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.
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.
| Date | Topic | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1/17 | Proportions & percents | |
| 1/19 | Factors, rates, & units | Week 1 |
| 1/21 | Orders of magnitude & scientific notation | |
| 1/24 | Logarithmic scales | |
| 1/26 | Relative vs. absolute change | Week 2 |
| 1/28 | Exponential growth | |
| 1/31 | Doubling times and geometric means | |
| 2/02 | Common types of word problems | Week 3 |
| 2/04 | Linear models | |
| 2/07 | Categorical and quantitative variables | |
| 2/09 | Visualizing data: bar graphs & histograms | Week 4 |
| 2/11 | Measures of center | |
| 2/14 | Box-and-whisker plots | |
| 2/16 | Standard deviation | Week 5 |
| 2/18 | Midterm 1 | |
| 2/21 | Normal distribution, standardized data | |
| 2/23 | 68-95-99.7 rule | Week 6 |
| 2/25 | Normal percentiles | |
| 2/28 | Sampling | |
| 3/02 | Sample bias versus random error | Week 7 |
| 3/04 | Explanatory & response variables | |
| 3/14 | Randomized controlled experiments | |
| 3/16 | Scatterplots & correlation | Week 8 |
| 3/18 | Line of best fit | |
| 3/21 | Linear regression models | |
| 3/23 | Review | Week 9 |
| 3/25 | Midterm 2 | |
| 3/28 | Probability models | |
| 3/30 | Basic probability rules | Week 10 |
| 4/01 | Addition rule & independent events | |
| 4/04 | Weighted averages & expected value | |
| 4/06 | The law of large numbers | Week 11 |
| 4/08 | Two-way tables | |
| 4/11 | Conditional probability | |
| 4/13 | Tree diagrams | Week 12 |
| 4/15 | Estimating random error | |
| 4/18 | Confidence intervals for proportions | |
| 4/20 | Confidence intervals for means | Week 13 |
| 4/22 | Midterm 3 | |
| 4/25 | Confidence intervals for differences | |
| 4/27 | Applications of confidence intervals | Week 14 |
| 4/29 | Review |
In order to master this material, regular attendance is crucial. However, if you have a fever or are not feeling well, then please do not come to class that day. As long as you let me know the reason for your absence, I will do my best to help you stay caught up and make up any material that you missed. The key is to communicate with me when you aren’t able to attend class.
Tobacco products (including chewing tobacco and e-cigarettes) are not allowed in class.
My office hours are shown above on my weekly schedule. I am also available by appointment. My office is Blake B-02, which is one of the Blake apartments. You can find it on this map. It looks like a student apartment, but I am using it as my office while the new science building is being built. During my regularly scheduled office hours the front door should be unlocked, so feel free to come in. I’ll be right upstairs. If you would prefer to schedule online office hours, let me know and I’ll be happy to set up a Zoom meeting.
The term grade will be based on the following factors.
| Component | Proportion |
|---|---|
| Quizzes | 50% |
| Midterms | 30% |
| Final Exam | 20% |
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.
Every 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. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped from the final average.
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.
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.
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.
If we need to switch to an online virtual course at any point during the semester, the basic outline and schedule of topics for the course will remain the same. I will provide asynchronous video guided notes and workshops to help learn the material. I will also divide the class into smaller groups and schedule Zoom meetings during our regular class time where we can go over the material in more detail. I may also incorporate a short oral examination as part of one or more of the midterm or final exams. If you know that you will have trouble with Zoom from home, please let me know.