Math 111 - Spring 2016

Announcements

Basic Info

Course Description

Math 111 will review mathematical language, percentages, exponential growth, and linear models. We will also discuss exploratory data analysis, random sampling, experiments, probability, and statistical inference with confidence intervals.

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.

  Week     Dates       Topics    
1   Jan 13-15   Factors and Proportions, Orders of Magnitude
2   Jan 18-22   Logarithmic Scales, Percentages
3   Jan 25-29   Relative and Exponential Growth
4   Feb 1-5   Data Tables, Mean and Median
5   Feb 8-12   Histograms, Dotplots, Stemplots, Standard Deviation, Midterm 1  
6   Feb 15-19   Normal Distribution, 68-95-99.7 Rule
7   Feb 22-26   Random Sampling, Bias
8   Feb 29-Mar 4     Experiments, Correlation is not Causation, Scatterplots  
9   Mar 14-18   Correlation, Linear Models, Regression
10   Mar 21-25   Two-Way Tables, Midterm 2  
11   Mar 28-Apr 1     Simple Probability Models, Weighted Averages
12   Apr 4-Apr 8     Expected Value, Law of Averages
13   Apr 11-Apr 15     Confidence Intervals for Means and Proportions
14   Apr 18-Apr 22     Confidence Intervals for Differences, Midterm 3  
15   Apr 25     Review

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 following factors.

Component     Proportion    
Quizzes   50%
Midterms 30%
Final Exam 20%

In-Class Problems

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 may use your completed workshops during Friday quizzes.

Quizzes

Each Friday (except when midterm exams are scheduled) there will be a 10-15 minute quiz on material covered that week. Each quiz will have 3 or 4 problems and will cover material similar to the in-class and take-home problems. During quizzes you are allowed to use your notes and solutions to old class workshop problems. Each student will have the chance to retake at least two quizzes in order to improve their grades. Depending on circumstances and timing, it may be possible for students to retake more. Students are responsible for scheduling retakes outside of class time. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped from the final average.

Midterm Exams

There will be three midterm exams. Each midterm exam is worth 10% of the final grade. Each midterm will take place on the Friday of the week they are scheduled, and will take the whole class period.

Final Exam

There will be a cumulative final exam. It will focus on questions similar to the ones on the midterms and quizzes. The final exam will be on Monday, May 2 at 2pm.

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. How does this look?