Math 70: Finite Mathematics
Fall 2009

(class no. 41942, sec. 11)

Contents of this page

News
Lecture time and location
Prerequisite
Office hours
Textbook
Syllabus
Studying at a university
Exams
How to...
Grading policy
Handouts
Homework
MyMathLab
Policy on calculators
Math 70 as a GE course
Academic integrity
Anonymous feedback
Furloughs

News

(11/16) I just posted the quiz 3 solution. I also assigned a MML homework covering section 8-3 (due on Nov. 23) and a review quiz covering linear systems (due Nov. 24).

(11/11) MML homework 12 has been assigned and is due on November 17 (it covers section 8-2). To encourage you to start reviewing for the final exam, I have also assigned a MML quiz, covering Chapter 3, which you have to complete by November 20.

(11/8) Homework 9 has been assigned and is due on Thursday, November 12.

(11/3) Quiz 3 will be on Thursday, November 12. It will cover section 8-1.

(11/2) Midterm 2 solutions are here. Also, I just posted a MML homework entitled "Sample spaces, events, and probability" due on Friday, November 6.

(10/27) My extra office hours tomorrow will be from 1:30 to 3 PM.

(10/26, part 2) My office hours tomorrow will be: 10-10:30 and 1:45-2:30 (i.e., no noon office hour - sorry about that). I will have extra office hours on Wednesday (10/28), either 12-1 or 1:30-3 (TBD).

(10/26) A MML homework called "Permutations and combinations" has been assigned and is due on October 28 (at 11:59 PM). I also extended the deadlines for the previoius two MML homework assignments (the new deadline is 10/28). If you experienced any problems logging into MML, please try again and let me know how it goes.

Remember that Midterm 2 is this Thursday and will cover chapters 5, 6 and 7. Tomorrow we'll spend the whole class reviewing these chapters. As before, you are allowed to bring a 3 x 5 inch index card with your notes to the midterm. Calculators, however, are not allowed.

(10/21) I just assigned a MML homework called "Basic counting principles". It is due on October 26 (Monday). I also posted a "paper" Homework 8, due on October 29.

Contrary to what I may have said, we will have one more furlough day this semester: November 5 (Thursday). There will be no class that day.

And lastly, I will have extra office hours next Wednesday, October 28, from 12 to 1 PM.

(10/20) My office hours on Thursday, October 22, will be a little shorter (due to an advising event): 10-10:30 and 1:45-2:30.

(10/14, part 2) Since there are still some students who have not enrolled in MyMathLab, I have arranged that the enrollment deadline be extended again until October 19. After this date, it will not be possible to enroll any more.

(10/14) MyMathLab homework covering section 6-3 has been assigned and is due on October 21 (Wednesday). Also, I just posted "paper" homework 7 which is due on Thursday, October 22.

(10/12) I just assigned two MyMathLab homework assignments: one called "Geometric introduction to the simplex method" due on October 16 and one called "The simplex method" due October 20. I also assigned a "paper" homework (number 6), which is due this Thursday, October 15.

(10/5) MyMathLab homework entitled "Linear programming in two dimensions" covering section 5-2 has been assigned and is due on October 12.

(10/1) If you haven't yet registered for Math 70 in MyMathLab, the absolute last deadline to do this is October 3. Remember that our course ID is simic71067.

(9/30) Homework 5 has been posted and is due on Thursday, October 8. MyMathLab homework will be assigned soon.

(9/22) MyMathLab homework 4, covering sections 4-5 and 4-6, has been assigned and is due on September 28.

(9/17) Quiz 2 solution has been posted.

(9/15) Next Tuesday, September 22 is a campus furlough day. This means there will be no class. For that reason I am rescheduling our Midterm 1 from Sept. 24. to Tuesday, Sept. 29. This will give us some time on Thursday, Sept. 24 to review for the test. I am sorry if this causes you any inconvenience.

For more information on furloughs, click here.

Oh, and since Sept. 22 is a furlough day, (paper) Homework 4 is actually due on September 24.

(9/14) MyMathLab Homework 3 has been assigned and is due on September 17 (at 11:59 PM). It covers section 4-2.

Also, "paper" Homework 4 has been posted and is due on September 22.

