Department of Mathematics and Statistics / Math 114 Quantitative Reasoing
Spring 2010 Section 8 Class Number 5128
Monday,Wednesday, Friday 11:30 am – 12:20pm Room 163
MattFahyLecturer
523-6864 : : AMB 133
http://oak.ucc.nau.edu/mpf6/
OFFICE HOURS:
Tuesday 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Wednesday 12:30 – 2:30 pm
Thursday 10:40 am – 12:40 pm
Others by appointment
CourseDescription:This course is designed to give students exposure to and experience in the application of numerical, visual and symbolic reasoning for the purposes of drawing inferences, understanding phenomena and making predictions. Successful completion of an Intermediate Algebra course (or the equivalent) or adequate placement on one of the necessary tests is required for enrollment in this class (please see me if you have questions).
Text and Coverage: For All Practical Purposes, Mathematical Literacy in Today’s World, Eighth Edition, COMAP, W. H. Freeman and Company, 2009, with some supplementary material as needed. During this semester we will cover three main content areas:
Probability and StatisticsChapters 5 – 8
Modeling and FinanceChapters 21 – 23
Management ScienceChapters 1 – 3
Exact topics will be selected by the instructor as time permits. While this text provides a detailed, thorough, and clear explanation of the topics we will cover, my lectures may differ in the order and/or emphasis of topics, so notes from my lectures should be your primary resource when preparing for tests.
Student Learning Outcomes:
1.Organize and summarize data graphically and numerically, analyze data and critically assess claims based on data.
2.Set up simple probability models, make basic probability calculations, and apply simple probability concepts such as the mean value of an experiment in making decisions.
3.Interpret statistical data and claims such as margin of error in polls in writing and make simple statistical inference such as the construction of confidence interval estimates of population proportion.
4.Identify data with a linear or exponential pattern and develop and apply a suitable model to determine consequences of this information.
5. Use simple models to better understand issues of personal finance, especially in the areas of mortgages and retirement planning.
6. Design simple graph models or use existing models for applications in such areas as scheduling, organization of information and optimal strategies, and discuss results and interpretations in writing.
Assessments and Grades:
Homeworkwill be assigned and collected regularly. It will vary in nature, some being from the book, some through online resources.
Quizzeswill be given sporadically, occasionally without notification. Some of these may be take-home quizzes. Some quizzes will be computational, testing your mastery of techniques we’ve learned in class, but others will be conceptual, based on readings from the text and other sources.
A fewprojectswill be assigned during the semester, varying in size and weight. The projects will be an opportunity to study certain topics in more depth than is possible during class and to gain exposure to software and resources valuable in other areas of study. These will typically be done in groups.
Four in-classexaminationsand acomprehensive final examwill be administered during the semester. Tentative dates for the four in-class exams are
Test 1Friday, January 29
Test 2Wednesday, February 24
Test 3Wednesday, March 31
Test 4Friday, April 23
I’ll do my best to have these tests line up with breaks in the content, but I can’t promise anything.
The final exam will beWednesday, May 5th at 10:00 am.
The above requirements will be distributed as follows:
Homework/Quizzes/Projects30%
Exams45%
Final exam 25%
Grades will be based on your combined percentage from the above categories, with the usual 90%, 80%, 70%, 60% cutoffs. I reserve the right to lower these cutoffs, but I wouldn’t count on it if I were you.
OTHER:
Regular attendance is an essential ingredient for success in this course. Test make-ups are acceptable if you schedule them with me beforehand (meaning at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled exam), but not if you don’t. A scientific calculator is required for this course (anything with a log button will work), but full credit will never be given if the necessary work is not shown. Please be respectful regarding cell phone use. I will use the above website for posting course documents, not Vista.
I’ve done my best to be concise, clear, and correct here, but if changes need to be made, they will be and you will be notified. All other university policies outlined in other official documents apply to this class and will be enforced accordingly.
“The sun’s not yellow, it’s chicken,” B. Dylan
All other university policies outlined in other official documents apply to this class and will be enforced accordingly.