Math Courses: 2012-2013
MATH 3. Intermediate Algebra. Fall. The Department. 5 meetings weekly. Block A, C, or D. This course is primarily a review of the topics of a first year algebra course. It is designed for those students who have had an introduction to algebra but who would benefit from a review of the material. Topics covered include linear equations and their graphs, polynomials, factoring, exponents and roots, inequalities, quadratic functions, and systems of equations.
MATH 4. Algebra and its Functions. Fall, Spring. The Department. 5 meetings weekly. Block A, C, or D (Fall), A or C (Spring). This course is designed to strengthen and extend first year algebraic knowledge. Topics will include a review of linear functions, absolute value, inequalities, and quadratic functions. Students will use graphing calculators to explore concepts.
MATH 5. Geometry. Fall, Spring. The Department. 5 meetings weekly and a lab. Block AH3, CG3, or DH2. Prerequisite: The equivalent of a full year of algebra. The course will consist of an inductive study of the principles and properties of Euclidean geometry. Definitions will be established and theorems will be developed, verified, and proved. The treatment of proof will center on congruence of triangles and properties of quadrilaterals. Geometric software will be used to help explore and amplify concepts.
MATH 6. Advanced Algebra. Fall, Spring. The Department. 5 meetings weekly. Block B or F (Fall), A or C (Spring). Prerequisite: Math 5 or Permission of the Department. This course extends knowledge of algebra and functions to include the graphs, behaviors, applications and properties of a variety of functions. Students will work extensively with exponential and logarithmic functions. Students will investigate transformations, compositions, and the inverses of function.
MATH 7. Trigonometry and Analytic Geometry. Fall, Spring. The Department. 5 meetings weekly. Block A or C (Fall), B or F (Spring). Prerequisite: Math 6 or Permission of the Department. The circular functions will be examined in depth in this course, which includes trigonometric functions, identities, inverse trigonometric functions, applications to triangles and vectors.
The following courses are open to all students who have completed their mathematics requirements through the level of Math 7.
MATH 8. Pre-calculus. Fall, Spring. The Department. 5 meetings weekly. Block D or E (Fall), C, E, or F (Spring). This course will be a continuation of an investigation of elementary functions, such as exponential, logarithmic and power, with particular attention to polynomial and rational functions, an investigation of conic sections by way of parametric equations and, finally, an examination of sequences and series.
MATH 9. Mathematical Modeling. Spring. The Department. 4 meetings weekly. Block C1235. Prerequisite: Math 8. In this project-based course, students will work individually and collaboratively to formulate and analyze mathematical models used to solve complex problems. After building modeling skills with a variety of types of problems, students will focus on how mathematics can be used in the study of environmental issues. Solutions and results of students’ work will be summarized in written reports and presentations. This course is most appropriate for sophomores and juniors who have completed Math 8.
MATH 10. Finite Mathematics. Fall, Spring. The Department. 4 meetings weekly. Block B1235 or D1235 (Fall), B1235 or F1235 (Spring). This course will cover topics in mathematics which do not depend upon concepts of infinity, such as limits and derivatives. Topics which naturally fall into this category and will be considered in this course are Linear programming, matrix algebra, sets and counting, probability and the mathematics of finance.
Each of the following statistics courses heavily utilizes technology, projects, cooperative group work and writing. Both the non-AP and AP courses are good choices for a student anticipating a college major in the social or natural sciences.
MATH 11. Statistics. Fall, Spring. The Department. 4 meetings weekly. Block B1235 or D1235. Prerequisite: Math 7 or Permission of the Department. This course covers many of the major topics of descriptive statistics. Topics covered will include displays of sample data, measures of center and spread, probability, discrete random variables and normal distributions.
MATH 12. Statistics. Spring. The Department. 4 meetings weekly. Block B1235 or D1235. Prerequisite: Math 11. This course completes the survey begun in Math 11. The emphasis of this course is inferential statistics. The topics will be partially determined by the interests of the class or instructor.
