Review Guide for MAT187 Final Exam Part I.
Part 1 is worth 50% of your Final Exam grade. Syllabus approved calculators can be used on this part of the exam but are
not necessary. All work will be done on the test itself; you may NOT use any scratch paper. Partial credit WILL be
awarded for partially correct work so be sure to show ALL of your steps. Correct answers without the correct
corresponding work are worth nothing.
Things you should make sure that you can do! Note: Section numbers have been provided by each topic so that you can
go back through your NOTES, HOMEWORK and OLD TESTS to find problems to practice. You can also go back to the class
HELP page and view some of the relevant supplemental readings and videos.
1. Given the equation of a Parabola in graphing form (you will not need to complete the square (section 3.1) be able to
find the vertex, focus and directrix.
2. Given either an ellipse (section 3.2) or a hyperbola (section 3.3) be able to find the center, focus and vertices. Be
sure that you practice completing the square!
2 x  3 y  5
?
5 x  4 y  1
3 - 4. How many different methods did we study for solving a system of equations like 
Can you “name” or describe each of these methods? Can you solve THIS particular system (answer 1, 1 ) using each
of the methods? (sections 3.4, 3.6, 3.8 and 3.9)
5. Can you solve a linear system of three equations in three variables by creating an augmented matrix and doing the
Gauss-Jordan method that we learned? (section 3.6). Remember there is no back substituting in the Gauss-Jordan
method. You must get all of the ones and zeros!
6. Be able to multiply to matrices together (section 3.7) where all of the entries are numbers. Be sure to SHOW how
you got your entries in the answer matrix. Do NOT just copy an answer from your calculator!
7 - 9. Be able to find the determinant of a 2x2 matrix and a 3x3 matrix (section 3.9). Again, be sure to show HOW you
got you answer do NOT just copy an answer from your calculator!
10 - 11. Be able to multiply matrices together where not all of the entries are numbers (your calculator can’t help you
on this one!). Section 3.7
12. Be able to graph the solution to a system of inequalities (three linear) (section 3.10). Be able to find the
coordinates of the vertices of your shaded region.
It is unlikely that you will finish this test in the given amount of time unless you are EXCEPTIONALLY well prepared. You
have only 65 minutes to complete as much as you can. This test may prove to be very challenging unless you have taken
the necessary steps throughout the semester to learn all of the material we covered.