MATH 208, March 2015WEEK ONE LECTUREWelcome to fve weeks of college algebra, Algebra I, the frst of two courses in college algebra that will fulfll your math academic requirement.Ugh, many of you are probably saying -- I dont need math except as a course requirement.Ill never use it again.However, one of my objectives is to show you how this course relates to things you do every day.In this course we focus on fundamental skills you need to understand to be efective in todays business world.We will discuss numbers, linear equations, exponents and inequalities in our fve weeks together.We will use the text, exercises and MyMathLab (MML) to sharpen your understanding and skills, but we will also use discussion questions to relate our class work to real world problems so that you can see how the concepts we are learning will be useful in your daily lives and workplace.According to the Encyclopedia Britannica:Algebra is a branch of mathematics in which the operations and procedures of addition and multiplication are applied to variables rather than specifc numbers.So, while 2 + 2 = 4 is math, x + y = 4 is algebra because xand y can have diferent values.Can you fgure out what combinations of x and y will satisfy this simple formula?Week One Basics.Please read your syllabus for details on this weeks assignments.There is a lot to accomplish this frst week, including orientation and frst use of MyMathLab (MML).One requirement of all courses at UOP is participation.You may earn participation credit for a message posted in response to any of the learning activities.Under Recommended Learning Activities you will fnd two or more DQs, a terminology no longer used at UOP (now called First Messages).These should be your primary resource for posting materials to be considered for participation.When you come across problems or concepts you do not understand, please post your concern to the Classroom forum.Your classmates, and I, can probably help your understanding.Remember, there are no stupid questions we have all struggled with the same things at one time or another!I want to discuss MyMathLab (MML) because of its importance as a core tool of our learning experience.PAGE 1 OF 6MATH 208, March 2015WEEK ONE LECTUREMyMathLab (MML):MML is the tool we use for algebra exercises, homework assignments, study and the Final Exam.You will fnd it under the Assignments tab.Start with the Orientation to familiarize yourself with how the software works.Please note that MML is very fussy about the form of the answer, so youll want to give some time to being sure you understand the MML language.MML starts each weeks learning by identifying several concepts that are the objectives for that week.You will work through the Study Plan practice until you are comfortable with that objectives material, then try the QuizMe to test whether you truly have mastered that concept.There is no limit to the number of time you can cycle through practice/QuizMe to master the concept.Mastery is demonstrated by correctly solving 3 of the 5 problems in the QuizMe.After you have mastered approximately 66% of the concepts, you will be allowed to take the weekly Checkpoint, a test of the weeks material.One attempt only.It is important to note here that earning the privilege of taking the Checkpoint does not automatically earn you full credit for the Study Plan.Study Plan scoring is based on the number of Mastery Points earned divided by the total number of Mastery Points presented each week.Practice:Each objective or concept will ofer 10 to 20 practice problems to hone your skills before taking the QuizMe.You can access this Practice as many times during the week as you want stop and start to meet your progress and your personal schedule.Note the help aids along the right hand side of the work screen. Help Me Solve This this tab will take you step-by-step through the problem you just tried to work; then will give you another problem of the same type, but with diferent values.View an Example this tab will take you step-by-step through a problem of the same type, but not the same problem.I like this format better, because it gives you the solution technique, but not a new problem.I would advise you to print out as many of these view examples as you think you need, but mark on them which section of the text this problem came from this information does not print out, and helps you organize your notes and your recovery ability.Textbook this tab will take you to the section of the text that applies to this problem type.Print this table will ask you whether you want to print out this problem, or the entire homework assignment.This can be useful if you have commute time or PAGE 2 OF 6MATH 208, March 2015WEEK ONE LECTUREbreaks during your day when you could be familiarizing yourself with the assignment problems, perhaps even solving those you understand.Also note a number in italics in the upper-right-hand corner of the work screen this number is the reference to the problem type in the Text, and looks like 1.1.61 where 1.1 is the Chapter/Section of the text, and 61 is the problem number in the Exercises for that chapter/section.When you go to the referenced problem, you will see a header that identifes the portion of the Chapter for this problem, which will allow you to navigate to the material that explains the concept.Once you have earned sufcient Mastery Points, your will be allowed access to the Checkpoint, the weekly quiz.For this element of MML, you will not have any help aids as you are being tested to determine how well you have mastered the weekly concepts tosolve algebraic problems.This element of MML also is preparing you for the Final Exam, for which there will be no help aids so work through the Checkpoint, learn how much Study Plan practice you should do before trying next weeks Checkpoint; and gain the experience of not knowing whether you got the answer right before