General Information
Class and Exams Schedule
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General Information

• Textbook: Precalculus, by Sullivan and Sullivan. This is a custom edition for this course. The bookstore has two versions: one which is a physical copy of the book, and one which is an e-book. EITHER IS OK, it's up to you: if you prefer a book you can write in, turn pages, buy the actual book. If you just want the material and online is ok, note that the e-book is cheaper by $50. Both come with the package "MyMathLab" which is has online homework, testing, self-study plans, etc... We will be using MyMathLab for homework.
• Clickers: This course will make use of i-clickers. You will need to get one at the bookstore. Many courses at UCSC make use of clickers, so this is a "one-off" expense. You can also very easily sell it back to the bookstore (or to another student) after using it if you prefer.

• Grades:
  • Attendance:
    • At the beginning of each class, and throughout, there will be clicker questions. The clicker questions are graded. They are also used to keep track of attendance and to encourage active participation. The student with the most correct answers each week will be rewarded with a tasty chocolate bar of his/her choice, and honored in the "Hall of Fame" .

    • Attendance to the class and to sections is mandatory. More than 40% missed classes or sections is an automatic F for the class.
  • Homework: Online homework will be assigned on a weekly basis through MyMathLab.com. You should start it well in advance, as it will probably take you 3-4 hours to do it every week.
  • Exams: There will be two midterms and one final exams
  • Grading Policy: 
  • The concept of "curving" will not apply. Your grade reflects your own progress, not that of the rest of the class.
    
  • The total grade is calculated according to the following scheme
  • Each grade during the class (Attendance, Quiz, Midterm or Final) is out of 100
  • The total grade (also out of 100) is a weighed average of all grades acquired during the quarter with
  • Attendance and participation: 5% of the total grade.
  • Clicker questions: 5% of the total grade.
  • Homework: 10% of total grade; weakest grade dropped. More than two missed Homeworks is an automatic D for the class. Homework will be done with online testing "MyMathLab" so you really do need to buy it.
  • 2 Mid-term exam: 20 % of total grade each
  • 1 Final exam: 40 % of total grade. Note that there is a minimum grade required in the Final Exam to pass the class.
  • Your letter grade for the class is then chosen according to the following table:
    
  • A+ : 93% and above
  • A : 86% to 93%
  • A- : 80% to 86%
  • B+ : 73% to 80%
  • B : 66% to 73%
  • B- : 60% to 66%
  • C+ : 55% to 60%
  • C : 50% to 55%
  • C-: 40% to 50%
  • D : any total grade below 40%, or failure to achieve minimal grade in the final
  • F : failure to attend the minimal required number of homework, or the final, or cheating.

• Policy on cheating: Zero tolerance
• Cheating will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Any student caught cheating will be reported for academic dishonesty.
• Cheating includes, but is not limited to:
• Copying a fellow student's work during exam conditions (midterm, final)
• Using any material, during an exam, which is not allowed by the instructor (such as calculators, cheat-sheets, getting outside help, etc.)
• Using someone's clicker to pretend they attended the class, or asking a friend to do this for you.
• The penalties imposed for academic dishonesty vary depending on how serious the case is. But know that "In serious cases in which academic misconduct has been determined to occur, a notation of misconduct shall be entered for a specified period on a student's transcript, including all external copies. "
• The bottom line: don't even think about it!

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Tentative Schedule: (this will be updated as the course progresses). Numbers in bold denote the book sections that these lectures are based on.

• Week 0:
• Sep 25 (F): 1.6. Opening remarks. Modeling with functions (constructing functions from real problems). Notion of variables (dependent, independent).
• Week 1:
• Sep 28 (M): 1.1-1.5. What is the graph of a function. Graphing with Wolfram Alpha. Nomenclatures and definitions (zeros, asymptotes, maxima, minima, one-to-one, domain of definition). Graphs of standard functions.
• Sep 30 (W): 1.1-1.5. General properties of function graphs (horizontal/vertical translation, symmetries).
• Oct 2 (F): 2.1-2.2. Linear functions. Slope intercept. Parallel lines, perpendicular lines. Linear interpolation/extrapolation

• Week 2:
• Oct 5 (M): 2.3-2.4. Quadratic functions. Complete the square. Vertex form. Graphs of quadratics. Applications.
• Oct 7 (W): 2.3-2.4. Factored form. Zeros of quadratics. Basic factoring techniques. The quadratic formula.
• Oct 9 (F): 2.6. Graphical properties of quadratics. Applications: min/max problems.

• Week 3:
  
• Oct 12 (M): 3.1-3.2. Power functions. Polynomial functions. Limits at infinity.
• Oct 14 (W): 3.1-3.2. Factoring polynomials. Roots of polynomials.
• XXXX
• Oct 16 (F): 3.1-3.2. Graphing polynomials using signs tables. Signs of polynomials

• Week 4:
• Oct 19 (M): 3.4-3.5. Rational functions. Asymptotes.
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• Oct 21 (W): Midterm 1 (all material up to Rational Functions)
• Oct 23 (F): Graphing rational functions using signs tables. Polynomial and Rational inequalities.

• Week 5:
• Oct 23 (F): 4.3,4.7. Exponential function. Applications to financial models, growth and decay problems.
• Oct 26 (M):4.1-4.2. Composition of functions. Application to the Gaussian function.. Inverse functions. Graphical properties of inverse.
• Oct 28 (W): 4.4-4.5. Logarithmic function as the inverse of the exponential. The graph of the logarithm. Properties of logarithms.
• Oct 30 (F): 4.6,4.8 Logarithms and exponentials. Solving equations with logs and exponentials. Applications to finance. Applications to population dynamics.

• Week 6:
• Nov 2 (M): 5.1,8.1-8.2. Angles, unit circle. Polar coordinates and Polar graphs.
• Nov 4 (W): Applications of polar coordinates
• Nov 6 (F): 5.2-5.3,7.1 Right-angle triangles. Trigonometric functions(sine and cosine) and the Pythagorean property. Applications.

• Week 7:
  
  • Nov 9 (M): 5.4,5.6. Graphs of sine and cosine. The phase shift property. Applications.
  • Nov 11 (W): Holiday
  • Nov 13 (F): Midterm 2

• Week 8:
• Nov 16 (M): 5.5. The functions tan, cotan, sec, and cosec. Properties, graphs and aplications. A few more trigonometric identities.
• Nov 18 (W): 6.1-6.3. Inverse trigonometric functions, and their use in solveing trigonometric equations.
• Nov 20 (F): 7.1-7.2. Applications of trigonometric equations

• Week 9:
• Nov 23 (M): 6.4-6.5. Trigonometric identities. The sum and difference formula. Applications.
• Nov 25 (W): 6.6. The double-angle formula and applications.
• Nov 27 (F): Holiday.

• Week 10:
• Nov 30 (M): Mathematical modeling case study (TBD)
• Dec 2 (W): Mathematical modeling case study (TBD)
• Dec 4 (F): Review
• Weekend (Saturday or Sunday, TBD). Final Review.

• Final's Week:
• Dec 9 (W): 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM: FINAL