Precalculus
MAT 172 Section B401[19441], Fall 2013
Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:00AM - 10:40AM, Room: Gillet 327
CUNY Lehman College
Instructor: Byung Do Park
Email: 
Office Hours: Tuesdays 12:40 -- 1:40PM or by appointment. Set up an appointment by email for location.
Course Syllabus: PDF
Section Syllabus: PDF
Announcements
2013-12-21: Grading of the final exam has been finished. Letter grades will be submitted on December 24th, after the emergency make-up date(Monday) is passed. If you want to know your numeric scores or have a good reason that you have to know your letter grade before December 24th, please email me by using your CUNY email account. Merry Christmas and Happy new year!
2013-12-20: The final exam will be graded as time permits(for some of you finished the exam early, I already did), and I am planning to finish it all no later than December 24th 11PM. Around that time, I will be able to respond all inquiries about the numeric score and pass/fail status. I will post further updates here.
2013-12-11: Please check out a schedule for Review Session offered by the tutoring center, MCSLC. It's in "Tutoring Information" section in the bottom of this page.
2013-12-11: A solution of the midterm exam III is posted below.
2013-11-27: There is no class on November 28th(Thu). Happy Thanksgiving day!
2013-11-27: Homework #8 is posted below. This will be the last homework for this semester. Homework #6 and #7 will be given double credits since those are including many problems. Also, details about the third midterm exam are posted below.
2013-11-27: Following the request of Professor Madramootoo, I announced in class about the advertisement for a winter session course MAT173. Those who are interested in may refer related document posted below in Advertisements section.
2013-11-23: I will be teaching MAT175: Calculus I and MAT155: Calculus I Lab in Spring 2014 which are next level course of MAT172. All are very welcome!
2013-11-23: The third midterm exam will be given on December 5th, in class. Details are TBA.
2013-11-18: Homework #7 is posted below. We will cover from Lesson 18 to Lesson 25 in Midterm Exam III. Tentatively it will be some time during the week after the thanksgiving week. Information for preparation will be posted later.
2013-11-08: Note that the total score of Midterm Exam II was 72 points.
2013-11-06: A solution of the midterm exam II is posted below.
2013-10-28: Here are solutions to some of maximizing problems in Homework #5.
2013-10-26: Homework #6 is posted below. The second midterm exam will be given on November 5th, in class. Details are provided already.
2013-10-18: Information about the second midterm exam is posted below. The date is TBA.
2013-10-14: An additional part of Homework #5 is posted below(with due date).
2013-10-03: A solution of the midterm exam I is posted below. Homework #5 is posted below, but the due date will be announced later, after studying some of Chapter 2.
2013-09-20: Homework #4 is posted below. The first midterm exam will be given on October 1st, in class. Details are provided already.
2013-09-13: Homework #3 is posted below. Information about the first midterm exam is posted below. The date will be announced later.
2013-09-11: Homework #2 is posted below.
2013-09-05: Check out Homework #1 below.
2013-09-05: Information about departmental tutoring and using old editions of the course textbook are posted below.
2013-09-05: There is no class on September 5th(Thu), according to the academic calendar.
2013-08-27: Welcome!
