Math 1010
Dr. Sarah J. Greenwald

Office Hours 326 Walker Hall 262-2363

http://www.cs.appstate.edu/~sjg/class/1010/ Check this often!

E-mail [email protected] I usually check e-mail every day.
E-mail is the easiest way to contact me outside of class and office hours to arrange an appointment...

Course Objectives

  • Financial Mathematics: Interest formulas as they apply to the real world - credit cards, student loans, savings accounts, car and house purchases, taxes, retirement...
  • Statistics: To recognize misrepresentations of studies and statistical data in the real world by understanding statistical techniques.
  • What is a Mathematician?: The lives and mathematical work of some famous mathematicians.
  • Geometry of the Real World: Earth geometry and geometry of our universe.
  • Develop problem solving skills.
  • Develop computer skills.
  • Develop communication skills by communicating mathematics to a general audience in writing projects, group and class discussions.
  • Math 1010 has been designated as a writing intensive, numerical data and computer use course.

    Grades

  • Participation and Problem Presentations 10% Attendance is required. You are expected to contribute to discussions and will be randomly called on to present nightly homework (you may pass). Missing more than 8 hours during the course (careful - the lab is 2 hours!) will result in a grade of F.
  • Group Projects 40% Work will not be accepted without explanation and must also be turned in on or before the due date. If there is some reason you must miss a class, then e-mail me, or talk to me about and turn in the assignment early into my mailbox. You must turn in all written work on time, but revisions are allowed in response to comments I have made. Respond to the comments-use them as invitations to clarify your understanding of the problem or our understanding of your solution. You cannot turn in revisions unless you have turned in work when it was originally due. When turning in revisions, you must address the grader's comments on your original paper, and must resubmit the original paper along with the revision. See the web page for revision due dates. Typically, you will have 1.5 weeks from the due date to revise your work.
  • Exams 20% No make-up exams will be given
  • Final Exam 30%

    Policies

    Attendance and participation are expected and required. Please try to be punctual in attending, as I try to start each class on time.

    You are responsible for all material covered and all announcements and assignments made at each class, whether you are present or not. You are also responsible for announcements made on the web page, so check it often.

    Material is covered very quickly. Plan to spend at least 10 hours per week, out of class, on this course.

    Do plenty of exercises, more than those that are assigned.

    When you have difficulty with the material, or are otherwise concerned about your work in the course, see me and I'll see what I can do to help. You may wish to obtain a private tutor for this course through the learning assistance program (LAP).

    When writing up work, be sure to give acknowledgment where it is due. Submitting someone else's work as your own (PLAGIARISM) is a serious violation of the University's Academic Integrity Code.

    Methodology

    Asking questions, and explaining things to others, in or out of class, is one of the best ways to improve your understanding of the material. This course is to be an environment in which everyone feels comfortable asking questions, making mistakes and offering good guesses and ideas.

    You should explore each problem and write out your thinking in a way that can be shared with others. Focus on your own ideas. Turn in projects or prepare to present problems even if it they are not complete, even if only to say, "I do not understand such and such" or "I am stuck here." Be as specific as possible. Conjecture.

    In this course, you will be challenged with problems that you have never seen before. I do not expect you to be able to solve all the issues immediately. Instead, I want to see what you can do on your own. Out in the real world, this is important, since no matter what job you have, you will be expected to seek out information and answers to new topics you have not seen before. This may feel uncomfortable and frustrating. I understand this and want to help you through the process. It helps to remember that there are no mathematical dead-ends! Each time we get stuck, it teaches us something about the problem we are working on, and leads us to a deeper understanding of the mathematics.

    In the real world though, you are not expected to face your work alone. You will be allowed to talk to other people and you may even be expected to work with other people. In this class, you are also not expected to face your work alone. I encourage you to talk to me often in class and office hours, and group work will also be encouraged.

    I am always happy to help you in class, during office hours (or by appointment), or on e-mail, and will try to give you hints and direction. At times though, to encourage the exploration process, I may direct you to rethink a problem and to come back to discuss it with me again afterwards. This occurs when I believe that the struggle to understand is imperative for your deep understanding of the material.