MATH 13. Applied Mathematics in Computer Science. Spring. Mr. Pillai, 4 meetings weekly. Block TBA. Prerequisite: MATH 6 or Permission of the Department. Students that have completed Computer Science 30 or higher may not enroll in this course for credit. The creation of Facebook applications, online messaging, Xbox games, 3D animated movies, and artificial intelligence are all examples of common applications of computer science in a student’s daily life. The true essence of this discipline lies in creatively approaching a problem, designing a solution, and then translating that solution into another language. In this course students will develop these skills through the means of graphics, animations, programming robots, and writing simple computer code. THIS COURSE WILL NOT BE OFFERED IN 2012-2013.
MATH 14. Advanced Placement Statistics. Year. The Department. 5 meetings weekly. Block B or D. Prerequisite: Math 7 and Permission of the Department. During the first semester, data descriptive statistics, data collection and probability are the foci of this course. During the second semester, the emphasis is on inferential statistics. Topics include confidence intervals and tests of significance for means and proportions, power and error, chi-squared tests and inference for regression. Prepares students for the Advanced Placement Examination in Statistics.
MATH 19. Calculus. Fall, Spring. The Department. 4 meetings weekly. Block F1235. Prerequisite: Math 7. This one-semester course is designed to give an intuitive introduction to the techniques of calculus and to the sorts of problems with which elementary calculus deals. It is hoped that this less formal presentation will attract students interested in continuing mathematical study but not intending to take the Advanced Placement sequence.
MATH 20. Differential Calculus. Spring. The Department. 5 meetings weekly. Block E. Prerequisite: Math 8 and Permission of the Department. This in-depth course in calculus will develop and explore the concept of limit and then progress to the development of the derivative. Derivatives of polynomial, trigonometric, and exponential functions and their applications to graphing, velocity, acceleration, max-min problems, and related rates will be studied. (Exceptional students who have completed Math 7, with an average above 90, may receive permission from the Department to take Math 20.)
MATH 21. Advanced Placement Calculus AB. Year. The Department. 5 meetings weekly. Block E. Prerequisite: Permission of the Department. This is a yearlong course in both differential and integral calculus which covers the syllabus of the AB Advanced Placement Examination. From the development of the definition of derivative, to its application to a series of related problems, this investigation of differential calculus will cover all topics in which the rate of change of a function is the primary interest. The second semester will then begin an extensive investigation in integral calculus, focused primarily on assorted techniques of integration. The tool of integration will then help the student think about assorted questions of area, length, volume and related physical problems.
MATH 22. Advanced Placement Calculus BC. Year. The Department. 5 meetings weekly. Block E. Prerequisite: Math 20 and Permission of the Department. Students may not take Math 22 after taking Math 21. This year-long course covers the syllabus associated with the BC Advanced Placement Examination. The development of the idea of accumulation and the closely associated topic of the area will motivate much of the discussion in the first semester of this course. After the development of the integral and various techniques of integration we will investigate a series of related physical problems dealing with growth, decay, volume, and length. The course will conclude with a study of analytic geometry, polar coordinates, differential equations and infinite series.
MATH 23. Vector Calculus. Fall. The Department. 4 meetings weekly. Block TBA. Prerequisite: Completion of the BC syllabus. After a brief review of the topics in analytic geometry, polar coordinates, and parametric equations, we will study vectors in 2-space and 3-space. The topics will include tangent and normal vectors, curvature, dot product, cross product, curves and planes in 3-space, and quadric surfaces.
MATH 24. Multi-Variable Calculus. Spring. The Department. 4 meetings weekly. Block TBA. Prerequisite: Math 23. This will be a study of multi-variable calculus with attention paid to partial derivatives, multiple integrals and their applications, Stokes’ and Green’s theorems, and the related underpinnings of vector theory.
