AcademicsElementary Math Learning System

Instructor: Matt Ollis, Sci 218, matt@marlboro.edu

Timetable: TuTh 10.00 - 11.20 Sci A117

Course Outline: The Elementary Math Learning System (EMLS) is divided into 42 units, each unit covering one mathematical topic. Topics range from factoring equations to manipulating logarithms to working on word problems. It is up to you how many (or how few) of the units you take. Details for each unit are below. When choosing units your aim should be to fill in any gaps in your mathematical training, and on completion of the course you should be able to satisfy the math prerequisites for any introductory math or science course.

Each unit will occupy one timetabled session. Prior to the session you should have read the material on the web and attempted the exercises therein. During the session we will talk about the material and work on the problems. There will be a short quiz at the end of each session and a homework sheet with further questions of similar standard and style to those in the course material will be given out. Your answers to the homework sheet should be handed in no later than noon, one week after the session. After each set of seven sessions there will be a round-up session to consolidate what we have learned so far, and a homework on recent units will be distributed (the questions on this homework will have topic indicators - you only have to complete the questions related to topics you have taken).

Spring Semester: The first session of the spring semester will be devoted to a review of the most important topics of the fall semester. If you are continuing from the fall semester, you should recap the parts of last semester's work which you found the most difficult. If you are newly joining the EMLS you should look through the websites for last semester's topics (below) and see which, if any, of these topics you need to work on.

Grades: Your final grade is calculated as follows: 30% in-class quizzes; 50% homeworks; 20% round-up sessions.

Quizzes and Homeworks: The in-class quiz will be marked and returned in the following session. Once you have received your marked quiz, you should attempt the homework and hand it in at the subsequent session (i.e. one week after the topic was covered).

Office hours: TBA

Tutoring: Julie Shumway (jshumway@marlboro.edu)

Units

Fall 2004

1. 7th Sept. Arithmetic of fractions and real numbers

2. 9th Sept. Arithmetic of exponents

3. 14th Sept. Simplifying and factoring expressions

4. 16th Sept. Adding and multiplying polynomials

5. 21st Sept. Factoring polynomials

6. 23rd Sept. Linear equations

7. 28th Sept. Solutions to linear equations (pdf version)

8. 30th Sept. Quadratic equations