MAT 120, Precalculus Mathematics
Fall Semester, 2003
Syllabus

Credits: 3

Lecture: in SE 317

• Monday & Wednesday, 12:20 - 1:15
• Tuesday & Thursday, 11:00 - 12:20

Instructor: Brett van de Sande

• look in rooms SE 227 or SE 343D.
• office hours:  1:20-2:20 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday in SE 343D or by appointment.
• E-mail: bvds@pitt.edu
• World Wide Web home page http://www.geneva.edu/~bvds.

Text: College Algebra and Trigonometry or Precalculus, 3rd Edition, by Mark Dugopolski.

Grading:

This course is a fast-paced tour of many topics in Algebra and Trigonometry. It is very important that students do not fall behind. If you find yourself falling behind, ask the instructor for extra help.

Here are some general rules for your homework:

• Write your name, the assigment, and the date on the first page.
• Pages should be bound together with a staple or clip.
• Except for longer word problems, you must copy down the original problem in your homework.
• Solutions should include intermediate steps. If you just write down the answer, even if it is correct, you will not get full credit.
• Homeworks must be handed in on time. Late homeworks, at the discretion of the instructor, might be marked for correctness but will not count towards your homework grade.
• It is the responsibility of the student to learn how to solve any problems that were missed, either by asking other students or by asking the instructor.

I encourage students to work together on the homework problems. It is often helpful to discuss with others how a problem should be solved. However, when you write down the solution to be handed in, it should be in your own words. Don't hand in something that you have copied or that you do not understand. If you find yourself in a situation that is questionable, write down what you did on your homework. For example:

"I got lots of help from John Smith doing problem 3; although I didn't copy, I still don't understand the solution."

"My dorm burned to the ground yesterday and I lost everything. I then copied Joe Smoke Alarm's homework verbatim; I have no idea what the questions were, let alone the answers."