Truman College - Mathematics Department
Math 141 Plane Trigonometry - Spring 2014 Syllabus
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1. Course Information
Course Title: Plane Trigonometry
Section: CD on Mondays & Wednesdays 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. @ room 3963
Credit Hours: 3 Credit Hours (16 weeks)
Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in Math 140 (College Algebra)
2. Instructor Information
Name: Simon Aman, Ph.D. Office: Room 3820 e-mail: saman2@ccc.edu Phone:(773)907-4489
Cell:(773)790-8503 (Urgent matters only. NO texting)
Office Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays 1:00-2:00 p.m. Tuesdays & Thursdays 12:20 - 2:00 p.m.
Advising Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays 8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
3. Course Materials
Textbook: Analytic Trigonometry with Application by Barnett, Ziegler, Byleen, 11th ed., Wiley.
Calculator: TI83 or TI84 is highly recommended.
4. Course Description
In this course, students will develop an understanding of the trigonometric functions and apply
trigonometry to the sciences. Topics include definitions, properties and graphical characteristics of
trigonometric functions; radian measure; trigonometric identities and equations; Law of Sines and
Law of Cosines; inverse trigonometric functions; DeMoivre’s Theorem; and vectors. Technology
and writing assignments will be used throughout the course as appropriate. Applications involving
problem-solving skills will be emphasized throughout the course. This course is intended for students who are science or engineering majors and for students whose programs require trigonometry.
5. Important Dates
Wednesday March 5 - Midterm Exam
Monday April 7 - Last day for student initiated withdrawal
April 14 to April 20 - Spring Break
Wednesday May 7 - Final Exam (last day of class)
6. Grading Policies
Grading Scale (weighted Average):
Midterm Final Exam Quizzes Homework Class Activities
35%
35%
20%
5%
5%
A letter grade will be assigned based on the weighted average as follows:
(90,100%) A; (80,89%) B; (70,79%) C; (60,69%) D; (0,59%) F;
7. Withdrawal Policies
7.1. No-Show Withdrawal (NSW)
Students who do not attend the first two class sessions will be withdrawn from the class by
the instructor and issued an NSW.
1 The
provisions of this syllabus are subject to change at the sole discretion of the instructor
7.2. Administrative Withdrawal (ADW)
Students will be administratively withdrawn (ADW) at midterm if at least one of the following
apply:
7.2.1.
7.2.2.
7.2.3.
7.2.4.
Less than 70% of assignments up to the midterm have been completed.
Less than 50% of quizzes and tests up to the midterm have been attempted.
Less than 50% of class sessions up to the midterm have been attended.
Miss class for two consecutive weeks.
7.3. Withdrawal from the course (WTH)
Not attending classes does not constitute withdrawal from the course. After midterm, instructors can no longer drop students from the course. If students stop attending classes after
the midterm, the instructor can only assign a grade of F. If you no longer attend classes, it is
essential that you stop by at the registrar’s office and officially withdraw from the course to
protect your GPA. The last day for student initiated withdrawal is Monday, April 7. Before
withdrawing from the course, students are encouraged to consult the instructor.
8. Course Work
8.1. Attendance: Regular and active attendance is very important to succeed in this class. Attendance will be taken each class period. Each student is expected to arrive on time and attend
the entire session. If you are absent or late, it is your responsibility to find out all announcements and lessons covered during your absence. Your class participation or attendance grade
is based on your active presence for the entire class session and small group participation.
8.2. Homework: In mathematics, doing homework is an essential part of the learning process. Do
not expect to succeed in this course without keeping up with the homework assignments.
Homework questions will be assigned from the textbook regularly. You can check the final
answer of each homework problem from the appendix section of the textbook. Homework will
not be collected or graded. But the quizzes will be similar to your homework problems.
8.3. Quizzes: There will be timed unannounced in-class quizzes (similar to your homework problems) regularly.
8.4. Cell Phones: Cell phones are not allowed to be used during test. You may use your cell phone
calculator or an app during class, but talking on the phone during class time is NOT allowed.
You will have to step out if you must pick up your cell phone.
8.5. Good learning environment: Please treat the instructor, other students, and their opinions
with respect. Before arriving to class, please turn off all cell phones, pagers, and other loud
devices. Please make every effort to arrive on time for class.
