This page contains all information about the course. Refer to this if you have any questions on how this course operates.
Please email me using your Cal Poly email. Emails from your personal account will be ignored.
Here's what we are learning in the next ten weeks!
We have six goals. Here's how we will achieve them.
We will be using Precalculus, Mathematics For Calculus, 7thedition written by James Stewart et al.
The in-class lectures will closely follow the sections in the textbook. I highly recommend reading the relevant sections in the textbook as a resource to learn from.
Lectures are held in class four days a week. Most lecture notes will be typed up, available on at this page.
A few examples will have a Show Solution button. I recommend when you are reading through the notes to try solving the problem on paper, then comparing your solution after.
Lectures follow the sections in the textbook.
In lecture, after introducing a concept, seeing how to use it in a few examples, you will be given a similar problem to work on. We will use the following strategy:
Finally, I will present my solution. Instead of writing down stuff for 50 minutes we are learning by engaging with the material.
Canvas will only be used to:
Here's how you wil be tested on your Trigonometry mastery.
Homework will be posted every Monday. It is due in one week (the following Monday) at the beginning of class.
The only accepted format is on paper in person and stapled in the top left corner. If you forget to staple you will lose points.
Grading is based on two criteria: completeless and a few problems will be chosen to be graded for correctness.
Quizzes will be in person every Monday during the last 15 minutes of class. They will cover the material from the previous week.
Think of the homework from the previous week as a mechanism to get you ready for the quiz.
There are two midterms and one final exam during finals week.
All exams will be cumulative at the date the exam is given.
You will have the entire class period to complete the midterm.
Exam dates:
The final is taken in the classroom we meet for lecture.
Unless I have granted you an exception, you must take the final at the specified time; you cannot take the final during a different section.
For homework: Penalized 20% per day turned after the due date.
For quizzes/exams: You must email me 24 hours before the quiz or exam time to be considered for a make-up quiz/exam. Failure to do so will receive a zero on the quiz/exam.
A | A- | B+ | B | B- | C+ | C | C- | D | F |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
93-100 | 90-93 | 87-90 | 83-87 | 80-83 | 77-80 | 73-77 | 70-73 | 60-70 | 0-60 |
Cheating of any form requires, at minimum, a F on the assignment. Let us define what is allowed for each assignment.
Resource | Homeworks | Quizzes + Midterms + Final |
---|---|---|
Me (the professor) | Yes | Yes |
Course materials (lectures + notes) | Yes | No |
Textbook | Yes | No |
Collaboration with peers | Yes | No |
Online resources (internet + math engines like Photomath) | No | No |
Students registered with the DRC should contact me ASAP so we can set up and discuss the necessary arrangements.
A four unit class requires four hours of lecture and at least four hours of work outside of lecture. How to spend this time wisely?
The prerequisite for this course is Math 118 (precalculus).
Calculus problems builds on precalculus. You will struggle in this class if you have not mastered precalculus.
You may not believe me. Therefore, the pretest on day one comprises of problems you will see in MATH 119 which only require precalculus to solve. As such, you should already be able to do these problems coming into MATH 119.
I recommend Chapter 1 of our textbook (Precalculus, Mathematics for Calculus by James Stewart) if you are looking for a solid reference for precalculus.
This website contains practice exams and their solutions which I will upload a week before each exam date.
My advice is to complete the practice exam first, then checking your solutions with the key. This way you can see the concepts you need to work on.
The Learning Support Center hosts drop-in tutoring in several locations. The main location is Graphic Arts 26-110A.
See this link for more details.
The Math and Stats Help Hub has drop-in virtual and in-person tutoring from Monday through Thursday 4-7 PM.
Details can be found here (you need to be logged in to Canvas).
Office hours is a place to ask any questions about anything; doesn't need to be course related. If you need help, don't hesitate to reach out!
For example, if you would like to get personalized advice and feedback on your understanding of the material, office hours is the place to do it. I will learn about your thought process in a problem, determine your weaknesses and strengths, and come up with a plan moving forward.