PROPOSED SYLLABUS FOR MATH 3

COLLEGE ALGEBRA
Fall 2006

Time and place: Instructor:

Web page: Office and office hours:
Units: 3 Phone:
Email:

Textbook: M. Sullivan, College Algebra

Catalog description
Prerequisite: students must meet the ELM requirement. Equations and inequalities; rectan-
gular coordinates; systems of equations and inequalities; polynomial, rational, exponential,
and logarithmic functions and their graphs; complex numbers.

Course objectives
Upon completion of this course, students should know:

• basic properties of real numbers

• properties of polynomial, rational, exponential, and logarithmic functions
• basic properties of complex numbers
• how to translate various applications into mathematical problems

Learning outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• simplify rational expressions and expressions with radicals

• solve systems of equations and inequalities
• find the roots of a polynomial function
• sketch graphs of polynomial, rational, exponential, and logarithmic functions
• formulate the mathematical equation or system of equations that model an application
and solve such problem

Attendance
It is important to attend every class because every lecture is based on previous material.
Attendance will be taken, and occasionally, a quiz will be given.
If you miss a class, you should contact one of your classmates or the instructor to find out
what was done in class and whether important announcements were made or homework was
assigned, and read the appropriate sections of the book.

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Homework
There will be weekly homework. No late homework will be accepted except in the case
of an illness or a serious family emergency. Working with your classmates is allowed and
encouraged, but every student must write his or her own papers. If you work with someone,
please indicate that on your paper.

Tests
There will be 3 hour tests and a comprehensive final exam. Make-up exams will be given
only in case of an illness or a serious family emergency. No notes, books, or calculators will
be allowed.

Extra help
It is important not to fall behind. If you need extra help, you are encouraged to

• ask your instructor in class

• come to the instructor’s office hours or make an appointment
• work with your classmates
• go to the Mathematics tutor lab in EE 167.

Grading procedures
Your grade will be based on your performance on quizzes, tests, and homework according to
the following tables.
Quizzes 30 points
Test 1 50 points
Test 2 50 points
Test 3 50 points
Homework 100 points
Final Exam 100 points
Effort, attendance, participation 20 points
Total 400 points

Points earned Letter grade

360-400 (90%-100%) A
320-359 (80%-89%) B
280-319 (70%-79%) C
240-279 (60%-69%) D
0-239 (0%-59%) F

Classroom behavior
Any disruptive behavior in class that interferes with the learning environment will not be
tolerated. University policies on disruptive behavior are followed and enforced in every
instance.

Academic honesty
Cheating in this class will not be tolerated. University policies on plagiarism and cheating
are followed and enforced in every instance.

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Students with disabilities
University student disability policies are followed. Contact the Disabled Student Services
office (located in the Madden Library) for specific arrangements and information.

Computers
At California State University, Fresno, computers and communications links to remote re-
sources are recognized as being integral to the education and research experience. Every
student is required to have his/her own computer or have other personal access to a worksta-
tion (including a modem and a printer) with all the recommended software. The minimum
and recommended standards for the workstations and software, which may vary by academic
major, are updated periodically and are available from Information Technology Services or
the University Bookstore. In the curriculum and class assignments, students are presumed
to have 24-hour access to a computer workstation and the necessary communication links to
the University’s information resources.

Syllabus is subject to change

This syllabus and schedule below are subject to change in the event of extenuating circum-
stances. If you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to check on announcements
made while you were absent.

Copyright policy
Copyright laws and fair use policies protect the rights of those who have produced the ma-
terial. The copy in this course has been provided for private study, scholarship, or research.
Other uses may require permission from the copyright holder. The user of this work is
responsible for adhering to copyright law of the U.S. (Title 17, U.S. Code).To help you fa-
miliarize yourself with copyright and fair use policies, the University encourages you to visit
its copyright web page.
Digital Campus course web sites contains material protected by copyrights held by the in-
structor, other individuals or institutions. Such material is used for educational purposes in
accord with copyright law and/or with permission given by the owners of the original mate-
rial. You may download one copy of the materials on any single computer for non-commercial,
personal, or educational purposes only, provided that you (1) do not modify it, (2) use it
only for the duration of this course, and (3) include both this notice and any copyright notice
originally included with the material. Beyond this use, no material from the course web site
may be copied, reproduced, re-published, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in
any way without the permission of the original copyright holder. The instructor assumes
no responsibility for individuals who improperly use copyrighted material placed on the web
site.

Tentative schedule
Week Sections and topics
1 R.1. Real numbers
R.2. Algebra review
R.3. Geometry review
R.4. Polynomials

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Week Sections and topics
2 R.5. Factoring polynomials
R.6. Polynomial division; synthetic division
R.7. Rational expressions
R.8. nth Roots; rational exponents
3 1.1. Linear equations
1.2. Quadratic equations
1.3. Quadratic equations in the complex number system
1.4. Radical equations; equations quadratic in form; factorable equations
4 1.5. Solving inequalities
1.6. Equations and inequalities involving absolute value
1.7. Applications: interest, mixture, uniform motion, constant rate jobs
2.1. Rectangular coordinates
5 2.2. Graphs of equations
2.3. Circles
Test 1
6 2.4. Lines
2.5. Parallel and perpendicular lines
3.1. Functions
3.2. The graph of a function
7 3.3. Properties of functions
3.4. Library of functions; piecewise-defined functions
3.5. Graphing techniques: transformations
3.6. Mathematical models: constructing functions
8 4.1. Quadratic functions and models
4.2. Polynomial functions
4.3. Rational functions I
4.4. Rational functions II: analyzing graphs
9 4.5. Polynomials and rational inequalities
4.6. The real zeros of a polynomial function
4.7. Complex zeros; fundamental theorem of algebra
5.1. Composite functions
10 5.2. Inverse functions
5.3. Exponential functions
Test 2
11 5.4. Logarithmic functions
5.5. Properties of logarithms
5.6. Logarithmic and exponential equations
5.7. Compound interest
12 5.8. Exponential growth and decay; Newton’s law; logistic models
6.1. Conics
6.2. The parabola
6.3. The ellipse
13 6.4. The hyperbola
7.1. Systems of linear equations: substitution and elimination
7.2. Systems of linear equations: matrices
7.3. Systems of linear equations: determinants
14 7.4. Matrix algebra
7.5. Partial fraction decomposition
7.6. Systems of nonlinear equations
7.7. Systems of inequalities
15 Test 3
Review