General Information for Math 108 Students

Spring 2004

The purpose of this webpage is to provide students in Math 108 with general information. It does not cover policies or assignments in individual sections.

Math 108, College Algebra, is a challenging course. It is designed to prepare students for majors in science and engineering and may also be helpful to students in business and the social sciences.

Math 108 will require a great deal of effort on your part, at least six hours a week, or about one hour per night. However, weaker students might need to put in more hours. Most of your study time should be spent working problems. While some memorization is needed, the key to success in mathematics is learning to reason.

Regular class attendance is also very important. Few students who cut class frequently are able to pass Math 108. Your instructor may have a specific attendance policy.

Prepared by Prof. Sullivan, Math 108 Course Chair for Spring 2004.

[Some] think that truth is only what sounds nice. If truth should prove to be something statistical, dry, or factual, something difficult to find and requiring study, they do not recognize it as truth; it does not intoxicate them.

Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956)
Writing the Truth: Five Difficulties


How many students, for example, were rendered callous to ideas, and how many lost the impetus to learn because of the way in which learning was experienced by them?

John Dewey (1882-1953)
Experience and Education

Table of Contents
  1. Sections of Math 108
  2. Textbook and Syllabus
  3. Important Dates
  4. When can you get a grade of Incomplete?
  5. How to test out of Math 108.
  6. How to get help with Math 108.
  7. Calculator Policy
  8. Homework Guidelines
  9. Test Taking Tips
  10. Are you ready for Math 108?
  11. Old Final Exams
  12. Classroom Etiquette
  1. Sections Here is a list of Math 108 sections with links to instructor webpages. For the most update listings see http://www.math.siu.edu/sched042.html#108. Teaching assignments and even rooms may change. 
    1	08:00-08:50	MWF	EGRA	222 Das	
2	08:00-08:50	MWF	WHAM	306 Bush
3	09:00-09:50	MWF	EGRA	422 (changed from 308) Earnest	
4	10:00-10:50	MWF	QUIG	206 Pogge	
5	10:00-10:50	MWF	EGRA	408 Sharma	
6	11:00-11:50	MWF	EGRA	310 Sharma
7	01:00-01:50	MWF	EGRA	222 Sullivan	
8	02:00-02:50	MWF	PULL	112 Mussa
9	02:00-02:50	MWF	EGRA	310 (may be merged with #8)	
10	03:00-03:50	MWF	EGRA	210 (changed from PULL 112) Pogge
  2. Textbook and Syllabus

    Textbooks: For all sections except one the textbook for this semester is Algebra and Trigonometry, 5th Edition, by Michael Sullivan, Prentice Hall. No other books are required or recommended. (No, I am not related to the author.)

    The bookstores often carry the Students Solution Manual. However, it is not recommended by the Math Department. If you buy it, do not misuse it by copying. You will only hurt your learning and be less able to pass your tests.

    Section 8, taught by Mr. Mussa, will use a different text, that will be provided free in class.

    Syllabus information: Here is a link to a detailed list of course objectives, http://galileo.math.siu.edu/Courses/108/Chair/objectives.html. (We may make some minor chanes.)

    For the regular sections, the course objectives are covered within in chapters 1-6, plus 11.1-11.4, 12.1, and 12.6. However, the following material is not required:

    It is assumed that much of the material in Chapters 1 and 2 is review.

  3. Important Dates

    This information is available in the Spring 2004 Schedule of Classes. If there are any discrepancies, information in the Schedule of Classes takes precedence.

  4. Incompletes

    The SIU Undergraduate Catalog states: ``A grade of INC (incomplete) can only be assigned when, for reasons beyond their control, students engaged in passing work are unable to complete all class assignments.''

    In short, you cannot get a INC just because you are not doing well in a course, and you certainly cannot get an INC because you have cut class or not turned in assignments.

    For detailed information on the grading system at SIU see your Undergraduate Catalog.

  5. Testing Out

    If you feel you already know the material in this course, it is possible to take a proficiency exam during the first two weeks of the semester. You may get a proficiency adviser's list from the Math Office (Neckers 360). The proficiency adviser can give you a referral form to take to Testing Services in Woody Hall.

    The proficiency exam has to be graded by hand, so please only try this if you are well prepared.
  6. Getting Help

    Unlike high school, it is normal in college even for a good student to need extra help at times. For this reason your instructor has office hours. During these times he or she will be there to help you. If you have a scheduling conflict you can usually make an appointment to see your instructor at another time.

    The Math Department also has organized free tutoring sessions. See http://www.math.siu.edu/helpsess.html. The sessions will start about a week after classes start. The Math Department also has a list of persons who do private tutoring; some types of financial aid will pay for this.

    Here is a webpage with Math 108 review material: http://www.math.siu.edu/previews/driver.html. Click on the Math 108 link.

    Study groups can be a helpful way to learn. Of course this is only true if you are helping each other learn and not merely copying. Copying is cheating, not learning. You are here to learn.

