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Study Skills: How to Approach Homework, Time Management, Minimizing Drama, Step-By-Step Answers, Note Taking, Before a Test, After a Test, Calculator Use

Arithmetic: Understanding Division, Factors, Divisibility Rules, Rounding and Estimating

Fractions: Desired Denominators, Fraction Addition and Subtraction, Fraction Multiplication and Division, Changing Fractions to Decimals, Subtracting Mixed Numbers, Changing Decimals to Fractions

Problem Solving: The Perils of PEMDAS, Terms, Solving Equations, The Six Step Method

Ratio, Rate, and Proportion: Lecture 4 Slides ( PDF, PowerPoint, OpenOffice) and Lecture 5 Slides ( PDF, PowerPoint, OpenOffice)

Percent and Percent Sentences: Lecture 6 Slides ( PDF, PowerPoint, OpenOffice), and Lecture 7 Slides ( PDF, PowerPoint, OpenOffice) which is also Problem Solving with Percents

Measurement: Measurement Units, One Step Conversions, Unit Analysis, Conversion Rates, Temperature Conversions (and class notes)

Welcome to Math 20!

Math 20 is for students who wish to learn about ratios, proportions, percents, measurement unit conversions, and geometry. These topics are from chapters 5, 6, 8, and 9 in our textbook.

The textbook is Basic Mathematics, 11th Edition, by Marvin L. Bittinger. The bookstore also sells an inexpensive student's solutions manual with step-by-step solutions to all odd problems. There is also an optional book: Math! A Four Letter Word, by Sembera and Hovis.

The textbook includes an "access code" to participate in MyMathLab, which many Math 20 students find extremely helpful.

Our class CRN is 40022. Please also register for MRC use (CRN 44411 in Spring 2012) if you plan to use the Math Resource Center at all, for tutoring or its quiet study room. This CRN costs nothing and has no credits. It is used by the college to get appropriate state funding for the MRC staff.

A syllabus bookmark with the really important stuff will be provided the first day of class. So will a copy of the homework list. During the first two weeks of the term, please take the Syllabus Quiz and turn in your reply by e-mail.

Practice tests will be provided in class for students who request paper copies. The files are here: Practice Skill Review Quiz, Practice Midterm 1, Practice Midterm 2, and Practice Final.

The May 3rd Review Day notes are also available as a PDF file.

For Spring 2012, here is a direct link to our Moodle group activities (which become optional review work).

Learning this math is like a chair that stands on four legs: turning lectures into helpful lecture notes, carefully doing both "prompt" and "enough" homework problems, developing good test-taking techniques, and preparing your own step-by-step practice problems and answers. Neglecting any of these four is dangerous! Please do not demonstrate such recklessness. Successful students make time for all four.

Calendar

Note About Calculator Use

For most students, using a calculator too much hinders developing a conceptual understanding of Math 20 topics. The concepts of ratio, proportion, percent, and unit conversion are so closely linked to foundational concepts about fractions and decimals that treating the numbers that appear in problems as values instead of as structures is detrimental.

This is especially true early in the term, to help firm up any weaknesses in how students understand fractions and decimals. Therefore calculators are prohibited until after the Skill Review Quiz, and should be used as little as possible afterward.

However, calculators are not evil and the inclusion of "messy" problems that expect calculator use is quite appropriate to a math class preparing students for real life. Learning to use a calculator effectively is part of the Math 20 curriculum. Remember, however, to not let the calculator tempt you to approach a new math topic as a collection of procedures rather than a unified concept dealing with structure and meaning.

A calculator is required for Math 20. It should be a "scientific" calculator that can do order of operations and has a fraction key and pi key. The official class guidelines recommend a Sharp D.A.L. 500 calculator, especially this model. Amazon also sells a TI and a Casio that are inexpensive with good reviews.

Enjoy using learning how to use your calculator when it is the right tool for the job, while at the same time please realize that learning how to not use the calculator unless necessary will be equally important.

The textbook, unfortunately, does not begin its presentation of each topic with enough homework problems involving simple numbers whose arithmetic works out nicely. It forces students to jump too quickly into problems for which using a calculator is a very reasonable decision.

Grading

During the term you will be able to earn 100 points.

Grading will be no stricter than 100%—97% = A+, 96%—93% = A, 92%—90% = A-, 89%—87% = B+, 86%—83% = B, 82%—80% = B-, 79%—77% = C+, 76%—73% = C, 72%—70% = C-, 69%—60% = D, below 60% = F.

During the first two weeks of the term take the Syllabus Quiz (2 points).

On Tuesday of the third week is our Skill Review Quiz. That day you will turn in step-by-step answers to the practice version of the quiz (3 points). The quiz itself is important but not huge (5 points). Once it is graded you should turn in step-by-step corrections for every problem you missed (2 points).

During the sixth week we will have Midterm 1. That day you will turn in step-by-step answers to the practice version of the midterm (3 points). The test itself is significant (15 points). Once it is graded you should turn in step-by-step corrections for every problem you missed (2 points).

On Tuesday of the seventh week Homework Set 1 is due. Your homework list marks "focus problems" with brackets. Turn these in with step-by-step work (2 points). Also turn in one sample page of neat notes from the first half of the term (2 points).

§5.1 #16, 25, 30   •   §5.2 #9, 32   •   §5.3 #5, 47, 66   •   §5.4 #2, 23

§6.1 #29, 35, 37   •   §6.2 #11, 15, 27, 41, 47, 49   •   §6.3 #2, 15, 27   •   §6.4 #2, 6, 21, 29   •   §6.5 #6, 12, 26, 28   •   §6.6 #9, 23, 41   •   §6.7 #5

During the ninth week we will have Midterm 2, which is almost a dress rehearsal for the final exam. That day you will turn in step-by-step answers to the practice version of the midterm (3 points). The test itself is significant (15 points). Once it is graded you should turn in step-by-step corrections for every problem you missed (2 points).

On Tuesday of the tenth week Homework Set 2 is due. Your homework list marks "focus problems" with brackets. Turn these in with step-by-step work (2 points), except for those of §9.3 for which you will not yet have had the lecture. Also turn in one sample page of neat notes from the first half of the term (2 points).

§8.1 #19, 26   •   §8.2 #47   •   §8.3 #25   •   §8.4 #1, 27   •   §8.5 #3   •   §6.6 #27, 47

§9.1 #15   •   §9.2 #29, 30, 33, 37, 45   •   §9.3 #10, 16, 17, 21, 27

On Thursday of the tenth week Moodle Homework is due (4 points).

During the evelventh week we will have our Final Exam. That day you will turn in step-by-step answers to the practice version of the final (3 points). The test itself is your most important assessment (33 points).

The Skill Review Quiz is graded. You can see the histogram and grades.

The first Midterm is graded. You can see the histogram and grades.