Math 1090-3 Syllabus Fall 2000
Instructor: Brad Peercy

Class: 9:40-10:30a.m. MWF, BU C 105
Office: INSCC, Room 318
Email: bpeercy@math.utah.edu
Phone: 585-1635 (office)
Office hours: Tues. and Thurs. at 9:00am and Wed. at 2:00pm, and by appointment
Web page: http://www.math.utah.edu/~bpeercy/
Text: Mathematical Applications for the Management, Life, and Social Sciences Harshbarger and Reynolds. Houghton Mifflin Co., 6th edition, 2000

Course Description
Math 1090 is an algebra course which focuses on business and social science applications. Topics will include linear equations and systems, minima and maxima of quadratic functions, matrices, linear inequalities and linear programming, exponential and logarithmic functions, and financial mathematics. Math 1090 is a fundamental building block to Math 1100 (Business Calculus).

Prerequisite
Math 1010 is required for this course. A brief review contained in Chapter 0 of the text will be given. Students struggling with this preliminary material should see me immediately. Calculators which can do exponents and logarithms are required. Graphing calculators may be helpful but are not required. Restrictions may be placed on calculator use in testing situations.

Course Work and Grading
The course will be based on the first 6 chapters of the text as well as the 0 chapter for review. The grading of the course will be based on chapter exams and a final exam. Homework will be given for each section which will not be graded but is essential for understanding.

Chapter Exams (7) 70%
Final Exam 30%

Homework
Homework will be given for every section presented in class. Homework will be discussed in part during class if there are questions. You are encouraged to write up any homework problems that you are having trouble with or would like checked for me to correct.

Chapter Exams
Chapter exams will be given following each chapter. There will be 7 exams worth 70% of your final grade. One exam will be allowed to be dropped. Another will allowed to be replaced by a project (see below). Since a chapter exam may be dropped and another may be replaced, there will be no make up exams given.

Projects
You will be allowed to do a project based on ones from the end of each chapter either individually or in pairs to replace a chapter exam score. I do not view the current form of the projects at the end of the chapters to be equivalent to chapter exams. So, if you are planning to do a project after a certain chapter please see me so that I may give you the full assignment along with the date which the project should be due. The projects will require outside research as well as a well thought out written presentation. It will be graded on mechanics, mathematics and analysis, clarity and presentation, and creativity and originality.

Final Exam
The final exam will be comprehensive, departmental, and worth 30% of your final grade. It will be held THURSDAY, DEC. 14 4:00-6:00p.m. Since it is departmental, no make-ups will be allowed.

Helpful Hints
Please come to my office hours for any additional help you might need. If the scheduled hours do not work with your schedule, make an appointment with me for another time.

You should plan on spending 2-3 hours working on this course outside of class for every hour of lecture. One thing you can do to help yourself in this course is to find at least one other person in the class with whom you can study. This not only helps you study better, but, in the event you miss a lecture, you can get the notes and assignments.

Read the text book. It is very readable and user friendly.

Do the homework before it is discussed in class and while the material is still fresh in your mind.

Free Tutoring
Free tutoring is available in MINES, room 210; Mon - Thu. 8am-8pm and Fri. 8am - 2pm. Closed Sat., Sun., and University Holidays. Starts Aug.30.

University Policies/Dates
Last day to drop classes w/ no tuition penalties Friday, Sep. 1
Last day to withdraw Friday, Oct. 20

For further information, including how to appeal withdrawal deadlines, refer to the complete withdrawal policy printed in the class schedule.

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that reasonable accommodations be provided for students with physical, cognitive, systemic, learning, or psychiatric disabilities. Please contact me at the beginning of the semester to discuss any such accommodations for this course.