieve the answer(s). When applicable, clearly label all sketches, graphs, and/or charts.

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Final Exam

The cumulative, paper-and-pencil final exam is proctored. You can schedule the exam through the Self-paced Courses office. There are twenty-five questions on the final. The formulas on your formula sheet will be provided on the cover page of the final.

You must pass the final exam in order to pass the course. A passing grade on the final is 60 percent. If the final is retaken, the score used in computing the final course grade will be the average of the final exam scores.

Samples of old final exams are available on the Web at the UNC Department of Mathematics Web site (in the folder "For Undergraduates" click on "Sample Final Exams for Freshman Courses").

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Grading System

Your course grade will be determined by your performance on three components:  the twenty-two quizzes, the four tests, and the final exam.

• Quizzes: 1/3
• Tests: 1/3
• Final Exam: 1/3

Grading will be on a 10-point scale.

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Honor Code

As a student of UNC-Chapel Hill, you are bound by the University's Honor Code:

"It shall be the responsibility of every student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to obey and support enforcement of the Honor Code, which prohibits lying, cheating or stealing when these actions involve academic processes or University students or academic personnel acting in an official capacity."

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Course Mechanics

E-mail

Notify your instructor and Janice Durham at the Friday Center if your e-mail address changes.

If you use a filter on your e-mail account, you are responsible for ensuring that it does not prevent you from receiving messages from your instructor, the University, or Friday Center staff.

Accessing CengageNOW for Quizzes, Tests, and Tutorials

The CengageNOW Web site will be used for online tutorials and for taking quizzes and tests. Internet Explorer is recommended to navigate to the Web site. Follow these instructions to create an account:

• Go to the CengageNOW site.
• New Users – Click Create an Account
• Click Student
• Location: North Carolina
• School: search for/select Univ of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Select the left-hand box labeled Course Key and enter E-4QFXD2RJ5NMHW

On the next page, complete all areas with a red asterisk by the box. Do not enter a student ID; your PID is too long. Read the License Agreement, choose “I agree” and continue. You are ready to start using CengageNOW. From this point on you will sign in as a returning user with your e-mail address and the password you chose for the site.

If you have used CengageNOW and already have an account, log on as usual. From the Home Page in the Quick Links box:

• Select Register for Course Materials.
• Select Self-enroll in a course.
• Enter the Course Key E-4QFXD2RJ5NMHW.

Questions

If you have questions regarding

• CengageNOW, from the sign-in page in the User's Resources box, click on Get Support.
• the content of the course and your progress, contact your instructor. There is a link to her e-mail address at the top of every course Web page.
• bad links or other problems with this Web site, contact the Instructional Designer at the Friday Center
• enrollment, Onyen, credits, withdrawal, and so on, contact Student Services at the Friday Center (phone 919-962-1134 or 800-862-5669).

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Course Structure

You will progress through each section of the course in the order shown on the chart below. Click on the section number to link to each section. There you will find the section objectives, reading assignment, discussion notes, and practice problems. Section quizzes will be taken through the CengageNOW Web site. A link to the site can be found under "Quiz" in each section page.

Note: Since both Web sites used for this course (this one and CengageNOW) require that you log in with a user name and password, it is important that you keep your sign-on information for both sites handy.

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