NORTHEAST COLLEGE
Department of Mathematics
COURSE SYLLABUS
MATH 1314-0063: College Algebra
Spring 2011 / Mo & Wed, 8:00am-9:20am / NHECHS, R #6
INSTRUCTOR:
CONFERENCE TIMES:
CONTACT INFORMATION:
MyMathLab Course ID:
Kamil Safin
1:30-03:00
ksafin@houstonisd.org
Textbook:
Essentials of College Algebra, Alternate Edition
by Margaret L. Lial, David I. Schneider, & John Hornsby
Publisher: Addison Wesley
Pub. Date: January 2007
ISBN-13: 9780321491855
Catalog Description:
Topics include quadratics, polynomial, rational, logarithmic, and exponential functions; systems of
equations; matrices; and determinants. A departmental final examination will be given in this
course.
Prerequisites:
Math 0312: Pass with “C” or better
Or
Acceptable placement test score.
Credits: 3 credit hours (3 lecture).
Course Intent & Audience:
This course is designed as a review of advanced topics in algebra for science and engineering
students who plan to take the calculus sequence in preparation for their various degree programs. It
is also intended for non-technical students who need college mathematics credits to fulfill
requirements for graduation and prerequisites for other courses. It is generally transferable to other
disciplines as math credit for non-science majors.
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Course Objectives:
At the completion of this course, a student should be able to:
1. Solve quadratic equations in one variable by factoring, using the square root property,
completing the square, and using the quadratic formula.
2. Find the distance and midpoint between two points in the Cartesian plane.
3. Solve radical equations, fractional equations, and equations of quadratic form.
4. Recognize the equation of a straight line, graph the equation of a straight line, find the slope and
intercepts of a line, know the relationship between the slopes of parallel and perpendicular lines,
and be able to determine the equation of a line from information such as two points on the line,
or one point on the line and the slope of the line.
5. Know the definition of a function, determine the domain and range of a function, evaluate
expressions involving functional notation, simplify expressions involving the algebra of
functions, graph functions by plotting points, know the definition of inverse functions, and given
a function find its inverse.
6. Graph linear functions, quadratic functions, piecewise-defined functions, absolute value
functions, polynomial functions, rational functions, exponential functions, and logarithmic
functions.
7. Solve linear inequalities and linear equations involving absolute value, state the solution in
interval notation, and graph the solution.
8. Solve non-linear (quadratic and rational) inequalities, state the solution in interval notation, and
graph the solution.
9. Understand vertical and horizontal shifts, stretching, shrinking, and reflections of graphs of
functions.
10. Recognize the equation of a circle, sketch the graph of a circle, and find the equation of a circle.
11. Determine the rational zeros of a polynomial.
12. Understand the inverse relationship between the exponential and logarithmic functions.
13. Solve exponential and logarithmic equations.
14. Solve problems involving variation.
15. Perform operations with matrices, and find the determinants of matrices.
Attendance policy:
Class attendance is very important and the student is responsible for material covered during his
absence. Attendance is checked during every class. Students are expected to be in class ON TIME
for each class and READY TO LEARN. Contact me if some unavoidable situation arises or when
the absence from a class meeting is known in advance or when leaving before class is dismissed is
necessary. Otherwise, if your absences exceed 12.5 %( five classes) during this course, you can expect
to be administratively withdrawn. Furthermore, if the student withdraws or is withdrawn for nonattendance, your financial aid award could be affected in future semesters.
Tardiness policy:
3 late arrivals (after 10 minutes as the class starts) will count as 1 absence. I usually give short
quizzes at the beginning of the class; those who are late won’t get additional time to complete the
assignment, or won’t get the credit for the quiz at all.
Withdrawal policy:
If your name is on the roll at the end of the term, you WILL receive a grade. If you wish to drop the
class, then it is your responsibility to do that before the final drop date. Please refer to the following
notice before dropping the class.
NOTICE: Students who take a course three or more times will face significant tuition or
fee increases at HCC and other Texas public colleges and universities. If you are
considering course withdrawal because you are not earning passing grades, confer with
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your professor / counselor as early as possible about your study habits, homework,
test-taking skills, attendance, course participation, and tutoring or other assistance that
is available.
Homework policy:
All homework must be completed online using MYMATHLAB. The MyMathLab grade will be the
equivalent of one test grade. The MyMathLab Course ID to be used for registration purposes is, and
the school zip code is 77013. To register for MyMathLab and to access the homework, go to
www.coursecompass.com.
Testing policy:
There will be 3 in-class exams and several quizzes online or at class. The final exam, if it is higher
than one of the other 3 exams, will automatically replace ONE low exam grade and ONE low quiz
grade will be dropped if your attendance was good (not more than 3 unexcused absences). No cell
phones on the exams and quizzes! Violators will be graded with ”F”.
All work, showing steps of the solution, should be neatly done in given time. Major Exams will be
partially graded, but if the solution is unclear or messy, it won’t get a full credit even if the answer is
correct!
Make-up policy:
In general, there will be NO MAKE-UP TESTS OR QUIZZES that are missed. NO LATE
HOMEWORK assignments also. However, if you have a good reason to miss an exam or a quiz you
must e-mail me as soon as possible and provide evidence such as a doctor’s note, court note, etc… to
excuse the absence before a make-up is granted. The make-up must be done up to the next class or
the grade will result in a zero for that assignment.
Grading policy:
Your final course grade is based on the following standard HCCS scale.
Final Average
90 ≤ Avg ≤ 100
Final Course Grade
A
80 ≤ Avg < 90 70 ≤ Avg < 80 60 ≤ Avg < 70
B
C
D
Avg < 60
F
Final Grade = 25% (Final Exam) + 50% (Exam Avg.) + 15 %( Homeworks) + 10% (Quiz Avg. and Practice Exams )
.
Final Examination:
The final examination is departmental and consists of 33 multiple-choice problems. The problems
cover all the material required in the course.
Calculators:
You can use a scientific or graphing calculator.
Tentative Exams Schedule:
Test #1
Chapters 1 & 2
February, 14
Test #2
Chapter 3
March, 23.
Test #3
Chapter 4 & 5
May, 4
Final Exam
Chapters 1 - 5
May, 16
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Student conduct:
Students should not engage in disruptive activities while in the classroom. Any conduct that is
deemed detrimental to the academic atmosphere, such as cell phone use or consistently talking
during instructional delivery, will not be tolerated. Any student found guilty of such conduct will be
asked to leave the classroom until further notice.
Academic dishonesty:
All students are required to exercise academic honesty in completion of all tests and assignments.
Penalties for academic dishonesty (cheating on a test, collusion on an assignment, etc.) include, but
are not limited to, a reduced grade, a “0” on that test or assignment, a “W” in the course, or an “F” in
the course.
Resources and supplemental instruction:
Any student enrolled in Math 1314 at HCC has access to the tutoring labs where additional help is
available. The math tutoring labs are staffed with student assistants who can aid students with math
problems and offer help with MYMATHLAB. Another helpful resource is the student solutions
manual that may be purchased in the bookstore.
Students with Disabilities:
Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision,
hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the Disability
Support Office at this college at the beginning of the semester. To make an appointment,
please call 713.696.6168
Resource Materials: Any student enrolled in MATH 1314 at HCCS has access to the various
MATH labs in the system. The labs are staffed with MATHEMATICS faculty and student assistants,
and offers tutorial help at the Academic Support Center, video tapes and computer aided tutorial.
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