Fall 2007. Precalculus (MAC 1147).
Instructor/office/contact info/office hours:
Instructor: Ognjen Milatovic Office: Building 14, Room 2733
Phone: 620-1745 E-mail:
Web page:
Office hours: Monday 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.;
Tuesday 2:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.;
Wednesday 10:00 a.m. -11:30 a.m.;
Thursday 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.;
Or by appointment
Prerequisites: Intermediate Algebra
Text: Sullivan, Precalculus. Custom Edition for the University of North Florida
Calculator: You will need a scientific calculator, though you may use a graphing calculator, such as TI-82, TI-83 or similar. Graphing calculators TI-89 and TI-92 will not be allowed on tests, quizzes and the final exam.
Course Objectives:This course has two main goals: to have you understand the concept of a function, and to enable you to display that understanding through a variety of applications. Specific, measurable, manifestations of your understanding that will be tested during the semester include your ability to
- work with polynomial and rational expressions
- solve linear, quadratic and rational equations
- solve simple inequalities
- work with roots and exponents
- understand the concept of a function
- work with polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, trigonometric and inverse trigonometric functions
- apply your knowledge to construct simple mathematical models
- verify basic trigonometric identities
- apply sum and difference trigonometric formulas
- use double angle formulas, product-to-sum and sum-to-product formulas
- solve trigonometric equations
By the end of the semester, you should
- gain an appreciation of the conceptual structure of functions
- strengthen your skills in numerical and symbolic computation, mathematical reasoning, and mathematical modeling
- improve your skills in learning and communicating mathematics
Attendance: It is essential that you attend classes regularly. The easiest way for you to learn the material, and to know what material has been covered, is to come to class each day. You are responsible for finding out what material has been covered or what announcements have been made on days that you miss class.
Excused Absences or Late Work: In order to turn in assignments late or to take make-up quizzes/tests, you must bring written proof of some emergency situation; notes from doctors or nurses, documents verifying court appearances, receipts from having a car towed are all examples of valid documentation. Notes from family members are not acceptable. If a situation is of a personal nature, discuss the matter with your academic advisor; an e-mail message from your advisor saying that he/she believes that you should be allowed to make up work is acceptable.
Reading, Quizzes and Class Participation: It is strongly recommended that you read the assigned section from the textbook ahead of time. Thus, when you then see the corresponding section covered in class, you will be able to follow along much more easily (as opposed to seeing the material for the very first time in class).
Homework will be assigned with each section. Although the homework will not be collected, it is essential that you do homework exercises regularly: working these exercises will help you get a solid grasp of fundamental concepts and techniques of algebra and trigonometry and will increase your confidence as you proceed to learn new ideas. Furthermore, questions on quizzes and tests will be very similar to assigned homework exercises and the examples discussed during class. To help you work and understand homework exercises, we will go over a limited number of homework exercises at the beginning of each class.
While doing homework, do not just write down answers. Think about the problems posed, your strategies, the meaning of your computations, and the answers you get. It is often in this reflection that the greatest learning takes place. The main point is not to come up with specific answers to the specific problems you are working on, but to develop an understanding of what you are doing so that you can apply your reasoning to a wide range of similar situations.
To ensure that you are keeping up with the homework, there will be several short (10-20 minute) quizzes during the semester (roughly, one quiz every week).
Every class member will be expected to participate in class discussions. Your participation in class can be, for example, your contribution to course discussions and your contribution to answering in-class or homework questions. Please remember that your questions are a valuable part of our discussion of course topics.
Grading: The final exam is cumulative and will count as 25% of your course grade. Quizzes and class participation will together count as 25% of your course grade. I will drop your worst quiz grade. Two in-class midterm tests will together count as the remaining 50% of your course grade (each midterm will count 25% of your course grade). Course grades will be assigned as follows:
[90 - 100 %: A-, A], [80 – 89%: B-, B, B+],
[70 – 79%: C, C+], [60 – 69%: D],
[59% and below: F].
Cheating Policy: Cheating is an insult to honest students – it will not be tolerated.
Course Topics:
Chapter R (R.1, R.2, R.4, R.5, R.7and R.8) (mostly review)
Chapter 1 (Sections 1.1—1.5, 1.7),
Chapter 2 (Sections 2.1 – 2.4),
Chapter 3 (Sections 3.1 – 3.6),
Chapter 4 (Sections 4.1, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5),
Chapter 5 (Sections 5.1, 5.4, 5.6),
Chapter 6 (Sections 6.1 – 6.8),
Chapter 7 (Section 7.1 – 7.8)
Chapter 9 (Section 9.1)
Chapter 12 (Section 12.1)
Some sections may be omitted.
Important Dates:
November 9 (Friday) Deadline to withdraw
November 22 (Thursday) Thanksgiving (no classes)
December 13 (Thursday) Final Exam (9:00 a.m—10:50 a.m.)
General Education Outcomes:
MAC 1147 is designed to satisfy the following criteria from the Central Student Outcomes of General Education:
II.D.1. Students should be able to demonstrate general knowledge of the breadth, power, and development of major areas of mathematics
We reach this goal by devoting about two-thirds of the course to manipulating expressions, solving equations, solving inequalities, and studying functions (linear, quadratic, exponential, logarithmic). This portion of the course includes the concepts needed to understand these topics, the skills needed to apply the concepts, and a discussion of the scope of these concepts.
II.D.2. Students should be able to demonstrate proficiency in solving problems using mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning.
We reach this goal by studying a variety of equation solving: linear, quadratic, exponential, logarithmic. The acquired techniques will be applied to solve various types of word problems.