Math 111 - Math and Society

Instructor: Brian Lins
Class Times & Location: MWF 11:30-12:20 Bagby 106
Office Hours: See my weekly schedule, and also by appointment.
Text: Excursions in Modern Mathematics with Mini-Excursions, 7th Edition, by Peter Tannenbaum.

Announcements

Tentative Schedule

The schedule below is tentative, and may be subject to change. Changes will be announced in class, and you are responsible for knowing about any changes even if you miss the class when they are announced.
Tentative Schedule
Weekly schedule & homework

Course Description

Math 111 will cover chapters 1-4, 9, and 15-16 of the textbook, as well as additional material chosen from areas such as number theory and game theory.

Attendance Policy

Attendance in this class is required. Repeated absences may result in a forced withdrawal from the course. You are responsible for any material you miss due to absence. Please let me know ahead of time if you know that you will not be able to attend class.

Course Materials

There are no required materials for the course, although a basic calculator capable of computing square roots is recommended for in class work and examinations. Computers and calculators with typewriter keyboards or built-in computer algebra systems, such as the TI-89 and TI-92, will not be permitted on exams.

Grading Policy

The term grade will be based on the results of the examinations, the scores on homework quizzes, and in-class participation.
  Class Participation     10%  
  Homework Quizzes     20%  
  Midterm 1     20%  
  Midterm 2     20%  
  Final Exam     30%  

Exams

There will be two midterm exams and a cumulative final. The exams will be closed book.

Homework & Quizzes

Homework problems will be assigned after every lecture. You are expected to complete all problems assigned. The assigned problems will not be collected however. Instead, every Friday there will be a homework quiz during which you must copy problems from your homework to the quiz. You may also have to solve an additional problem similar to the homework problems. You may not use your textbook during the homework quizzes, but you may use your homework and notes. There are no make-up quizzes. The lowest homework quiz grade will be dropped from your average.

Class Participation

There is a saying that, "you learn math by doing math." This is very true! Occasionally you will be asked to solve problems during class. These problems may be part of in-class workshops or pop quizzes. The workshop problems or quizzes will typically only be worth one point, and you will recieve the point as long as you turn in the workshop or quiz and give it some effort. Correct answers are not required to get the point! One point quizzes and workshops will be the primary factor determining your class participation grade.

Special Accommodations

In compliance with the Hampden-Sydney College policy and equal access laws, I am available to discuss appropriate academic accommodations that may be recommended for students with disabilities. Requests for academic accommodations are to be made at the beginning of the semester (except for unusual circumstances) so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Students are required to contact the Office of Academic Success in order to verify their eligibility for appropriate accommodations.