MAT 201 College Algebra

Lial, Margaret L., Hornsby, Schneider, David I. College Algebra, 12th ed., Pearson, 2017).
ISBN-10: 0-13-430701-1 ISBN-13: 978-0-13-430701-5

Students can obtain this text book from the following source:
http://www.mypearsonstore.com/bookstore/college-algebra-plus-mymathlab-with-pearson-etext-access-9780134307015?xid=PSED

All reading and (optional) homework assignments referenced in this syllabus refer to this text

1)In addition, it is recommended that students have access to MyMathLab®, by Pearson. This can be accessed here:
http://www.mypearsonstore.com/bookstore/mymathlab-with-pearson-etext-instant-access-for-college-0134282884

2)The following study guide will be made available upon enrollment:
Lial, Margaret L., Hornsby, Schneider , David I.. PowerPoint Presentation for College Algebra, 12th ed., Pearson, 2017).

Lesson Overview

Lesson 1: Review of Basic Concepts
Read Chapter R: R-1 to R4
Homework: Do selected exercises on these pages as needed

In this lesson, the students review basic concepts that pertain to set theory such as set, elements (members), infinite set, finite set, Venn diagram, and disjoint sets. The students practice doing basic operations on sets. The students study real numbers and their properties and review the order of operations and exponents. The students study the number line in terms of coordinates and algebraic expressions. The students study the concept of absolute value. The students review polynomial theory in terms of recognizing coefficients and variables and using the FOIL method to find factors. The students practice factoring out the greatest common factor through the grouping and substitution methods.

Lesson 2 – Review of Basic Concepts, Continued
Read Chapter R: R-5 to R7
Homework: Do selected exercises on these pages as needed

In this lesson, the students study rational expressions and complex fractions. The students look at rational exponents and negative exponents with respect to the quotient rule and practice problems using complex fractions. The students examine the concept of radical expressions and learn radical notation. The students learn how to simplify radicals and do simple operations with radicals. The students learn how to rationalize denominators.

Lesson 3 – Equations and Inequalities
Read Chapter 1: 1-1 to 1-4
Homework: Do selected exercises on these pages as needed

In this lesson, the students are introduced to linear equations. The students study identities, conditional equations, and contradictions. The students learn how to solve literal equations for specific variables. The students study applications and modeling with linear equations. The students practice solving applied problems and geometry problems. The students deal with motion problems and mixture problems. The students study modeling with linear equations. The students look at complex numbers. The students learn basic concepts of complex numbers and practice operations on complex numbers. The students learn to work with quadratic equations. The students look at the zero-factor property and the square root property. The students learn to use completing the square and the quadratic formula. The students learn to solve for a specified variable and to find the discriminate.

Lesson 4: Equations and Inequalities, continued
Read Chapter 1: 1-5 to 1-8
Homework: Do selected exercises on these pages as needed

In this lesson, the students look at coordinates and graphs with respect to ordered pares. The students learn to use the distance formula and the midpoint formula. The students learn to work with equations in two variables. The students learn to solve for the general form of circles in terms of the center-radius form. The students define functions in terms of domain and range and learn to use function notation. The students learn to work with increasing, decreasing, and constant functions. The students look at the basic concepts of linear functions and learn to use the standard form. The students learn to solve for the average rate of change and how to find the slope. The students study different types of linear models.

Lesson 5: Graphs and Functions
Read Chapter 2: 2-1 to 2-4
Homework: Do selected exercises on these pages as needed

In this lesson, the students study applications and modeling with quadratic equations. The students look at selected geometry problems and learn to use the Pythagorean Theorem. The students learn to solve for the height of a projected object and learn to model using quadratic equations. The students learn how to solve work rate problems and how to solve equations with radicals and rational exponents. The students look at inequalities and learn to work with three part inequalities and quadratic inequalities. The students study absolute value equations and inequalities and look at absolute value models for distance and tolerance.

Lesson 6: Graphs and Functions, continued
Read Chapter 2: 2-5 to 2-8
Homework: Do selected exercises on these pages as needed

In this lesson, the students look at equations of lines and linear models. The students learn how to use the point-slope form and the sloe-intercept form. The students study modeling data and how to find a graphical solution for al linear equation of one variable. The students learn to graph basic functions and work with square root and cube root functions. The students learn about absolute value functions and piecewise defined functions. The students learn graphing techniques and study reflection and symmetry. the students look at even and odd functions and translations. The students learn to do arithmetic operations on functions and use the difference quotient. The students study the composition of functions and domain.

Lesson 7: Polynomial and Rational Functions
Read Chapter 3: 3-1 to 3-4
Homework: Do selected exercises on these pages as needed

In this lesson, the students work with polynomial functions and quadratic functions. The students practice completing the square and learn to use the vertex formula. The students learn to do synthetic division and study the remainder theorem. The students learn to find the potential zeros of polynomial functions. The students learn the factor theorem, the rational zeros theorem, and the conjugate zeros theorem. The students study the multiplicity of a zero and look at Descartes’ rule of signs.

Lesson 8: Polynomial and Rational Functions Continued
Read Chapter 3: 3-4 to 3-8
Homework: Do selected exercises on these pages as needed

In this lesson, the students look at the graphs of general polynomial functions. The students use zeros to find turning points and end behavior and study the intermediate value and boundedness theorems. The students learn to approximate real zeros and work with polynomial models. The students look at the reciprocal function and asymptotes in terms of rational models. The students learn about different types of variation including direct variation, inverse variation, and combined and joint variation.

Lesson 9: Inverse, Exponential Functions
Read Chapter 4: 4-1 to 4-2
Homework: Do selected exercises on these pages as needed

In this lesson, the students study inverse function and equations of inverses. The students look at different applications of inverse functions. The students learn about exponential functions and their properties. The students study compound interest as well as look at different exponential models.

Lesson 10: Logarithmic Functions
Read Chapter 4: 4-3 to 4-6
Homework: Do selected exercises on these pages as needed

In this lesson, the students learn about logarithmic equations and functions and look a applications and models with common logarithms. The students study natural logarithms and their applications as well as looking at logarithms with other bases. The students look at growth and decay functions and their applications.

Lesson 11: Basics of Probability
Read Chapter 7-7
Homework: Do selected exercises on these pages as needed

In this lesson, the students learn the basics concepts of probability. The students look at complements and Venn diagrams. The students study the concept of odds and look at compound events. The students learn how to solve problems in binomial probability.

The student’s final grade will be based on a final examination. Examination questions will cover all topics covered in the readings. Students will have two hours to complete the final examination.  Students will be assigned a number grade from 0-100. A letter grade will also be issued in accordance with the following scale:

90-100 – A
80-89 – B
70-79 – C
0-69 – non passing