    Warning: do not misuse Student Solutions Manual. Once again, copying is not learning. It is usually best to find the answer yourself. After all you cannot use the Student Solutions Manual during tests!

  7. Calculators

    The use of a scientific calculator will be permitted on the final examination for this course; however, calculators with graphics, word-processing, symbolic manipulation or programming capabilities will not be allowed for this exam. The use of books, notes or other resource materials will not be permitted on the final examination.

    Calculator usage rules on in class tests and quizzes may vary by section. It is important that students retain arithmetic skills and understand basic properties of functions, like why logb 1 = 0.
  8. Homework Guidelines

    If your instructor collects homework you should follow these guidelines, although your instructor may wish to modify them.

    • No late homework.
    • PRINT your name, the course time, and the assignment number in the upper right-hand corner of the first page.
    • Show your work!
    • Indicate the problem number and the section number for each problem. Do the problems in order. If you skip a problem leave a blank space.
    • Trim any rough edges. Use only 8.5'' x 11'' paper. Only write on the front of each page. Staple all pages together in the upper left hand corner.
    • Extremely sloppy work will not be graded.

    Following these guidelines will make grading much easier and faster. Your cooperation is appreciated.

  9. Test Taking Tips

    1. Only give decimal approximations when specifically asked. Otherwise give the exact answer. Example:
      • Question: Find the area of a circle with radius 10.
      • Answer: 100 .
      • Question: Find the area of a circle with radius 10; express your as a decimal rounded to 5 decimal places.
      • Answer: 314.15927.
      • Question: Find the area of a circle with radius 10; express your answer in scientific notation rounded to 5 significant digits.
      • Answer: 3.1416 x 102.
    2. Always answer all parts of a question.
    3. On graphing problems you are normally required to label important features like intercepts and asymptotes. Make sure you do so.
    4. Some questions are harder than others. Work the ones you find easy first.
    5. Do not try to ``fake it.'' Sometimes students will knowingly use invalid steps in hopes of getting partial credit. Example:
      • Question: Solve x2-4x=4.
      • Incorrect solution: x(x-4)=4, so x=4 or x-4=4, in which case x=8.
      • Grader: This student does not understand the most basic concepts. Zero points!
      Clearly the rule ``AB=0 implies A=0 or B=0'' does not apply. You know this. Rather than do what you know to be illogical, stop and think.
      • Correct solution: First, x2-4x-4=0. The quadratic formula then gives x = 2 +/- 2 sqrt(2).
    6. Do not cheat. If caught you would most likely fail the course. You could even be suspended from the university. You are not in high school. Many instructors make multiple versions of their tests, so copying is easy to spot.

  10. Are you Ready?

    Make sure you have satisfied the prerequisites for any course you take. The Math Department recommends that students taking Math 108 have an ACT Math Subtest score of at least 22 or an SAT Math score of at least 550. If you scored below either of these see your adviser or instructor.

    You may also wish to use the sample self-pretest below to see if you are ready for Math 108. This may be particularly helpful if you have been out of school for a while. It should not take more than 50 minutes. If you score below 50% you might not be ready for Math 108 and you should talk to an adviser or your instructor about taking Math 107 instead. If you score between 50 and 70% you may wish to seek out professional tutoring now, before you fall behind. See your instructor if you are not sure about how to determine ``partial credit.''

    Here is the link to the sample pretest: http://www.math.siu.edu/previews/driver.html. Click on the Math 108 link.

    Doing well on a pretest does not guarantee success in the course.

    Your instructor will also give you a pretest at some point during the first week of classes. This is mainly for statistical purposes but it may count toward your grade.

  11. Old Finals

    The Math Department maintains a data base of old final exams. See: http://www.math.siu.edu/finals/index.html.

    There have been some changes to the Math 108 syllabus. Some material is no longer covered and a couple of new topics have been added. Check with you instructor.

    Note that no final exam can cover every single course objective. The practice finals given there are meant to give the student a general sense of the format and level of difficulty of a typical final exam. Studying these may be helpful but is in no way a substitute for studying your homeworks, class tests and quizzes. Just because a certain type of problem does not appear on these practice finals does not mean it will not be on your final exam.

  12. Classroom Etiquette

    These policies help insure that you and your classmates can learn and do well in the course.

    • Turn off any cell phones or beepers.
    • Do not read the newspaper or listen to a walkman in class.
    • Come on time. Do not leave early.
    • Do not disrupt the class with loud or excessive talking.
    • Do not eat or drink in class. (People can hear your chewing and slurping.)
    • Do not chew tobacco in class. Yuck!
Study hard and have a great semester!
To learn and not think over what you have learned is perfectly useless. To think without having first learned is dangerous.
Confucius, as fictionalized in Gore Vidal's novel Creation , Book 6, Chapter 7.

But the easy and the simple are not identical. To discover what is really simple and to act upon the discovery is an exceedingly difficult task.

John Dewey (1882-1953)
Experience and Education