It's the beginning of the fourth week of the semester and I'm surprised to see that out of 42 students in this course, only 34 have registered on MyMathLab. Today I changed the settings to allow registration until September 16 (Wednesday). After that I will close the course and those who have not registered will lose 5% of their grade. So please, if you haven't signed up yet, hurry up!

(9/7) "Paper" homework 3 has been posted and is due on Tuesday, September 15. MyMathLab homework 2 has also been assigned as is due on Monday, September 14. Only 28 students have registered for MML so far. If you're not one of them, you need to hurry up or you will lose both valuable opportunities to practice and learn, as well as lots of important points!

Another announcement: tomorrow, September 8 (due to a specialist exam I'm giving), my office hours will be from 1:30 to 2:30. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Finally, quiz 2 will on Thursday, September 17. It will cover sections 4-1, 4-2 and 4-3.

(8/31) Homework 2 (the "paper" part) has been posted and is due on Thursday, September 10. I will post the MyMathLab homework shortly.

Rememeber that Quiz 1 will be this Thursday.

(8/31) My office hours tomorrow will be: 10:00-10:30 (as usual) and 1:30-2:30. On Thursday I'll have my regular office hours.

There's a typo below: Quiz 1 will cover section 3-1. Sorry about the confusion.

So far only 13 students are enrolled in this course on MyMathLab. If you haven't enrolled yet, please make sure to do it as soon as possible!

(8/27) Quiz 1 will be on Thursday, September 3 and will cover section 3.

(8/26, part 2) The MyMathLab course ID for our section of Math 70 is simic71067. I just assigned Homework 1, which covers Section 3.1 and is due on September 2. (Remember that the "paper" homework 1 is due on September 1.)

(8/26) Make sure that you purchase access to MyMathLab with the book. New books at the library are packaged with MyMathLab, but not the used books. You can also buy access to MyMathLab directly at www.mymathlab.com for $70; this includes an E-book.

(8/24) Welcome to Math 70 web page! Our first meeting is tomorrow, August 25. If you are a freshman, please read this.

As of this writing, the class is completely full. This means that I will not be able to add anyone unless some students don't show up the first week of class or withdraw from the class. I will reassess the situation on Tuesday, September 1 and if space becomes available, start giving out add codes. The following categories of students have priority: graduating seniors and students who need 12 units because of financial aid, scholarships or visas (international students) as long as they have the appropriate documentation. Regularly enrolled students have priority over open university students.

Also, you can purchase the textbook as an E-book. Here is some information from the publisher on how to do that. To access the SJSU Math Portal created by Pearson, go to

http://www.pearsoncustom.com/ca/sjsu_math.

For more information, click here.

And finally, to learn how to claim a tax credit for your textbooks (via the American Opportunity Tax Credit), check this handout.

(8/24, part 2) Homework 1 has been posted and is due on Tuesday, September 1. In the future, homework will usually be due on Thursdays.


Lecture time and location

TuTh 10:30-11:45 in DH 318

Prerequisite

Satisfaction of the ELM requirement


Office hours

TuTh 10:00-10:30, 11:45-1:00, 1:45-2:30, and by appointment


Textbook

Barnett, Ziegler, and Byleen, Finite Mathematics for Business, Economics, Life Science, and Social Sciences, 11th edition, Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2008


Syllabus

Green sheet
Course schedule:
Chapter 3, Sec. 1-4: Simple interest. Compound interest. Future value of an annuity. Present value of annuity. (5 hours).

Chapter 4, Sec. 1-6: Systems of linear equations in two variables. Systems of linear equations and augmented matrices. Gauss-Jordon elimination. Basic matrix operations. The inverse of a matrix. Matrix equations and systems of linear equations. (12 hours)

Chapter 5, Sec. 1-3: Inequalitics in two variables. Systems of linear inequalities in two variables. Geometric approach to linear programming. (4 hours)

Chapter 6, Sec. 1-3: The simplex method and the dual problem. (5 hours)

Chapter 7, Sec. 2-4: Sets. Basic counting principles. Permutations and combinations. (4 hours).

Chapter 8, Sec. 1-5: Sample spaces, events, and probability. Union, intersection, and complement of events. Odds. Conditional probability, intersection, and independence. Bayes' formula. Random variable, probability distribution, and expected value. (10 hours)


Studying at a university

Remember: you are no longer in high school. You have to toss out your high school notions of teaching and learning and replace them by university-level notions. Among other things, this means:
(1) Expect to have material covered at two to three times the pace of high school.

