ma005 Syllabus

Updated: May 20, 2010

MA-005 Syllabus

Textbook for MA 005: to be updated ...

NU Catalog Description: MA 005 - Preparatory Mathematics: A review of high school mathematics with some geometry in preparation for freshman level mathematics. Students assigned to MA005 must satisfactorily complete it before enrolling in any other mathematics course. 3 lecture hours

Overview: This course is designed to teach you math skills and problem solving techniques. It can serve as preparation for other college level math courses as well.

The List of Topics serves as an outline of the material to be covered. Sections covered may vary from this outline. Specific assignments of exercises and class activities which are appropriate for each topic are given in class each week.

As a general rule, you are expected to restrict the use of calculators to those operations that involve numbers having more than 2 digits or square roots that are not whole numbers. If you are in doubt about the use of a calculator on a specific problem, please ask me first.

Objectives: By the completion of MA-005 you should be able to:

  1. Perform operations using integers, fractions, decimals and irrational numbers (e. g. real numbers). Operations include addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, powers and roots.
  2. Apply concepts such as ratio, proportion, percent, average, area, perimeter, interval, number lines, equation, variable, rounding, median, estimate, graph and slope to set up and solve problems.
  3. Use a calculator to make difficult, lengthy or tedious calculations easy.
  4. Translate problems written in the English language into math notation; that is organize and write math symbols and letters of the alphabet that model the problem.
  5. Recognize where math skills and concepts are used to solve problems outside the university.

MA 005 Syllabus -- List of topics to be covered

Whole Numbers

  1. Inequality symbols
  2. Read and write whole number
  3. Round whole numbers
  4. Add, subtract, multiply, and divide whole numbers
  5. Powers of whole numbers
  6. Powers of ten
  7. Square roots
  8. Order of operations
  9. Average
  10. Perimeter and area
  11. Units
  12. Estimation

Fractions

  1. Definition of a fraction
  2. Multiply fractions
  3. Conversions: Improper fraction to mixed number and vice-versa
  4. Equivalent fractions
  5. Prime factorization of numbers
  6. Reducing fractions to lowest terms
  7. Add and subtract like-fractions
  8. Lowest Common Denominator (LCD)
  9. Add and subtract unlike-fractions
  10. Add, subtract, and multiply mixed numbers
  11. Divide fractions
  12. Powers and roots of fractions
  13. Combined operations (order of operations with fractions)
  14. Comparing fractions

Decimals

  1. Read and write decimal numbers
  2. Round decimals
  3. Add, subtract, and multiply decimals
  4. Divide decimals by whole numbers
  5. Divide decimals by decimals
  6. Multiply and divide by powers of ten
  7. Powers and roots of decimals
  8. Order of operations with decimals
  9. Conversions: Fraction to decimal and vice-versa
  10. Combined operations (order of operations with fractions and decimals)
  11. Compare decimals

Ratio, Proportion, and Percent

  1. Ratio and rate
  2. Proportion
  3. Word problems using proportions
  4. Conversions: Decimal to percent and vice-versa
  5. Conversions: Fraction to percent and vice-versa
  6. Fraction of a number
  7. Percent
  8. Word problems using percent

 

Graphs and Statistics

  1. Read bar graphs, pictographs, and line graphs
  2. Read pie charts
  3. Mean, median, mode, and range

Signed Numbers

  1. Signed numbers
  2. Graph signed numbers on the number line
  3. Add, subtract, multiply, and divide signed numbers
  4. Properties of numbers
  5. Operations with zero
  6. Powers and square roots of signed numbers

Evaluating Expressions

  1. More order of operations
  2. Group symbols
  3. Evaluate expressions
  4. Evaluate formulas

Equations and Inequalities

  1. Solve linear equations (one-step)
  2. Combine like-terms
  3. Solve linear equations (multi-step)
  4. Solve inequalities

Word Problems

  1. Define and use a variable
  2. Translate words into expressions or equations
  3. Use equations to solve word problems

Graphing

  1. Rectangular coordinate system
  2. Graph lines (linear equations)
  3. Slope of a line
  4. Equation of a line
  5. Graph curves (non-linear equations)

Exponents and Radicals

  1. Negative powers of ten
  2. Scientific notation

Geometry

  1. Angles, lines, polygons
  2. Triangles
  3. Perimeter, Area, and Volume