MA
162 Applied Finite Mathematics - Course Syllabus for Fall 2010
Textbook:
S.T. Tan, Applied
Finite Mathematics,
Seventh Edition Custom Edition: ISBN 0-495-02556-9
Course Goals: This
course will cover five topics that
have very wide applicability:
linear equations and
models, linear optimization, basic theory of interest, counting
principles, and
probability. Your goal for the course should be to learn each of
these
topics well enough so that you can confidently apply them to solve
problems
that are similar, but not identical to the ones we cover in
class. You
will be expected to learn the material well enough so that you are able
to
apply the methods in a setting that we have not covered in class.
Mathematics
must be learned by
yourself!
To
understand
what we mean by this, consider the impossibility of learning to play
tennis by
listening to someone describe how to play tennis. You will not learn
the
material in this course by just listening to the lectures, and thinking
to
yourself - "Yes, I understand that". You must work the problems and
make mistakes before you will begin to learn. Your instructor is
only a
motivator assistant to help you learn as much of the material as you
can.
Outline
of Content: The
basic
content to be covered is outlined below. A detailed outline with dates
and text
sections can be found in the course
web page http://www.msc.uky.edu/sohum/ma162
| Linear
Equation and Models, Chapters 1 and 2 |
Linear
Optimization and Applications, Chapters 3 and 4 |
| Mathematics
of
Finance, Chapter 5 |
Basic
Counting
Principles, Chapter 6 |
| Probability,
Chapter
7 |
Supplementary
Notes
at the end of the book when needed.
|
Prerequisites: You
should have a strong understanding of college
algebra. You may get a review as well as some new hints on topics from
college
algebra, but you have the primary responsibility to recall and use the
material. You are also responsible to learn to use your own calculator
and to
interact with the online homework system (WHS).
Homework
(WHS):
You
should enroll in our web based homework
system and systematically work out and submit the problems on line. It
is
recommended that you print and work out the answers by hand and then
submit.
You can have multiple attempts to solve the problems and are expected
to finish
your work before the deadline.
WHS Excuse policy: Be
aware that the
homework is due as soon as the
material is covered
in class and if you choose to wait till the last days before the
deadline, you are risking the loss of credit if some unforeseen
circumstances
come up. The deadline for a homework cannot be extended for
personal
reasons. Even valid personal excuses like sickness or travel on
official duty
are not sufficient unless they cover the whole period
from the
date when the material is discussed in class until the deadline. All
requests
for excuses must be submitted to the TA as well as the instructor as
soon as
possible.
The homework grade for the whole course will be calculated based on the
percentage of problems successfully completed before the due date.
Total
homework grade will contribute 50
points
towards your final course grade.
Attendance/Quizzes
(class): Attendance
in class will contribute a
total of 30 points towards
your final course
grade.
The attendance may be in the form of a simple class roll or may be
combined
with a brief quiz. The details will be announced by your
instructor. The
attendance grade will be calculated from the record with allowance for
a small
number of absences. Any valid excuse to miss a class must be
communicated to
your TA as well as the instructor in a timely fashion with sufficient
proof.
Recitation: Your
recitation
instructor (TA) will assign 50
points
towards your final course grade based on recitation attendance and
participation. The grading policy will be announced by the recitation
instructor (TA) or the course instructor in case of the evening
classes.
Exams: There
will be three one
hour exams (100 points each)
and one final (100 points).
The timings for these exams are
already fixed and you should make
sure that
you don't have any conflicts with them. In case you have a valid
excuse, you
must fill out the posted request
form on WHS before the deadline to make alternate arrangements
for
a
makeup. For emergency excuses, the standard university policy will be
enforced.
Please note that all exams are uniformly administered and graded.
Exam schedule and Homework and class timetable is available on the
course
web page.
Grading: The
grading scale is based
on the percentages calculated
from a total
of 530 possible points.
A 90-100
B 80-89
C 70-79
D 60-69
E below
60.
You
should be
able to estimate your
current letter grade at any point during the
course of
the semester by using your current grades and the above scale.
Tutoring: Tutoring
help is available in the Mathskeller (Basement
of Classroom Building - corner closest to Euclid and Rose). Check
the web
site http://www.mathskeller.com
as
well as the Study.
General Information.
The
students are expected to have the rights and responsibility as implied
by University regulations. Given below are only some of the details.
Course Policy on Academic
Accommodations due to
disability: If you have
a documented disability that requires
academic accommodations, please see me as soon as possible during
scheduled
office hours. In order to receive
accommodations in this course, you must provide me with a Letter of
Accommodation from the Disability Resource Center (Room 2, Alumni Gym,
257-2754, email address jkarnes@eamil.uky.edu)
for coordination of campus disability services available to students
with
disabilities.
Course Policy on Academic integrity Students may work together on homework, but
should not submit solutions to WHS until they understand how to obtain
the answer. All other course work on quizzes and exams must be the
student's own work. Cheating may lead to those penalties outlined in the
University Senate Rules (6.3.1 & 6.3.2) at the following website:http://www.uky.edu/USC/New/rules_regulations/index.htm. The Ombud site also has information on
plagiarism found at http://www.uky.edu/Ombud.)