Homework
Homework #1 (Due date: September 12th)
[Section A.3.] Problems 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 63, 65, 67, 69, 71, 73, 81, 83, 85, 87, 89
[Section A.5.] Problems 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 39, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 53, 55, 57
Homework #2 (Due date: September 17th)
[Section A.1.] Problems 18, 20, 33, 24, 39, 40
[Section A.6.] Problems 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 47, 53, 55, 57
Homework #3 (Due date: September 24th)
[Section 1.2.] Problems 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 45, 47, 51, 53, 55, 69, 71, 73, 75, 76, 77, 79, 81, 82
[Section 1.3.] Problems 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 43, 45, 47, 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 63, 65, 67, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78
Homework #4 (Due date: Before Midterm Exam I)
[Section 1.4.] Problems 51, 52, 53, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 77, 79, 81, 82, 83
[Section 1.5.] Problems 13, 14, 15, 17, 24, 37, 38, 61, 62, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76
[Section 1.6.] Problems 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40
[Section 1.7.] Problems 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 43, 44, 45, 46
[Section 1.8.] Problems 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 38, 41, 42, 43, 45, 47, 48
Homework #5 (Due date: October 22nd)
[Section 1.9.] Problems 60, 62, 70, 71, 72
[Section 1.10.] Problems 55, 56, 57, 58, 59
[Section 2.1.] Problems 17--34(all), 43--46(all), 47--50(all), 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84
[Section 2.3.] Problems 12, 24, 37, 43
Homework #6 (Due date: Before Midterm Exam II)
[Section 3.1.] Problems 23--30(all), 51, 53
[Section 3.2.] Problems 7--20(all), 29--36(all), 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 48, 65, 68, 73, 75
[Section 3.3.] Problems 11, 13, 16, 18, 20, 21--35(odd only), 41, 45, 49, 53, 57, 75--79(all), 81
[Section 3.4.] Problems 8, 14, 18, 19, 25, 33, 35, 37, 39, 47, 51, 54, 57, 59, 61
[Section 3.5.] Problems in the following webpage: Growth/decay model problems as applications of exponential and logarithmic functions
Homework #7 (Due date: November 26th)
[Section 4.1.] Problems 35, 36, 37, 38, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58
[Section 4.2.] Problems 23--30(all, for only sin, cos, tan), 31--36(all)
[Section 4.3.] Problems 13, 14, 15, 16, 47--56(all)
[Section 4.4.] Problems 23--32(all), 53, 55, 57, 59, 61, 63, 65, 67
[Section 4.5.] Problems 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47, 49, 51, 53, 57, 59, 61, 63, 65
[Section 4.6.] Problems 15, 17, 30, 31, 32
[Section 4.7.] Problems 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17
[Section 4.8.] Problems 5, 19, 33, 55
Homework #8 (Due date: December 10th --- Hand-in only those problems with *)
[Section 5.1.] Problems 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 46, 48, 53, 55, 59
[Section 5.2.] Problems 11, 13, 19, 23, 24, 27, 29, 31, 33, 38, 39, 41, 46
[Section 5.4.] Problems 7*, 8*, 9*, 10*, 12*, 14*, 41*, 42*, 47*, 48*, 57*, 58*, 59*, 60*, 61*, 63*, 64*, 65*, 66*, 67*, 68*
[Section 6.1.] Problems 5, 14*, 18*, 25*, 39*, 41*, 47, 50
[Section 6.2.] Problems 5*, 6*, 7*, 8*, 9*, 11*, 12*, 13*, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 23*, 24*, 31*, 32*, 33*, 34*, 35*, 36*, 47*, 48*, 50*
[Section 2.2.] Problems 19, 21, 23, 25, 28, 30, 35, 39, 43, 45, 47, 50,
[Section 2.6.] Problems 7*, 8*, 23*, 24*, 25*, 26*, 27*, 28*, 29*, 30*, 33*, 34*, 49, 51, 53
College Algebra Assessment Test
Here are problems and solutions to the assessment test given in Lesson 1.
Exam Schedules
Midterm-I: October 1st(Tuesday), In-class.
- Based on the course calendar, from Lesson 1 to Lesson 7 will be covered.
- There will be 18 problems(80 points total).
- No problem will be completely identical to sample final exams or homework problems. At least, numbers will be changed, but those formats of problems will be maintained. So picking problems from sample final exams and homework will be the best strategy for practice.
- In Sample Final Exam I, related problems are: #1, #3, #4, #6, #8, #11, #15. For each of these problem types, at least 2 problems will be asked. So total 14 problems(60 points) will be allocated for these sample-final-types.
- Remaining 4 problems(20 points) will be of types one can easily solve if one has been working on homework well. In particular, if one understands (1) completing the square for solving a given quadratic equation, (2) translation of the graph of a parabola, (3) composition of two functions, and (4) equation of a circle in a plane, one may feel some familiarity to those problems.
Here are Problems and Solutions. The average was 39.80(49.8%) and the maximum score achieved by a student was 78(97.5%). Regardless of one's exam score, everyone must completely master Part I problems in this exam, especially because those are problems presumably one cannot avoid if one wants to get passed from MAT172. If you think you didn't do very well in Part I, I suggest visiting the tutoring center(Gillet 222) and receive help from tutors(for free!). Those tutors should be very helpful, knowledgeable, patient and etc. So they won't disappoint you. If they did, please let me know.
