Math 135 – Precalculus Mathematics
Tompkins Cortland Community College
Course Outline and Policies
Spring Semester 2013
Instructor: Nick Pianella
Office: Room 301
Phone: (607) 693-8105
Email: NPianella@hcs.stier.org
Office hours: During Collaborative Time before school on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. After
school on Tuesday and Thursday by appointment. During the school day by appointment.
Course Description: Pre-Calculus prepares students for the mathematics required for careers in business,
science, social sciences, engineering, and education. The topics included exponential functions,
logarithmic functions, trigonometric functions, trigonometric identities and Application of Trigonometry,
vectors, inverse functions, and analytic geometry.
Mathematical concepts taught in lower level math courses cannot be repeated during class time due to
time restraints. Please come to see me if you are feeling overwhelmed or are having difficulty
remembering concepts taught in previous courses.
Course Prerequisites: A “C or better” in Math 132 (Completion of College Algebra and Trigonometry),
or equivalent, or permission of instructor.
Minimal Basic Skills Needed to Complete Course Successfully:
Writing:
WC
College-level writing skills are required.
Math:
MC
College-level math skills are required.
Computer:
C0
Very limited or no computer skills are required.
Other:
Algebra skills at the college math level are required. Use of right triangle
trigonometry to solve application problems is required. Familiarity with functional
trigonometry and graphing trig functions is essential. Experience with a graphing
calculator is helpful but not required.
Course Objectives: The student completing this course should be able to answer questions concerning
the theory and concepts of the topics covered. More specifically, students will learn to:
1. Develop an organized approach to problem solving in the context of functions.
2. Master concepts relating to exponential functions, logarithmic functions, and trigonometric
functions.
3. Prepare for Calculus
Textbook: Algebra and Trigonometry:, by Robert Blitzer, Second Custom Edition for Thompkins
Cortland Community College, ISBN 13: 978-0-558-20980-3
Calculator: A graphing calculator is required. TI-83 graphing calculator is recommended. If you are
buying a calculator for this course, then a TI-84 Silver Edition is suggested. Instruction in class will be
done using both. There are a limited number of calculators that can be signed out.
Pre-Calculus
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Math 135 – Precalculus Mathematics
Tompkins Cortland Community College
Course Outline and Policies
Spring Semester 2013
Class Structure: Material is presented in lecture, examples, and discussion format; homework is
assigned and gone over in detail in subsequent classes. Feel free to ask questions in class at any time or
come in for extra assistance.
Assistance: Any time you are having difficulty understanding material, see the instructor. It is also useful
to work together with other students. Organize a study group.
Evaluation: Final grades will be determines by a point system. Tests, Quiz/Written Assignments,
Homework/Preparedness and a final exam cover 100% of your grade.
Exams
Quizzes
Written Assignments/Homework
Professional Attitude/Preparedness
Final
40%
15%
15%
10%
20%
Final Grade:
The final grade will be determined from the following percentages of total possible points that each
student accumulates:
93 – 100% = A
73 – 76.9% = C
90 – 92.9% = A-
70 – 72.9% = C-
87 – 89.9% = B+
67 – 69.9% = D+
83 – 86.9% = B
63 – 66.9% = D
80 – 82.9% = B-
60 – 62.9% = D-
77 – 79.9% = C+
Below 60% = F
If you wish to advance to Math 201 – Calculus I, you must earn a C or better in this course.
Exams: Exams given during the semester will be worth 40% of your grade. These exams will assess your
knowledge of the content from the unit as well as assess content from previous taught units.
Quizzes: During the semester, you may expect to have a quiz every few days on the content taught. You
will be made aware when a quiz is planned.
Written Assignments: Weekly, you will be given problems from the book and other source3s on the
material covered that week or prior weeks. These assignments must be handwritten, with all answers
documented and all work shown. You must explain your answers or solutions in order to receive full
credit. You may cooperate with others but you must submit a separate homework and explain your
answers or solutions in order to receive full credit. A correct answer is worth 20% of the grade and the
work/documentation counts for 80%. You may also seek assistance from me as needed. Each assignment
is worth 100 points. Late assignments are penalized 10 points for each day late (weekends included).
