Mathematics 140
College Algebra
Fall 2003

This handout can be found on the World-Wide Web at http://www.public.iastate.edu/~tauqir/math140/math140.html. Later in the term, the web page will also contain a list of scores.

Lecturer: Tauqir Bibi
Office: Carver 445
Phone: 294 8184
E-mail: tauqir@iastate.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday 1:10 - 4:00pm
Thursday 1:10 - 3:00pm
Text: Precalculus by Sullivan, 6th Edition
Lectures: mwf 4:10 - 5:00 pm, 0101 Carver
Helpful website: Prentice Hall Math Tutor Center

Course Objectives: This course emphasizes topics usually contained in the fourth semester of high school algebra. It rapidly reviews basic concepts in algebra from earlier courses, and then expands upon them. Along with Math 141 and 142 it provides knowledge and skills necessary for the study of calculus and mathematically based science courses.

Prerequisites: Satisfactory performance on the math placement exam, two years of high school algebra, one year of high school geometry.

Studying: This course has lecture-recitation format. The lectures are for the presentation of the new material and recitations are for solving problems and review. I recommend that you read over the sections of the text before they are covered in class. After class, you should re-read the material and compare it with your notes. Then you will be ready to work the assigned exercises. You may find that you need to do more than the specified assignment to become sufficiently adept at working the problems. A graphing calculator is required for this class.

Help: We have Math Help Room in 196 Carver. Help Room hours are
Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Homework, Tests, Grades: I have assigned homework for each section in the book. You can discuss the homework with others, but you have to write your own solutions, and do your own calculations. I suggest you to do the homework problems right after we cover the section, and save it. Keep your (neatly written) homework organized together in one place, and bring it to class. Feel free to talk to your TA or me whenever you have difficulty or unsure of your answer.
All students will be expected to participate actively during class. The table below shows the points available from all the sources

Four in-class exams: 400 points (50%)
Final exam: 150 points (18.75%)
Home works: 100 points (12.5%)
Quizzes: 100 points (12.5%)
Attendance: 50 points (6.25%)
Total: 800 points
Your grade will be based on the percentage of points you achieve. The standard cut offs are
Overall percentage Grade
93.4% - 100% A
90.0% - 93.3% A-
86.7% - 89.9% B+
83.4% - 86.7% B
80.0% - 83.4% B-
76.7% - 79.9% C+
73.4% - 76.7% C
70.0% - 73.4% C-
66.7% - 69.9% D+
63.4% - 66.7% D
60.0% - 63.4% D-
0.0% - 59.9% F

These grade cutoffs may change after each exam and an appropriate scaling may be applied at the end of the semester. No make-up exams please, except for special circumstances. If an emergency causes you to miss an exam, contact me within 48 hours. I may require a written explanation, including a person and telephone number to verify the situation.

Syllabus
Homework
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