Midterm-II: November 5th(Tuesday), In-class.
- Based on the course calendar, from Lesson 9 to Lesson 17 will be covered. Note that Section 3.5 is included to the coverage of this exam.
- There will be 12 problems(72 points total).
- No problem will be completely identical to sample final exams or homework problems. At least, numbers will be changed, but those formats of problems will be maintained. So picking problems from sample final exams and homework will be the best strategy for practice.
- In particular, put emphasis on sample final exam problems, and review homework for more problems to practice. All problems of this exam will be of sample final type, and there will be no question asking something else other than these types.
- In Sample Final Exam I, related problems are: #5, #9, #10, #16, #17.
- For Sample Final I-#16 and #17, exam problems will possibly be completely identical to practice problems in the department webpage. Here are links:
Maximum/Minimum problems as applications of quadratic functions
Growth/decay model problems as applications of exponential and logarithmic functions
Here are Problems and Solutions. The average was 22.4(31.1%) and the maximum score achieved by a student was 61(84.7%).
Midterm-III: December 5th(Thursday), In-class.
- The coverage of this exam is the same as the coverage of the final exam. All materials we have been and will be discussing before this exam will be included to this coverage.
- There will be 17 problems(80 points total).
- This exam will be almost identical(mostly change in numbers) to Sample Final Exam I.
- This exam is a real practice for the final exam. If you don't receive a passing score from this exam, you are very likely to receive non-passing score from the actual final exam. So please take this exam seriously.
- Even if you feel difficulties in preparing it, or even if you don't get a satisfactory score from this exam, you should never give up. Please come and talk to me or email me to consult how you can improve your score.
Here are Problems and Solutions. The average was 43.3(54.1%) and the maximum score achieved by a student was 80(100%).
Final: December 19th 08:30AM--10:30AM(Thursday), at Gillet 327(the same room). We will follow the registrar's schedule for the final exam.
The final exam will be the uniform departmental final exam: A sample final exam and a solution. . To pass this course, one should receive score 48 or up, out of 80 from this uniform final exam. Here is one more sample final exam. Also check out the precalculus webpage for relevant information which are(or will be) posted.
Advertisements
In coming Spring 2014, I will be teaching the next level course MAT175: Calculus I, meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:00AM--10:40AM and its corequisite course MAT155: Calculus I Lab meeting Thursdays 11:00AM--12:40PM. All are very welcome!
The Mathematics & Computer Science Department is offering the following course during the 2014 Winter Session:
MAT 173: Immersive Precalculus, 2 hours, 1 credit.
An intensive algebraic problem solving course reviewing the major Precalculus topics used in MAT 175, Calculus 1.
If you are interested, please refer this document.
Tutoring information
If you wish to find assistance from departmental tutoring, please refer this document.
Review Session for Final Exam
The tutoring center(MCSLC) will offer a review session for students taking MAT172 as follows:
Date and Time: December 14th(Saturday), 12PM--4PM
Location: Gillet Room 317
I think the review session will focus on helping students to get better scores in the uniform departmental final exam. Please plan to attend!
Here are a document on review session and a document on operating hours of MCSLC(I know this document requires some imagination).
About using old editions of course textbook
Professor Fera wrote to MAT172 instructors that: "Due to high price of the newest edition of the course text, the department asks that you please allow your students to use EITHER the 7th, OR the 8th, OR the 9th edition of the indicated book. The content is virtually the same, but there has been substantial changes made to the exercise sections. Please take this account when/if you create assignments from the textbook."
When it comes to assigning homework, it is unavoidable to use numberings in the problem set at the end of each section, and accordingly I will assign homework based on the 9th edition, which I received from the department. If you are a user of a previous edition, it is okay to use previous edition and work on problems having the same numbering. Then there may be discrepancies between problems I wanted you to solve and you will actually work on while using an old edition. For that matter, I think it can be easily resolved by comparing pages in my copy of the text and the old edition you have, by simply looking over my copy after each class meeting.
To avoid any disadvantages to an old edition user, I will try not to make any part of exams identical to problems in any particular edition. At minimum, I will change numbers randomly.
Links
Lehman College Precalculus Webpage
Lehman College Math Department Homepage