Introductory Mathematics: Course Syllabus

Course Syllabus
Introductory Mathematics
MAT 100a, 3 Credits
AUBG, Math & Sciences Department, Fall 2020
Meeting place: BAC 204

Meeting time: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 16:05 – 17:25
Instructor: Dimitar Guelev

Office: BAC 308
Office days: Tuesdays and Thursdays
Office hours: 14:45 – 15:45, or by appointment
E-mail: dguelev@aubg.edu
Course description: This course stresses elementary mathematics and basic quantitative
knowledge at the pre-calculus level. Students understand and work effectively with real
numbers, algebraic expressions, polynomials, equations, and functions. Students learn how
to present a real-life problem in mathematical terms and model social and scientific phenom-
ena. The course gives broad-based mathematical knowledge to build upon in quantitative
reasoning courses as well as applied and specialized courses in Business, Social and Natural
Sciences.
Course objectives: The course is a remedial course intended to fill in gaps in the mathe-
matical education at high school. It is a prerequisite for the courses of Calculus and Linear
Algebra. Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:
• Manipulate algebraic expressions involving algebraic functions.
• Solve equations and inequalities involving rational functions, radicals, absolute value,
exponents and logarithms.
• Understand the basic principles of elementary analytic geometry.
• Graph and analyze polynomial and rational equations and functions.
• Demonstrate knowledge of polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic and trigono-

metric functions, including their definition, domain, graphs, operations and inverses.
• Solve systems of linear and simple nonlinear equations.
• Solve simple equations involving trigonometric expressions.
Textbook: E. Swokowski and J. Cole, Precalculus, 12th edition, Brooks/Cole, 2011

The policy of assignments, class attendance, grading system, and academic honesty is de-
signed to encourage students’ thourough understanding and mastering the skills taught in the
course as these are both valuable general background and indispensable for the understanding
of the subject matter of the mathematical courses that appear further in the curriculum.
In Class
Attendance will be checked regularly. The course requires regular work. Class attendance
is by far the best strategy for guiding the learning effort. Systematic absence from class
meetings may result in suspension from the course.
Restroom breaks Students are supposed to be in the classroom throughout the 80-minute
session. If a student needs to answer an urgent phone call, or has health issues that compel
her/him to leave for restroom breaks, s/he must inform the instructor.
Active participation is encouraged and will be rewarded by up to 5% (= 5 points) to be
added to the total score.
Using electronic communication devices in the classroom will be tolerated only as
long as it is undetectable to the teacher or other students, as they are focusing on the work.
Homework shall be assigned almost every week. A total of 12 homework assignments will
account for 12% of the final grade. Assignments will be distributed on paper and by e-mail.
Assignments will have due dates on them. Late submissions will not be accepted. The
solutions of the problems from homework assignments should include the reasoning and/or
calculation steps made to obtain the answers, to enable checking the student’s understanding.
Please write legibly, and properly name and staple the sheets of paper that you turn in. The
paper copies of the assignments will have sufficient space to fill in the solutions but using
additional sheets would be fine. Students are allowed to discuss homework and work together
on it. However, the objective is to obtain and hand in solutions that you understand well.
Recitation classes are to be provided in addition to the lectures and are meant to enable
closer one-to-one interaction with the teacher and therefore will be held in smaller groups.
Recitation classes will also be used for revising material on the request of students, usually
shortly before assessment exercises. On such occasions students must e-mail the tutors with
their questions and (references to) the problems they want to have explained ahead of the
session. Further details are to be advised.
Assessment Exercises
Most assesment exercises will be carried out electronically, to avoid physical contact through
exam papers, etc. Doing a quiz on the ground will still require you to use a computer. Bring
your own mobile computer. A smartphone can do too, as a backup.
Countinuous assessment: 3 pre-scheduled quizzes and a pop-up quiz will take 20-30 min-
utes each and will account for a total of 24% of the final grade. The duration may vary
slightly depending on the material.
Examinations: A Midterm Exam will account for 24% of the final grade. The final exam
will take place during the exam week in the end of December. It will account for 40% of
the final grade. The threshold for a passing grade is 50% of the total maximal score and
50% of the score at the final exam. That is, both the total score, which includes all quizzes
and exams, and the continuous assessment, and the score earned at the final exam taken
separately need to be least 50% of the maximum.
During assessment exercises only pen, pencil, eraser and the paper given to you can be
used. No notes, books, or calculators may be used during exams and quizzes. One must
work strictly on one’s own and may not communicate with classmates. Among other things,
continuous assessment and examinations are meant to check whether homework was done in a
responsible way, that is, with true understanding of the subject matter. Therefore misconduct
during assessment exercises will be considered cheating with all the ensuing consequences (see
the AUBG documentation for the consequences of cheating).
Hybrid Classes: Attending Online
Attendance This course is divided into lions and eagles teams. You can find out which
team you have been assigned through the Canvas portal. For usual class meetings, the lions
team attends the class on the ground on Tuesdays, and the eagles team attends the class
online. The eagles team attends the class on the ground on Thursdays, and the lions team
attends the class online. Special arrangements are to be made and announced on the go for
class meetings which include a quiz or the midterm exam to enable all students to attend in
person in conformance with social distancing regulations.
Cameras and microphones Online students are supposed to have their cameras turned
on. The camera should be showing the notes you are taking, for the teacher to be able
to see how well you are following. Microphones would better be muted until unless the
student has something to say. Importantly, online active participation will be achieved by
letting everyone see the student’s handwritten calculations and listen to her/his comments.
Showing your face is not essential.
Raising your hand. Online students who want to speak can raise their virtual hand.
Students consent to AUBG recording their image and voice during classes. AUBG
will not use class recordings outside of Canvas or Zoom without the permission of the at-
tendees. Class recordings and other intellectual material posted on Canvas or
Zoom are the instructors property unless indicated otherwise.The Academic In-
tegrity and Appeals Council may suspend or dismiss students who make class recordings or
other intellectual property available outside of Canvas or Zoom.
Final Score Breakdown and Points-Grade Correspondence:
Total Points Grade
Tasks Points 95+ A
90 - 94 A-
Homework assignments 12 85 - 89 B+
Quizzes (Q-1 + Q-2 + Q-3 + pop-up-Q) 24 80 - 84 B
Midterm Exam 24 75 - 79 B-
Final Exam 40 70 - 74 C+
Total up to 100 65 - 69 C
60 - 64 C-
Active Participation (an extra credit) up to 5 55 - 59 D+
50 - 54 D
To acknowledge improvement not fully apace with the continuous assesment timetable, the
following rules will be followed:
(1) If satisfactory, a quiz score will overwrite one unsatisfactory homework assignment
score from the period since the previous quiz, or since the beginning of the course.
(2) If better than the respective quiz score, the Midterm Exam score will overwrite the
score of Quiz 1 or Quiz 2, a catchup of up to 8%.
(3) Similarly, the final exam score will overwrite that from the Midterm Exam or Quiz
3, a catchup of up to 24%.
(4) In all cases the lowest of the scores in consideration will be chosen to be overwritten.
Important dates:
• September 30, Wednesday: Quiz 1, during the recitation class meetings
• October 28, Wednesday: Quiz 2, during the recitation class meeting
• November 5, Thursday: Midterm Exam, during the regular class meeting
• November 25, Wednesday: Quiz 3, during the recitation class meetings
• TBD: Pop-up Quiz, during a recitation class meeting
Tentative Breakdown of Lectures

