Syllabus for Math 111 A&B, Winter 2013
Website:
www.math.washington.edu/~nichifor/111W2013.htm
Read & bookmark this site – it contains essential course information, and will be updated weekly
Instructor: Dr. Alexandra Nichifor (office: Padelford C-326, directions on class website)
E-mail:
nichifor@uw.edu (please specify “Math 111”, your name, and your quiz section)
Text: “Mathematical Applications for the Mgmt, Life, and Social Sciences” by Harshbarger/Reynolds (10th ed.)
 There is a custom, loose-leaf edition of the textbook, entitled "Applied Mathematics for Business", which
you can purchase at the University Book Store. (We'll use Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 for Math 111 and the
remaining chapters for Math 112.) The paper text comes bundled with an access code for Webassign, which
is the online homework system that we use for this course.
 If you do not want/need a hard copy of the text, you may just purchase the Webassign access code (see
below). You will also automatically have access to an electronic copy of the textbook.
Webassign Code (required): The homework for this class is assigned and submitted online, via Webassign. You
can purchase an access code at: http://www.cengagebrain.com/shop/isbn/9781285181813 (or bundled with the
paper textbook). Webassign offers a two-week grace period during which you may access your homework without
entering an access code.
Other Required Materials:
 a clear plastic ruler (bring to lectures and exams)
 a scientific calculator, non-graphing and non-programmable (for ex: TI-30XIIs, TI-30Xa, or Casio FX300MS.) Graphing calculators, cell phones, or any other electronic devices are not allowed on exams!
 Supplementary Reading for the first two weeks of the course (print this off the class website)
 A packet of lecture graphs (print it from our class website & bring it with you to lecture)
 The graphs appearing in the homework related to the Supplementary Reading. You can either print all of
these out at once from our website, or one-at-a-time from the Webassign homework.
Course Objectives: In this course, you will study the use of graphs, algebra, and functions, as they relate to the
fields of business and economics. This class will also prepare you for a follow-up course in the application of
calculus to business and economics, namely Math 112.
Grade Breakdown: Your grade will be made up of the following components:
Homework
15%
Participation
5%
Midterm I
22%
Midterm II
22%
Final Exam
36%
A conversion table (% to grade point) is available on the class website, under “Grading Scale”. Please read it.
Homework: Homework will be assigned, submitted, and graded in Webassign and will be due most weeks on
Tuesday and Thursday nights by 11 p.m. See the class schedule for details. A portion of each quiz section class is
set aside to ask your TA questions about the homework due next.
Participation (Group Activities and Test Prep): A portion of most quiz sections will be dedicated to either working
in groups on a problem-solving activity or practicing working old exam problems individually. The purpose of
group activities is to get you to articulate your ideas and questions in small groups and discuss the material with
each other. The purpose of the test preparation problems is to give you a chance to practice working actual exam
problems in a test-like environment. For each group activity and test prep problem, you will receive a participation
score of 0, 1, or 2 pts. To get full credit, you need to be on time, do the work, and stay the duration. There are no
makeups for participation, but you may miss up to two quiz sections without penalty to your grade.
Exams: There will be two midterm exams and a final. On any tests, to get full credit on a problem, you must
show all steps in your solution, and you must explicitly use the methods learned in class. It is not enough to
write down the final answer, even if it happens to be correct. Work done in your head cannot receive credit,
because the grader has no way to verify whether the process you used is correct or not.
During exams, you are allowed to use a non-graphing calculator, your ruler, and one handwritten, doublesided, 8.5’’×11’’ sheet of notes. Other electronic devices will not be allowed (no cell phones, laptops, iPods, etc).
You may not share a calculator or a note sheet with another student on an exam. Cheating will not be tolerated.
Exam dates are as follows (save these dates!):
Midterm I
Thursday, January 31, in your quiz section (50 min)
Midterm II
Thursday, February 28, in your quiz section (50 min)
Final Exam
Saturday, March 16, 5-7:50pm, room to be announced
Important Tip: Start your sheet of notes early and add items to it as you work on your homework and run across
formulas or concepts which you need to remember. Keep it neat and organized!
Make-up midterms will not be given. If you have miss a midterm due to serious, unavoidable, and documented
circumstances, contact me ASAP with your documentation and your final exam will be weighted more heavily to
account for the missed midterm.
Academic Conduct: All work is expected to be your own. Submitting another person's work as your own or
copying work from another student on homework or an exam constitutes cheating. Further, allowing someone to
copy your work is also considered cheating. The consequences for allowing another student to copy your work on
homework or an exam are the same as for the student doing the copying. Changing the answers on an exam and
asking for a re-grade constitutes particularly blatant cheating.
If you are accused of cheating, you have the right to a hearing before the university's Committee on
Academic Conduct. If you are found guilty of academic misconduct, then in addition to any sanctions imposed by
the Committee, you will receive a 0 on the assignment in question.
Resources:
•
The Math 111/112 Study Center (in the basement of Communications, room B-006) is a useful place for
students to study, in groups or individually. The MSC will open for the term during the second week of classes. The
center is staffed by TAs and instructors. See www.math.washington.edu/msc/m111.php for operating hours and
your TA’s office hours.
•
The University of Washington is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable
accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To
request disability accommodation, contact the Disability Services Office at least ten days in advance at: 206-5438924 (Voice), 206-543-8925 (TTY), 206-616-8379 (FAX), or uwdss@u.washington.edu.
HOW TO DO WELL IN MATH 111:
For most students, doing well in this class requires about 10-15 hrs of individual work each week, outside
of the classroom. No matter how easy or clear things appear (or not) when presented in class, quiz section, MSC, or
while working with a friend, you need to be able to explicitly solve problems on your own and in a limited
amount of time during the exams. The way to achieve this is to learn the material and methods of the class, to
keep a good sheet of notes, and to practice, practice, practice lots of problems on your own.
It’s important to attend class regularly, to do the work as soon as it’s assigned, and to ask for help on
(and then practice extra) any kind of problem or topic that is not clear.
This class has lots of homework. You are expected also to read the textbook and the supplementary reading
and study the examples provided there. The homework you do is not an end in itself, but simply a tool for becoming
proficient. Your mastery of the material is judged mostly based on your exam performance. However, without
being serious about your homework and your attendance, you will likely not do well in this class.
This is a work-intensive, but interesting class. I hope you work hard, do well, and enjoy it!