8.6. Academic Integrity and Student Policy Manual: The City Colleges of Chicago has no tolerance for violations of academic integrity. Plagiarism and cheating of any kind during
test and portfolio work are serious violations of these standards and could result, minimally, in the grade of zero. Please refer to the student policy manual for details at http:
//www.ccc.edu/departments/Documents/studentpolicymanual.pdf
9. Academic Support Services
9.1. Tutoring Center: http://www.ccc.edu/colleges/truman/departments/Pages/Tutoring.
aspx
9.2. TRIO Student Support Services: TRiO programs are funded by the U.S. Department of Education to help low-income, disabled or first-generation college students achieve a college
education. http://ccc.edu/departments/Pages/TriO-Student-Success-Programs.aspx
9.3. Disability Access Center: The Center verifies needs pursuant to the American Disabilities
Act (ADA), determines student academic accommodations, and issues accommodation letters.
http://ccc.edu/colleges/truman/departments/Pages/Disability-Access-Center.aspx
9.4. Wellness Center: The Truman College Wellness Center provides mental health and other
social services to support your personal well-being and academic success. http://ccc.edu/
colleges/truman/departments/Pages/Wellness-Center.aspx
9.5. Student clubs, groups and organizations: http://ccc.edu/colleges/truman/services/Pages/
Clubs-Groups-Organizations.aspx
10. More about Trigonometry
10.1. Students the Course is Expected to Serve: This course is intended for students who are science or engineering majors and for students whose programs require trigonometry.
10.2. Course Objectives:
10.2.1. Demonstrate an understanding of trigonometric functions and their behaviors.
10.2.2. Apply trigonometric concepts to contextual (real-world) scenarios.
10.2.3. Use technology to explore trigonometric concepts.
10.3. Student Learning Outcomes: Upon satisfactory completion of the course, students will be able
to:
10.3.1. Define the sine, cosine, secant, cosecant, tangent, and cotangent functions and their
inverses, including the unit circle and right-triangle definitions of these functions.
10.3.2. Compute the exact values of trigonometric functions whose reference angle measures are
0o , 30o , 45o , 60o and 90o .
10.3.3. Apply right-angle trigonometry to a contextual (real-world) scenario.
10.3.4. Apply circular motion to a contextual (real-world) scenario.
10.3.5. Graph a trigonometric function using its properties (e.g., periodicity, amplitude, phase
shifts, etc.).
10.3.6. Verify trigonometric identities.
10.3.7. Solve trigonometric equations.
10.3.8. Apply the sum, difference, double-angle, and half-angle identities to calculating exact
values of trigonometric functions, verifying identities, and solving equations.
10.3.9. Apply the Law of Sines and the Law of Cosines to a contextual (real-world) scenario.
10.3.10. Apply trigonometric functions to vectors and other basic concepts of physics (e.g., force,
velocity, pendulum movement, basic current).
10.3.11. Determine roots and powers of complex numbers by applying DeMoivre’s Theorem.
10.3.12. Convert between rectangular and polar coordinates.
10.4. Truman College Goals:
10.4.1. communicate effectively in both written and oral formats.
10.4.2. demonstrate the ability to think critically, abstractly, and logically.
10.4.3. Work with a variety of technologies.
Few Tips for Success in college Math taken from www.slu.edu
1. Be actively involved in managing the learning process, the mathematics and your study time
2. Math is learned by doing problems. Do the homework. The problems help you learn the formulas
and techniques you do need to know, as well as improve your problem-solving prowess.
3. Each class builds on the previous ones, all semester long. You must keep up with the Instructor:
attend class, read the text and do homework every day. Falling a day behind puts you at a
disadvantage. Falling a week behind puts you in deep trouble.
4. You’re always reviewing previous material as you do new material. Many of the ideas hang together.
Identifying and learning the key concepts means you don’t have to memorize as much.
5. You probably need to spend more time studying per week - you do more of the learning outside of
class.
6. Tests may seem harder just because they cover more material.
7. Form a study group.
8. Word problems are really applied problems. Identify problem types and come up with strategies
to solve them: Problems testing memorization (”drill”), Problems testing skills (”drill”), Problems
requiring application of skills to familiar situations (”template” problems), Problems requiring
application of skills to unfamiliar situations (you need to develop a strategy for a new problem
type), Problems requiring that you extend the skills or theory you know before applying them to
an unfamiliar situation.
9. Test-taking strategy matters. http://www.testtakingtips.com/test/math.htm
10. Use the college resources available.
Have a successful semester!