Syllabus for Math 204 – Spring Semester 2006
| Instructor: Scott L. Dennison, MA, FSA | Office: 125 Swart |
| E-Mail: dennison<at>uwosh.edu | Phone: (920) 424-7348, or you can leave a message at the Math Office (424-1333). |
| Office Hours: MTWF at 10:20-11:15 am (by appointment) – a sign-up sheet for appointments is posted on my office door. |
Textbook
The 10th edition of Finite Mathematics for Business, Economics, Life Sciences, and Social Sciences, by Barnett, Ziegler, and Byleen. The 9th edition is also useable. We will cover Appendices B-1 and B-2, Chapters 1-4, Sections 5-1 and 5-2 of Chapter 5, and Chapters 6-8. We will also study supplemental Sections X-1 and X-2 that cover financial math topics.
Calculator
The TI-83, TI-83 Plus, or TI-84 Plus. In this class, considerable emphasis is put on learning to do sophisticated operations with this calculator. Students are advised to obtain an 83-Plus rather than trying to get through this course with a TI-86 or some other model. User’s manuals for Texas Instruments calculators can be downloaded from http://www.ti.com/.
The Basis for Your Grade
Homework counts as 10% of your grade. Each of 3 take-home quizzes is given in preparation for an exam, and is 5% of your grade. 3 exams are each 15% of your grade, and are based on homework and quiz exercises. If your exam score is higher than your score on that exam’s quiz, then the higher exam score replaces the quiz score. A final exam counts as 30% of your grade, divided as 12% for a take-home portion of the final and 18% for the part given in class. Grades of “CD” are given for homework, quizzes and exams, but not as a final course grade. This grading scale is used:
A = 90% or higher
AB = 85% to 89.9%
B = 80% to 84.9%
BC =75% to 79.9%
C =70% to 74.9% Method of use: Exact percentage scores
CD =65% to 69.9% will be rounded to the nearest 0.1%,
D =60% to 64.9% then this grading scale will be applied.
F =Below 60%
If the letter grade based on 2.5% less than the score on the in-class portion (not the take-home portion) of the final exam is higher than the course grade would otherwise be, then this higher grade will be given as the course grade. For example, a student with an overall course average of 63% (D), but scoring 77.5% on the in-class final, would get a BC for the course.
Homework
A list of homework exercises will be made available. Some exercises are recommended for you to practice on. Answers or else complete solutions are available for these. Other exercises are assigned as homework. You will grade some of those yourself in class. By grading some of your own homework, you will learn from any mistakes you made in doing it. About 25% of each exam’s questions will be based on homework exercises that have been graded. Doing enough practice exercises is the only way to really understand mathematics, and it is also the key to getting a good grade.
Class Schedule
The class schedule is provided to tell you which sections will be covered each day*, when assignments are due, exams given, etc. This schedule may be modified if necessary. I will let you know if the class schedule is ever changed.
- Math 204 has a fast pace. It will help you keep up if you read each section the day before it is covered in class.
Getting Help
Get help whenever you need it, and without delay. The Math Tutor Lab (in 113 Swart) provides free tutoring. Two of the tutors specialize in helping Math 204 and 206 students, so check out their schedules and try to go to them for help.
Math Proficiency
Half or more of the students taking Math 204 at the Oshkosh campus are very poorly prepared for it. Reportedly, ours is the only UW campus whose Business Department does not require College Algebra (Math 104) as the prerequisite for Math 204. Our prerequisite is only Intermediate Algebra (Math 103), which is not enough to prepare most students to pass Math 204 without extreme difficulty. And that’s not the worst of it. If these struggling students do somehow manage to get a “C” in Math 204, they usually go on to find themselves just as unprepared for Math 206 (business calculus) as they were for Math 204. However, students who have had college algebra, pre-calculus, or even calculus usually do well. If this course seems too hard for you, please consider dropping it and taking Math 104 first before Math 204. By doing this, many students have been able to earn an “A” or a “B” in this course, rather than the “D” or an “F” they would have received.
Objectives
This course develops problem solving ability and presents math useful in business, accounting, economics, and social sciences. Math 204 covers a great many topics in a very short time, so I have included in its curriculum only subjects that I believe are truly useful in these fields. This class also gives you a “golden opportunity” to learn to use the TI 83-Plus or 84-Plus graphing calculator. You will find that proficiency with a calculator is extremely helpful in other courses.