Week 1 September 8, Tuesday, and September 10, Thursday
Chapter 1. Topics from Algebra, Sections 1, 2: Real Numbers. Exponents and
Radicals.
Week 2 September 15, Tuesday, and September 17, Thursday

Chapter 1. Topics from Algebra, Sections 3, 4: Algebraic Expressions. Equations.
Week 3 September 24, Thursday

Chapter 1. Topics from Algebra, Section 6: Inequalities.
Week 4 September 29, Tuesday, and October 1, Thursday

Chapter 2. Functions and Graphs, Sections 1-3: Rectangular Coordinate Systems.
Graphs of Equations. Lines.
F Quiz 1 on September 30, Wednesday, 20 minutes in the beginning of the recitation class
meeting.
Week 5 October 6, Tuesday, and October 8, Thursday

Chapter 2. Functions and Graphs, Sections 4-7: Definition of Function. Graphs of
Functions. Quadratic Functions. Operations on Functions.

Chapter 3. Polynomial and Rational Functions, Sections 1-2: Polynomial Functions
of Degree ≥ 3. Properties of Division.

Chapter 3. Polynomial and Rational Functions, Section 3: Zeros of Polynomials.

Chapter 3. Polynomial and Rational Functions, Sections 3 and 5: Rational Zeros of
Polynomials. Rational Functions.
F Quiz 2 on October 28, Wednesday, 20 minutes in the beginning of the recitation class
meeting.
Week 9 November 3, Tuesday, and November 5, Thursday

Review of the material covered up to that point.
F Midterm Exam on November 5, Thursday, 80 minutes during the regular class meeting.
Chapter 4. Inverse, Exponential, and Logarithmic Functions, Sections 1-3: Inverse
Functions. Exponential Functions. The Natural Exponential Function.

Chapter 4. Inverse, Exponential, and Logarithmic Functions, Sections 4-6: Log-
arithmic Functions. Properties of Logarithms. Exponential and Logarithmic
Equations.

Chapter 5. The Trigonometric Functions, Sections 2 and 3: Trigonometric Functions
of Angles. Trigonometric Functions of Real Numbers.
F Quiz 3 on November 25, Wednesday, 20 minutes in the beginning of the recitation class
meeting.
Week 13 December 1, Tuesday, and December 3, Thursday
Chapter 8. Systems of Equations and Inequalities, Sections 2 and 3: Systems of
Linear Equations in Two Variables. Systems of Inequalities. Final General Review
in preparation for the Final Exam
Disclaimer: This syllabus is subject to modification. Any changes will be announced in class and
by e-mail.

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Course Syllabus

Meeting place: BAC 204

Instructor: Dimitar Guelev

• Manipulate algebraic expressions involving algebraic functions.

• Understand the basic principles of elementary analytic geometry.

• Graph and analyze polynomial and rational equations and functions.

• Demonstrate knowledge of polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic and trigono-

• Solve systems of linear and simple nonlinear equations.

• Solve simple equations involving trigonometric expressions.

Textbook: E. Swokowski and J. Cole, Precalculus, 12th edition, Brooks/Cole, 2011

• November 5, Thursday: Midterm Exam, during the regular class meeting

• November 25, Wednesday: Quiz 3, during the recitation class meetings

• TBD: Pop-up Quiz, during a recitation class meeting

Tentative Breakdown of Lectures

Week 2 September 15, Tuesday, and September 17, Thursday

Week 3 September 24, Thursday

Week 4 September 29, Tuesday, and October 1, Thursday

Week 5 October 6, Tuesday, and October 8, Thursday

Week 6 October 13, Tuesday, and October 15, Thursday

Week 7 October 20, Tuesday, and October 22, Thursday

Week 8 October 27, Tuesday, and October 29, Thursday

Week 9 November 3, Tuesday, and November 5, Thursday

Week 11 November 17, Tuesday, and November 19, Thursday

Week 12 November 24, Tuesday, and November 26, Thursday

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