| Instructor: Bill Briggs | Office: CU-Denver Building 611 |
| Phone: 303-556-4809 | Office Hours: TTh 10:30-11:30, 12:45-1:30 in Science 130/132 or by arrangement |
| Text: Using and Understanding Mathematics, by Bennett and Briggs Addison Wesley, Second edition | |
| Email: wbriggs@math.cudenver.edu Course web page: http://www-math.cudenver.edu/~wbriggs/2000s02/top.html Book web page: http://www.aw.com/bennett-briggs | |
Teaching Assistant: Dustin Stewart
Office Hours: MW 11:30-1:00 in Science 130/132, Email: dstewart@math.cudenver.edu
Course Goals: Welcome to Math 2000, a mathematics course designed specifically for liberal arts students. The course has two major goals:
Hopefully, the course will give you an awareness of the role that mathematics plays in today's society in everything from population crises to financial planning, from environmental issues to the spread of diseases. If successful, this course should prepare you for future courses, for careers, and for life itself!
Prerequisites: The mathematical prerequisite for the course is that you have met the entrance requirements for the university, namely three years of high school mathematics sometime in your past. In addition, you must have a calculator that can do at least basic arithmetic and exponents (cost is less than $15). You also should have an active email account that you are able to use and you should know how to access the Internet. This course has a web page on which you will find class notes, assignments and solutions, and projects guidelines. Please make use of this resource!
Reading: As liberal arts students, it is safe to assume that you like to read! The course will cover roughly one chapter every one or two weeks. Please read the text actively with a pencil in hand, always before the material is covered in class! Use the margins of the book to make notes. Stop to work the Time-Out to Think problems and always answer the review questions at the end of each unit.
Assignments: Mathematics is not a spectator sport! No one learns mathematics without practice and discovery; furthermore, that's how to have fun. The key to success in any mathematics course is to do at least the minimum assigned work, and to do it on schedule. There will be 10 - 12 regular assignments (approximately one each week) that will vary in character; they will involve reading, writing, short answers, calculations, and yes, story problems! Each assignment will have a clearly marked deadline, and it must be observed; late assignments cannot be accepted without a legitimate explanation. To compensate for unforeseen circumstances, two of the assignment scores will be dropped in the grading. Please see the preface to the book for guidelines on the presentation of solutions. Specifically, all assignments must meet the following conditions:
Projects: A term project is required of all students. The subject may be taken from a list of projects or may be of your own choosing (with instructor approval). All projects must deal with practical applications of mathematics in everyday life.
An outline and bibliography for the project is due no later than March 21 and the final project is due no later than May 7.
The bibliography must contain at least three references or web sources. Projects are typically 6-8 pages long. They must be typed neatly with perfect spelling and grammar, fully documented, well organized, and detailed in explanations and conclusions. You may work in groups of no more than two people; everyone in a group gets the same grade. More details on projects will be forthcoming.
Final exam: There will be a comprehensive final exam during the final exam period (May 14 or 16). The exam will be low-pressure, in-class, with open book and open notes allowed. For this reason, you should become familiar with the book and make careful notes either in the book or in a separate notebook. Sample exams and old exams appear on the course web page.
Grading policy: Your final grade will be determined as follows:
| Graded assignments (lowest two scores dropped) | 70% |
| Project | 15% |
| Midterm exam | 5% |
| Final exam | 10% |
Drops and incompletes: You have until the tenth week of classes to drop the course with only the instructor's (but not a Dean's) signature. The incomplete policy of the department and college is strictly enforced: incompletes are given only in situations in which a student who has been in good standing all semester, is prevented from completing a course assignment (for example, the final exam) by circumstances beyond his/her control (for example, hospitalization, death in the family.
Advice: I will do everything I can to help you, work with you, and make this a meaningful course. But you must take the course seriously and put in the necessary effort. If you spend from 10-12 hours per week on the course, turn in assignments on time, attend classes regularly, and take advantage of office hours, you will not only pass this course, but find it a beneficial experience. So please decide early in the semester whether you can give the course the time and energy that it needs. If you can’t, then don’t even try because you will waste your time. If you can, then welcome aboard and let’s get started!
Syllabus
| Informal fallacies | |
| Sets and Venn diagrams | |
| Critical thinking | |
| Units and currency | |
| Unit conversions | |
| Uses and abuses of percentages | |
| Scientific notation and numbers in perspective | |
| Number deceptions | |
| Compound interest | |
| Savings plans | |
| Understanding statistical studies | |
| Should you believe a statistical study? | |
| Graphics in the news | |
| Probability | |
| Law of averages | |
| Risk | |
| Exponential growth | |
| Selected topics: music, voting, apportionment | |