Instructor: S. D. Comer
Office Hours: 10:00-11:00 MWF, MW 1:30-2:30, or, by appointment (TR after 1:30 PM)
Office Location: TH 327
Phone: 953-5037 (O) Email: steve.comer@citadel.eduCourse Policies: Text, Grading, Homework/Quizzes, Lab Assignments, Hourly Exams, and Final Exam.
It is your responsibility to bring a calculator to each class.
Cell phones must be kept in book bags and left in 'vibrate' during class. It is not permissible to send or receive text messages, send or read email, nor access the web during class except when required as part of an assignment. Violation of this policy will result in a white slip for 'Insubordination'.Assignments: Daily class Schedule and homework assigments, Excel Lab assigments and practice quizzes.
Course Goals: This course will introduce you to a variety of basic mathematical techniques and problem solving skills that are essential for understanding the quantitive aspects of the technological age in which we live. Part of this course involves setting up and solving different types of mathematical models using the Excel spreadsheet. Modelling with Excel is an essential part of the course since in it you demonstrate what you can do. The course involves a mixture of classroom and computer lab activities. Other important skills you will demonstrate include Professionalism/Work Ethics, Oral and Written Communication skills, and Critical Thinking/Problem Solving skills.
Learning mathematics requires work by YOU. Think of mathematics as a "participation sport"; you are the player and I am the coach. Tips for succeeding (as with any sport): Practice every day, Come to class prepared, and Seek help when confused.
Textbook: Waner and Constenoble, Finite Mathematics, 4th Edition, Brooks/Cole, 2007.
Finite Math Video podcast discussing concepts and demonstrating calculations with the TI-83 and Excel
Collection of YouTube videos explaining topics in finance and probabilityGrading: The final course grade normally will be determined by using approximately the following weights for different aspects of student performance.
Exams.......................... 42.0% Computer Lab Assignments .......14.0% Quizzes ........................14.0% Final Examination.............. 30.0%A student who cheats will receive an F in the course. Students who miss 20% of the classes (for any reason) may receive an F in the course. The moral is: do your own work and come to class prepared.Quizzes: There will be a ten minute quiz during the last non-lab class each week, usually Wednesday. Some weeks will have additional quizzes. There are no makeup quizzes. Students who are absent on a Quiz day for a legit reason may turn in the homework due that day in lieu of the quiz. However, homework may substitute for a quiz at most 3 times. Depending on the number of quizzes a few quiz scores may be dropped. For the term the total Quiz grade will count the same as a test score - 14% of the course grade. An old collection of Sample Questions is available.
Computer Lab Assignments: The labs are to enhance your understanding of the mathematical concepts presented in the classroom. They also help you to develop the facility to use technology to analyze common mathematical problems. The plan is for 10 spreadsheet projects. (Normally the best 8 labs will be used to compile the lab grade.) The totality of these projects will count 14% of the course grade. Some labs can be completed during class, but most require some work outside of class.
Lab reports should be submitted at the beginning of the class at which they are due. (See schedule.) This is to allow you to spend the lab period working on the current lab. Labs submitted more than one(1) week after the due date may receive at most 50% credit. Labs more than (2) weeks late will receive zero (0) credit.
You may discuss assignments with classmates only during class. Outside class you are not to receive assistance, but to complete the labs yourself. Each person is responsible for preparing, printing, and submitting his or her own lab report. In other words, each person must push the keys to produce his/her own report! You must WRITE YOUR OWN discussions and interpretations. Reports will be judged on organization, readability, and correctness. Copying or superficially altering the file of another student is not acceptable. On the cover sheet of each lab report write the following sentence and sign your name:
This report represents my own work in accordance with the Honor Code.
Labs may be submitted electronically by emailing them to me. If you do this, each lab must be in a single file where the file name contains your name and the lab number. If the lab is submitted electronically, you will only receive back a copy of the cover sheet with the grade, not a detailed list of errors. ALL assignments should be kept on a disk, either as separate worksheets or as a single worksheet notebook with each lab problem on a separate page. Sometimes I collect disks at mid-term or at the end of the semester. You can lose credit for assignments not found on your disk.Exams: There will be three 1-hour examinations. They are scheduled for September 21, October 19 (just before the last day to Withdraw), and November 20 (the last day before Thanksgiving Break - don't make plans to leave early). Note: No make-up exams will be given. Here is a list of practice problems for each exam.