Homework assignments are an integral part of the learning process for this course and assists in ensuring
Pre-Calculus
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Math 135 – Precalculus Mathematics
Tompkins Cortland Community College
Course Outline and Policies
Spring Semester 2013
you are prepared. It is given daily and is based on the content presented that day. Each homework
assignment is worth 10 points. Late assignments will be penalized 2 points per day late.
Professional Attitude/Preparedness: Professional Attitude takes into account your attendance, class
participation, your behavior during class, and attitude towards fellow students and instructor. You must be
prepared for each class as well. Failure to display professional attitude and being prepared will affect your
grade for the course.
Final Exam: Your final exam is cumulative and will be given the last week of class.
Statement of Academic Integrity:
Harpursville Jr./Sr. High School Academic Honesty Parental/Student Agreement
Academic honesty and integrity lie at the heart of any educational enterprise. Students are
expected to do their own work and neither to give nor to receive assistance during quizzes,
examination, or other class exercises. One form of academic dishonesty is plagiarism. Plagiarism
is intellectual larceny: the theft of ides or their manner of expression. When in doubt about rules
concerning plagiarism, students are urged to consult individual faculty members. Because faculty
and students take academic honesty seriously, penalties for violations may be severe, depending
upon the offense. Staff members will gladly explain procedures for taking tests, writing papers,
and completing other course requiment5s so that students may understand fully their instructor’s
expectations.
A complete copy of the Harpursville Jr./Sr. High School Academic Honesty Policy is available
upon request.
Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend classes. Attendance will be taken. Note that exam
questions are modeled on lecture and homework problems, so attending class is an important ingredient in
course success. After the equivalent of one week of absences (4 class hours), a student's final number
grade may be lowered by one point per absence.
Student Responsibilities: Students have a responsibility to attend class, do their homework on time,
participate in classroom discussions, ask questions when they don’t understand, seek extra assistance
when they need it, read the textbook as it is well written and easily understandable textbook that will help
you immensely.
Students are expected to assist in maintaining a classroom environment that is conducive to learning.
Students are asked not to engage in any form of distraction to assure all students have the opportunity to
gain from the time spent in class. Inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated. Appropriate action(s) will
be taken immediately.
Success in Precalculus requires consistent attendance, class participation, completion of assigned work on
time, and seeking assistance when needed. We are on a tight schedule and there is a lot of content to be
covered and work to be done. I am very willing to assist in any way I can.
Good luck and Best wishes for a successful semester.
Pre-Calculus
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Math 135 – Precalculus Mathematics
Tompkins Cortland Community College
Course Outline and Policies
Spring Semester 2013
Course Content:
I.
II.
Section: 2.7
Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
a. Exponential Functions
b. Logarithmic Functions
c. Properties of Logarithms
d. Exponential and Logarithmic Equations
e. Exponential Growth and Decay: Modeling Data
Section: 4.1
Section: 4.2
Section: 4.3
Section: 4.4
Section: 4.5
III.
Exam #1
IV.
Trigonometric Functions
a. Angles and Radian Measures (review)
b. Right Triangle Trigonometry (review)
c. Trigonometric Functions of any Angle (review)
d. Trigonometric Functions of Real Numbers:
Periodic Functions (review)
e. Graphs of Sine and Cosine Functions (review)
f. Graphs of Other Trigonometric Functions
g. Inverse Trigonometric Functions
h. Applications of Trigonometric Functions
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
Pre-Calculus
Functions and Graphs
a. Inverse Functions
Section: 5.1
Section: 5.2
Section: 5.3
Section: 5.4
Section: 5.5
Section: 5.6
Section: 5.7
Section: 5.8
Exam #2
Analytic Trigonometry
a. Verifying Trigonometric Functions
b. Sum and Difference Formulas
c. Double-Angle, Power-Reducing, and
Half-Angle Formulas
d. Product-to-Sum and Sum-to-Product Formulas
e. Trigonometric Equations
Section: 6.1
Section: 6.2
Section: 6.3
Section: 6.4
Section: 6.5
Exam #3
Additional Topics in Trigonometry
a. The Law of Sine
b. The Law of Cosines
c. Vectors
d. The Dot Product
Section: 7.1
Section: 7.2
Section: 7.6
Section: 7.7
Exam #4
Conic Sections and Analytic Geometry
a. The Ellipse
b. The Hyperbola
c. The Parabola
Section: 10.1
Section: 10.2
Section: 10.3
Exam #5
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