Math 111 - Math and Society

Instructor: Brian Lins
Class Times & Location: Bagby 106, 11:30 - 12:20 MWF.
Office Hours: See my weekly schedule, and also by appointment.

Announcements

Textbooks and Course Materials

There is no required textbook. You will need a scientific calculator for class every day. If you don't have one, get one from Amazon quickly. Your cell-phone calulator will not be sufficient. I also recommend a three-ring binder to hold old workshops.

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.

Course Description

Math 111 will cover topics in number theory, geometry, probability and statistics, as well as applications of mathematics to society. The primary goals for this course are: (i) to write clearly about mathematical concepts, and (ii) to use mathematical concepts to support claims about the real world.

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.

Grading Policy

The term grade will be based on the results of homework quizzes, examinations, the course projects, and class participation.

  Class Participation     10%  
  Quizzes     25%  
  Midterm 1     15%  
  Midterm 2     15%  
  Final Exam     25%  
  Projects     10%  

Exams

There will be two midterm exams and a cumulative final. The exams will be closed book and calculators are not permitted during the exams.

Workshops

There is a saying that, "you learn math by doing math." This is very true! During most class periods you will be asked to solve problems as part of an in-class workshop. Any problems you do not complete during class become homework problems. I do not collect the workshops. Instead, you must bring your completed workshops to class on Friday so that you can use them to complete the weekly homework quiz. I may also ask you and/or your group to present your solutions to workshop problems during class. During in-class presentations, you will not be graded on mathematical accuracy, only on whether you gave the problem a good effort. The class participation grade will be determined by your participation in workshops and class presentations.

Quizzes

During most classes there will be assigned workshop and homework problems. 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, workshops, and notes. There are no make-up quizzes. The lowest homework quiz grade will be dropped from your average. As with the exams, no calculators are allowed during the quizzes, however you are encouraged to use calculators when you do the homework.

Projects

There will be two or three projects for this course. These projects will be short writing assignments related to material we have covered.

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.