September 1, 2009

MATH 108     FINITE MATHEMATICS (3 credits)
Section 1:         ONLINE

Office hours:    Mon. and Fri..: 4:00-5:00 p.m.; Wed. 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
                        Other times by appointment or by chance

Required text: Finite Mathematics: An Applied Approach (10th ed.)
                          by Michael Sullivan (John Wiley & Sons, 2008)   ISBN: 9780470280997. 

Alternatively, you may just buy online access to this textbook for $60 by going to http://edugen.wiley.com/edugen/class/cls110705/ and clicking on the link to register for a Wiley PLUS registration code. After creating your profile, you will be able to click on a link to purchase a PIN code, which will be sent to you by e-mail about ten minutes after completing the e-commerce transaction.  Please note that online access to this textbook is available for no extra charge if you buy a new textbook with ISBN: 9780470280997.  If you buy a used textbook, you will also need to budget $60 to get online access to the textbook and homework assignments which will be assigned from the Wiley PLUS databank.  If your budget is limited, I recommend only buying online access to the textbook for $60, because this includes the full textbook as well as the students' solution manual, all available online.

Chapter coverage:
1. Linear Equations
2. Systems of Linear Equations; Matrices
3. Linear Programming: Geometric Approach
4. Linear Programming: Simplex Method
6. Sets; Counting Techniques
7. Probability
8. Additional Probability Topics

Examinations:         2 exams of 50 minutes each:     Oct. 9 and Nov. 6                   

FINAL EXAM:     Possible times and locations:

If these possible times cause a conflict with your schedule, please contact me and we will arrange a mutually convenient time and place before the times listed above.  You may also arrange to take an exam at a testing center located, for example, at a community college close to you.  In that case, please let me know by phoning 978-542-6392 or e-mailing arosenthal@salemstate.edu at least one week before the test date.

Course and Grading Policies:
Each of the 50 minute exams will count for 20% of the course grade.  The final exam will count for 40% of the course grade.  Homework assignments (generally done online) will count for 20% of the course grade.  The number of times you  inform me of a correct answer to a problem in the chapter currently being covered (according to the schedule of course topics) with an incorrect answer in the back of the text will be added to your overall average.  (This means if you correct 5 problems with wrong answers in the back of the text and your overall average would have been 70%, your overall average will become 70%+5%=75%).

All exams are required.  Make-ups will be given, no later than 3 pm on Dec. 23, only if you notify me before the exam starts or as soon as possible and supply a reason. Unavoidable conflicts may be resolved by taking parallel exams before the scheduled date, if prior notice of one week is given to the instructor. Assignments submitted late are subject to a 10% penalty if submitted before I post the answers online; late assignments receive no credit if submitted after I post the answers online.  (There will generally be a grace period of at least 48 hours between when assignments are due and when I post the answers online).  In lieu of having a make-up, the weighting of the lowest of the 20% components used to compute your average will be reduced by 20% and the weighting of the next lowest component increased by 20%, as long as this procedure increases your average.  For example, if you miss the October test, it could be dropped from your grade computation and either the homework assignments or the November test could count for 40% of your course grade instead of 20% or the final exam could count for 60% of your course grade instead of 40%.

It is your responsibility to dedicate at least 9 hours per week to this online course, to do all assigned homework problems, and to complete all course requirements.  Course materials such as chapter notes and assignments will be posted on WebCT.   Some assignments will be posted on the WileyPLUS system (with links to them posted on WebCT.)  You may also go directly to those assignments by going directly to http://edugen.wiley.com/edugen/class/cls110705/ and clicking on the link for "Assignments."  All the assignments should be submitted electronically by the posted due date.   I  plan to hold an OPTIONAL session on Wednesday, September 9 at 4:00 pm in the Math Lab (SB306) to help ensure that everyone knows how to access and use the online material for this course.   I have posted more information about what taking Math 108-ONLINE involves at  http://www.salemstate.edu/~arosenthal/ma108onlinef9.htm .

Each student in this section is required to have a graphing calculator comparable to a TI 83, 84, 85 or 86 or a laptop computer comparable to the Dell Latitude E6400. (The specifications for this computer may be found by going to http://www.salemstate.edu/6625.php ). Each student needs to be able to bring this graphing calculator or computer to any exam.

College Policy Statement:
The Salem State College 2008-2010 catalog states on page 339, "Salem State College is committed to providing equal access to the educational experience for all students in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and The Americans with Disabilities Act and to providing all reasonable academic accommodations, aids and adjustments. Any student who has a documented disability requiring an accommodation, aid or adjustment should speak with the instructor immediately. Students with Disabilities who have not previously done so should provide documentation to and schedule an appointment with the Office for Students with Disabilities (phone 978-542-6217 or e-mail osd@salemstate.edu ) and obtain appropriate services."

In the event of a college declared critical emergency, Salem State College reserves the right to alter this course plan.  Students should refer to www.salemstate.edu for further information and updates.  The course attendance policy stays in effect until there is a college declared critical emergency. 

Course Description:
This course will include sets, real numbers, inequalities, the straight line, functions, operations on matrices, systems of equations, inverse of a matrix, linear programming, the Simplex method, counting, permutations and combinations, sample spaces and probability. Three lecture hours per week.

Last Day to Withdraw from the Course:
The last day on which withdrawal from the course is permitted with a "W" grade is Friday, November 20.

