Course Syllabus

Course Description:

[INSTRUCTORS: We have included a general description here as a place holder. As with all sections, feel free to keep this information, replace it with your local course description, or remove this section entirely.]

This course reviews and extends the concepts of elementary algebra, with problem solving skills emphasized throughout. Topics that are reviewed and extended include linear and quadratic equations, factoring polynomials, rational expressions, exponents, radicals, equations of lines, and systems of equations. New topics include graphs and their translations and reflections, functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, graphs of quadratic functions, conic sections, nonlinear systems of equations, polynomial, rational, and absolute value inequalities, sequences, series, and the Binomial Theorem.

Student Learning Outcomes:

[INSTRUCTORS: We have included general student learning outcomes here as a place holder. As with all sections, feel free to keep this information, replace it with your local Student Learning Outcomes, or remove this section entirely.]

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• simplify expressions and solve equations involving absolute values, polynomials, rational expressions, radicals, exponentials, and logarithms.
• solve systems of equations and solve linear, polynomial, rational, and absolute value inequalities.
• demonstrate an understanding of the definition of a function and use function notation, including the algebra of functions, composite functions, and inverse functions.
• sketch the graphs of basic functions, quadratic functions, transformations of these functions, and conic sections.
• apply algebraic methods when solving word problems.

Course Content:

[INSTRUCTORS: Insert course content]

• Linear Equations and Inequalities: solving equations, applications, inequalities, and absolute value equations and inequalities
• Quadratic Equations and Inequalities: factoring, completing the square, the quadratic formula, applications, quadratic inequalities, graphing quadratic functions
• Graphs and Functions: definition and function notation, intercepts, domain and range, graphs of basic functions including x^3, 1/x, square root, cube root, and absolute value, transformations of functions including horizontal and vertical shifting, vertical scale factor and reflections, functions as mathematical models, algebra of functions, composite functions, inverse functions
• Linear Functions: slope, equations of lines including slope-intercept form and point-slope form, applications
• Polynomial Functions: factoring higher degree polynomials including sum and difference of cubes and expressions with quadratic form, solving polynomial equations, applications, long division of polynomials, synthetic division, the Remainder Theorem, finding a polynomial given its real zeros, polynomial inequalities
• Rational Expressions, Equations, and Functions: integer exponents, factoring expressions containing integer exponents, rational expressions and functions, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing rational expressions, solving rational equations, variation, applications, rational inequalities
• Radicals and Complex Numbers: radicals and rational exponents, factoring expressions containing rational exponents, simplifying radical expressions, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing radical expressions, rationalizing binomial denominators, solving radical equations, operations on complex numbers and applications
• Conic Sections: midpoint formula, distance formula, graphs of parabolas (vertical and horizontal), circles, ellipses, hyperbolas, translations of each conic, identify conic sections from their equations, complete the square to write the equation in standard form
• Exponential Functions: graphs and transformations; solve exponential equations; modeling exponential growth and decay; the natural base
• Logarithmic Functions: definition and notation; common logs, natural logs and change-of-base; properties of logarithms; solve logarithmic equations; logarithmic functions and their graphs; applications
• Systems of Equations and Inequalities: substitution and addition methods of solving 2 by 2 and 3 by 3 linear systems of equations, non-linear systems of equations, systems of inequalities, and applications
• Systems of Equations and Inequalities: substitution and addition methods of solving 2 by 2 and 3 by 3 linear systems of equations, non-linear systems of equations, systems of inequalities, and applications

Textbook:

Great news: your textbook for this class is available for free online!
Intermediate Algebra from OpenStax, ISBN 1-947172-03-4 

You have several options to obtain this book:

• View online (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)
• Download a PDF (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)
• Order a print copy (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) 

You can use whichever formats you want. Web view is recommended -- the responsive design works seamlessly on any device.

Important Notes:

• All first week assignments need to be completed and submitted by the due date to avoid possibly being dropped from the class.

• Any student needing accommodations should inform the instructor. Students with disabilities who may need accommodations for this class are encouraged to notify the instructor and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) [link to your college's DSPS website] early in the quarter so that reasonable accommodations may be implemented as soon as possible. Students may contact the DRC by visiting the Center (located in room A205) or by phone (541-4660 ext. 249 voice or 542-1870 TTY for deaf students). All information will remain confidential.
• Academic dishonesty and plagiarism will result in a failing grade on the assignment. Using someone else's ideas or phrasing and representing those ideas or phrasing as our own, either on purpose or through carelessness, is a serious offense known as plagiarism. "Ideas or phrasing" includes written or spoken material, from whole papers and paragraphs to sentences, and, indeed, phrases but it also includes statistics, lab results, art work, etc.  Please see the YourCollegeName handbook for policies regarding plagiarism, harassment, etc. [link to your college's academic honesty policies]