Mathematics 100-
Topics in Mathematics Spring 2006
Professor S. Feldberg
Office: D3091 Phone: 572-7244 Email: feldbes@ncc.edu
Web page: http://www.matcmp.sunynassau.edu/~feldbes
Office Hours: Mondays
My office hours are times
that I am available in my office for students to drop-in or call my office
number. These hours are open to everyone, with no appointment needed. If you
are unable to make it at these times and need to speak to me, we can try to
schedule an appointment that is convenient for both of us.
Prerequisite: Satisfactory completion of
MAT 002 or by college placement test.
Description: We will cover a wide
variety of mathematical topics in this course, including graph theory,
financial mathematics, geometry, fairness and apportionment.
Textbook: Mathematics and the
Currents of Change, by Meyer and Meyer.
Course grading/ policy: There will be three full
75-minute period exams during the course of the semester, a cumulative final,
and numerous quizzes. The exams will be announced at least one week in advance,
but quizzes will not always be announced in advance. The quiz average will be
counted as an exam grade, but your two lowest quiz grades will be dropped. No
exam grades are “dropped,” “curved,” or “made-up” due to poor performance.
Final course grades will be determined by taking the average of the 5 exam
grades.
Approximate test dates: February 15, March 22, April 26, May 17
Quizzes will be based on recent
homework assignments, and students will receive a grade of “0” for any quizzes
missed (no exceptions!). Therefore, quiz grades will be directly affected by
homework and attendance.
Homework is essential to learning
mathematics. You should plan on spending
at least the same number of hours as
you spend in class working on the material outside of class, working out
homework problems, reviewing your notes, and reading relevant sections of the
textbook. Homework should be kept organized by date textbook pages numbers
written on it and all work shown. You should check your homework answers in the
back of the book before coming to class, so that you can ask questions if you
have any trouble. If you can do the homework and your answers check out with
the answers in the back of the book, then you should do well on the tests.
Please
be considerate of your classmates, and refrain from activities that are
distracting or disruptive. Cell phones, pagers, and other noisy electronic
devices should be turned off during class, or you will be asked to leave the
class. Cell phones must not be visible at any time during a quiz or test for
any reason.
Extra Credit (for failing
test grades only!): All test grades are counted in your class average. I will only consider giving extra credit if
the following are BOTH true: 1) You show that you have completed all of the
homework AND 2) You receive a failing test grade (below 60) on one of the first
three tests. You must submit the homework with test corrections within a week
of getting back the test. Students
receiving grades below 60 on any test should realize that they are in danger of
failing the course, and should take action accordingly.
Absence/ Lateness: Students with more than
five absences/ latenesses may be automatically
withdrawn from the course. You should try to attend every single class, on
time. In the event that you absolutely have to be absent, you are responsible
for getting the notes and assignments from another student and making up missed
work. If you know of an absence in
advance, you need to speak to me in advance so that we can arrange for you to
stay current with the work. If you are
ill and miss one or more classes, you need to contact me and make up the
missing work. You can also find all the assignments for the semester on my web
page. Missed tests must be made up within a week of the test, or a failing
grade will be given for the test. It is your responsibility to contact me in
person, by phone, or by email by the time
the test is given to schedule a makeup test.
Resources: You are encouraged to
obtain phone numbers of at least two of your classmates so that you can get
homework assignments and notes in the event that you must miss a class. Be sure
to read the related material in the text, as it will supplement what is covered
in class. I encourage you to work with classmates on the assignments. In
addition, you can call or email me, visit my office hours, or speak to me
before or after class. Additional resources, solutions manuals and free
tutoring also are available in the
Calculator: You will need a scientific
or graphing calculator for this course. You must bring your own calculator if
you wish to use one on quizzes and tests! You may not use a cell phone as a
calculator.
Problems: I would be happy to help
you if you are having problems related to the course. If you are having any
trouble, you should speak to me as soon as possible. Do not wait until the end
of the semester if you think you might be failing this class! By then, it will
be too late.
Withdrawal: Any student who wishes to
withdraw from this course for any reason should do so officially by filing the
appropriate paper work before the last week of the semester. In addition,
students who miss class or are late more than five times may be withdrawn
automatically from the course.
If you have a
physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that may impact your
ability to carry out assigned coursework, I would urge that you contact the
staff in The Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD )in Building
"U"(behind the old College Union), 572-7241, TTY 572-7617. CSD will
review your concerns and determine with you what accommodations are necessary
and appropriate. All information and documentation are confidential.
MAT 100 Grades Professor
Feldberg Spring 2006
In order to pass this course you
will need to fulfill ALL of the following requirements:
Each exam: 20% of the final grade
Quizzes/ Homework/ Classwork: 20% of the final grade
In General:
Students
who pass: Students
who fail:
Do all of these things: Do at least one of these things:
Attend class all the time, on time Miss class, or are chronically late
Do all the homework Don’t complete homework or other assignments
Make sure they know how to do all of the work Don’t come for help when they need it
Make up missed work Don’t bother to catch up when they fall
behind
Get as much help
as they need Figure
they'll "catch up"
Which category do you want to be
in?????
It makes little difference whether
you think you are “good at mathematics” or “terrible in mathematics.”
Mathematics often takes a lot of hard work to understand, and sometimes you
might need one-on-one help to master the material.
In order to succeed, you will need
to set aside time in your schedule for class, homework, and as much help/
tutoring as you need. Free help is available if you have trouble or just feel
scared about math. You can ask questions in class, see your instructor during
office hours, or get free help in the