moving on!I guarantee you that if you follow this regimen faithfully, you will do fne in the course!Remember that MML is a tireless instructor, and will work with you and work with you over and over until you master a concept!!WEEK ONE LEARNING:This weeks material contains the building blocks for the course.I cannot emphasize enough the importance of learning this material to set the stage for what follows.Without an understanding of the basics, the rest of this course can become a nightmare.Numbers, Variables, and Expressions:This section introduces you to the defnition of numbers, but more importantly to the concept of variables.Remember above, when I said that algebra is just math with variables?A couple of examples:Evaluating an expression:x + 4 = 12Can you solve this?x = 12 4 x = 8Using words to describe an equation: When we add 4 plus twice 4, our answer is 12.Fractions: I do want to emphasize fractions, since fractions will be a big part of this course and MTH209.Fractions are common in algebra, as you will see.Fractions are also common in the real world (one-half gallon of orange juice, one-quarter pound of butter [but Im only making a 1/3rd portion of the recipe!?!], 25% [one-quarter] of the adult minimum daily requirement of Vitamin C, and on and on).PAGE 3 OF 6MATH 208, March 2015WEEK ONE LECTUREI would spend some serious time learning about fractions.Many students are intimidated by fractions, but there is no need to be but you must understand them!If you cannot put your mind around fractions, try Chapter 1.2 of the Text; and if that doesnt resolve your fears, post a question in the Classroom, with an example of what specifc issues are not understood.Well work with them until youve got it!!I cannot emphasize enough that fractions must be understood and theirmanipulation to be practically automatic for success in this class.Exponents and Order of Operations:Exponents are the result of multiplying the same number or variable by itself, over and over again:3 3 = 9;3 3 3 = 9 3 = 27a a = a2;a a a = a3Then we have the ORDER OF OPERATIONS, which is the order in which you do mathematical operations so that we can all get the same answer!!There is a simple sentence that is going to help us remember the order of operations:Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally or PEMDAS.This simply means we [1] do everything in Parenthesis, [2] compute the value of any Exponential expressions, [3] Multiply/Divide beginning left working to right, [4] Add/Subtract, again beginning left working to right.If you do not follow the Order of Operations, you will likely get the wrong answer!!Real Numbers and the Number Line:Im going to focus on the Number Line.We can construct one very simply:--|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|----|-- -4 -3 -2 -101234If I tell you to add 2 to 1, then to subtract 5, you can do the math:2 + 1 5, but you canalso use the number line and count the values with positive numbers to the right and negative numbers to the left.This simple mechanism comes in very handy when you have an expression or equation with several values, and a mixture of + and signs; and most particularly when we deal with inequalities.Trust me on this!!Addition and Subtraction:While we have probably learned addition and subtraction since we were very young, it is surprising how confusing this can get in an algebra class! For example:-2 + (-4) = ??Look at the numbe !"ne## $tat at t%o &!a'e( tothe !e)t o) *eo+ then mo,e )ou moe &!a'e( !e)t? - ".ht?PAGE 4 OF 6MATH 208, March 2015WEEK ONE LECTUREMultiplication and Division:Similar issues, but we should have learned much of this many years ago.And, fnallyProperties of Real Numbers:While this material is important, I do not want you to get to worrying about the defnitions.Do not bother to memorize the defnitions refer to your notes when such a question is asked.Learn to do the operations/ommutat",e0 a + b = b + a1((o'"at",e0 (a + b) + ' = a + (b + ')2"(t"but",e0a(b + ') = ab + a'And, fnallySimplifying and Writing Algebraic Expressions:Weve learned a lot this week, and now we put it together, so to speak:Simplifying:3x + 2x + x = (x)(3 + 2 + 1) = 6xRemember that you can only combine like terms:3x + 2x + 1 = 5x + 1 This is not the same as the example above!!TIMS SUMMARY FOR WEEK ONE:Let me repeat this mantra:It will be critical for you to put in your time in this frst week START EARLY AND OFTEN!This is where you learn the basics, and if you do not master the concepts and the mechanics, you will fnd it very difcult to keep up with the remainder of the material.Here is a tip from a student in one of my prior classes:The most important tip I could pass on is do the exercises.Make time for all of the exercises and go through them until you understand why you are doing what you are doing, not just how to do it.It is so important to start in Chapter One and methodically work your way through all of the problem types in order to grasp an understanding of why you do certain things and the order that they need to be completed.It is very important that you start in Chapter One and continue through since all of the following chapters build upon what is learned in the prior chapter.The more time you spend with the Text and MML (including the Study Plan), the greater your understanding of the material, and the higher your chances of PAGE 5 OF 6MATH 208, March 2015WEEK ONE LECTUREconsiderable success (higher grade) than if you treat MML as an enemy and not a friend!!;-))This weeks reading assignment is Chapter 1.There is a lot of material here, but dont beintimidated by the amount of material to cover.When you come across problems or concepts you do not understand, you will fnd that your classmates can help if you post your problem to the Classroom.If you continue to have trouble, you may post a private note, and we can determine how we might bring you up to speed.PAGE 6 OF 6