(2) It isyour responsibility to learn the material. Lecture time is at a premium so it must be used effciently. You cannot be taught everything in the classroom.

(3) The instructor's job is to provide a framework, with some of the particulars, to guide you in doing your own learning of the concepts and methods that comprise the material of the course. It is not to "program" you with isolated facts and algorithms.

(4) You are expected to read the textbook for comprehension. Use pencil and paper to work through the material and to fill in omitted steps.

(5) Exams will consists of fresh problems based on the material that is being tested.


Exams

There two midterms and a comprehensive final exam. The exam schedule:
Midterm 1: September 29 (NOTE THE CHANGE!)
Midterm 2: October 29
Final exam: December 14, 9:45-12:00
There will be no make-up exams.


How to...

How to study for this and other math classes

How to take the exam


Grading policy

Homework 10%, Quizzes 10%, Midterms 40%, Final 40% + extra credit (XC problems + participation)


Handouts

None yet.


Homework

There will be weekly homework assignments.

Note: No late homework will be accepted

# Due date Assignment
1 9/1 Sec. 3.1, ex. 9, 15, 17, 19, 22, 33, 34, 35, 37, 45.
2 9/10 Sec. 3.2, ex. 1, 3, 5, 10, 13, 15, 61, 63, 70.
Sec. 3.3, ex. 1, 3, 5, 21, 23, 24, 25.
3 9/15 Sec. 3-4, ex. 3, 8, 21, 23. Sec. 4-1, ex. 9, 12, 13, 15, 21, 25, 51.
Sec. 4-2, ex. 35, 37, 41, 43, 46, 57.
4 9/24 Sec. 4-3, ex. 6, 9, 19, 28, 31, 33, 45, 49, 63, 67. Sec. 4-4, ex. 10, 13, 19, 25, 39, 45, 51, 53, 55, 56.
5 10/8 Sec. 5-1, ex. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 29, 32. Sec. 5-2, ex. 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 17, 21, 39, 41.
6 10/15 Sec. 6-1, ex. 7, 9. Sec. 6-2, ex. 2, 4, 6, 8, 14.
7 10/22 Sec. 7-2, ex. 2, 4, 11, 17, 19, 23, 26, 29, 37, 49, 52, 59, 62, 63, 71.
8 10/29 Sec. 7-3, ex. 17, 21, 25, 31, 35, 45, 47, 49, 57, 60. Sec. 7-4, ex. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9.
9 11/12 Sec. 8-1, ex. 91, 95. Sec. 8-2, ex. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15.


MyMathLab

We will be using MyMathLab for part for of the homework. Here is a link that explains the basics.


Policy on calculators

Calculators will not be permitted on exams. You are welcome to use them otherwise.


Math 70 as a GE course

STUDENTS WHO INTEND TO USE THIS COURSE TO SATSFY THE MATHEMATICAL REQUIREMENT FOR GENERAL EDUCATION MUST EARN A C OR BETTER.


Academic integrity

By default, I regard my students as honest individuals and expect them to abide by the University policy on academic integrity.


Anonymous feedback

If you have any comments or suggestions, please fill out this anonymous feedback form.


Furloughs

This year across this campus and around the CSU system some class days will be cancelled because of furloughs. A furlough is mandatory un-paid time off; faculty and staff on each CSU campus are being "furloughed" two days per month.

It is important to recognize that these days off are not holidays. Instead, they are concrete examples of how massive state budget cuts have consequences for you as students and for me as a faculty member.

The CSU has suffered chronic underfunding for at least 10 years. This year the budget cuts are the worst in the history of our university system - 584 million dollars or 20% of our budget.

The CSU administration is attempting to deal with these cuts with huge increases in your student fees (32%), eliminations of your classes, and lay-offs of faculty and other university employees.

In addition to paying higher fees, you will be affected by reduced services and classes. The library will have shorter hours. Many campus support services will be decreased or eliminated. It will be more difficult to get signatures to meet deadlines. Classes you need may have been cut from the class schedule or are full.

If you would like to take action, or simply learn more, I strongly recommend you contact the California Faculty Association on campus.


Slobodan N. Simić

Last modified: Mon Nov 16 17:00:56 PST 2009