Math/ Computer Lab:
Free tutoring and a variety of mathematics software packages are available in the Math/ Computer Lab, SB306. Hours will be posted, and are expected to be from 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. on Monday - Thursday and from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Friday during most of the semester.

Global Goals: This course is intended to provide the student with

1. An appreciation of the usefulness of mathematics as a tool to analyze problem situations using techniques including linear algebra, linear programming and probability.
2. An opportunity to see how mathematics can be useful to model problems from real life situations and in particular business situations.
3. The skills needed to compute, interpret and make decisions using matrix algebra and probability techniques.
4. An appreciation for the usefulness of spreadsheets and computer software as tools to solve and analyze problems.
5. An appreciation for the ability of spreadsheets to produce graphs which serve as an aid in visualizing data.
6. An understanding of linear programming problems and their solutions by means of a graphical approach and an algorithmic approach via the simplex method.
7. A general understanding of sets and counting, the fundamental counting principle and a brief introduction to the study of probability.

Instructional Objectives: The student will be able to:

1. Write, interpret and graph linear equations and inequalities, as well as solve applied linear equation problems.
2. Solve systems of linear equations using algebraic and matrix algebra techniques, including Gaussian elimination and inverse matrix techniques.
3. Use Excel to perform operations on matrices.
4. Use the Solver feature built into Excel to solve systems of linear equations
5. Solve applied problems involving systems of linear equations.
6. Use Excel to produce graphs.
7. Recognize and correctly analyze linear programming problems in two variables and solve them graphically.
8. Solve applied linear programming problems using the simplex method.
9. Use the Solver feature built into Excel to solve linear programming problems involving, for example, maximizing the profit subject to constraints involving the amounts of various commodities that are available or minimizing the cost subject to constraints involving the amounts of various goods that are required to be made.
10. Understand and calculate permutations and combinations and apply these counting techniques to solve applied problems in probability.

Tentative Schedule of Course Topics:

Week	Topics	Sections in Text
1	Rectangular coordinates; lines; intersection point of a pair of lines; the slope of a straight line; applications: prediction, break-even point.	1.1, 1.2, 1.3
2	Solving systems of linear equations.	2.1, 2.2, 2.3
3	Matrix algebra, arithmetic operations on matrices; the inverse of a matrix.	2.4, 2.5, 2.6
4	Applications: Leontief model.	2.7
5	Linear programming problems: graphical solutions	3.1, 3.2
6	Linear programming problems: simplex method; solution using the Solver feature of Excel.	4.1, 4.2
7	Linear programming problems: nonstandard cases such as minimum problems.	4.3, 4.4
8	Marginal analysis.
9	Sets, the counting (or inclusion-exclusion) formula, Venn diagrams and counting	6.1, 6.2
10	The multiplication principle, permutations and combinations.	6.3, 6.4, 6.5
11	Further counting problems, the Binomial theorem.	6.6
12	Experiments, sample spaces, outcomes and events; assignment of probabilities.	7.1, 7.2
13	Calculating probabilities of events; conditional probability and independence.	7.3, 7.4, 7.5
14	Tree diagrams, Bayes' formula, the Binomial probability model; applications; random variables.	8.1 - 8.4
15	Final Exam

Bibliography:

1. Armstrong, Bill and Don Davis, Finite Mathematics: Solving Problems in Business, Economics, and the Social and Behavioral Sciences, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 2003.
2. Barnett, Raymond A., Michael R. Ziegler and Karl E. Byleen, Finite Mathematics for Business, Economics, Life Sciences and Social Sciences, 11th ed., Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 2007.
3. Berresford, Geoffrey C. and Andrew M. Rockett, Finite Mathematics, 2nd ed., Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass., 2005.
4. Goldstein, Larry J., David I. Schneider and Martha J. Siegel, Finite Mathematics & Its Applications, 10th ed., Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 2010.
5. Johnson, David B. and Thomas A. Mowry, Finite Mathematics: Practical Applications, Brooks/ Cole Publ. Co., Pacific Grove, CA, 1999.
6. Lial, Margaret L., Thomas W. Hungerford and John P. Holcomb, Jr., Finite Mathematics with Applications in the Management, Natural, and Social Sciences, 10th ed., Pearson/ Addison-Wesley., Boston, Mass., 2010.
7. Math Archives, http://archives.math.utk.edu (Web site).
8. Math Forum, http://mathforum.org (Web site).
9. The Math Works, Inc., MATLAB and Simulink Student Version (Release 2009a), available from http://www.mathworks.com/academia/student_version/  (Web site).
10. Tan, Soo Tang, Finite Mathematics for the Managerial, Life and Social Sciences, 9th ed., Brooks/ Cole, Belmont, CA, 2009.
11. Texas Instruments calculator software, http://education.ti.com/educationportal/sites/US/nonProductMulti/apps_latest.html  (Web site).
12. Waner, Stefan and Steven R. Costenoble, Finite Mathematics, 5th ed., Cengage Brooks Cole, Belmont, CA, 2009.
13. Wilson, Frank C., Finite Mathematics, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass., 2007.
    
14. Young, Paula G., Todd Lee, Paul E. Long and Jay Graening, Finite Mathematics: An Applied Approach, 3rd ed., Pearson/ Addison Wesley, Boston, Mass., 2004.