PreAlgebra Syllabus

Required Text and Material (this is a little complicated; please read carefully):

This course requires a Textbook and a MyMathLab Student Access Kit, both published
by Prentice Hall . Unless you already have the text for this course (perhaps because you
bought it for the course Foundations of Mathematics), you will probably save money by
buying a package from the Northeastern University bookstore containing both the textbook
and a MyMathLab Student Access Kit. The ISBN for this package is 0132416328. If you
buy the kit de signated for this course and KEY number, you’ll get the right materials.

The complete description of the textbook, which is included in the package mentioned
above, is: Martin-Gay, Elayn; P realgebra and Introductory Algebra; Second Edition;
Prentice-Hall; ISBN 0131577050.

The MyMathLab Student Access Kit you need is also included in the package. If you
have the text, you can buy the MyMathLab kit alone as: MyMathLab Standalone Student
Access Kit. At the Northeastern Bookstore, the kit alone has the ISBN 032119991X.

However you acquire these materials, make sure that (1) you get the second edition of the
textbook and, (2) you purchase an unused copy of the MyMathLab Student Access Kit.
Before use, this kit needs to be registered with the publisher and the registration process
will not work if it has been used before.

Course Prerequisites

Students enrolled in Pre Algebra need to have a strong basis in the arithmetic of real numbers. If your
background in this area is weak you should take the MTH 4004, Foundations of Mathematics course
prior to taking PreAlgebra.

If you have any question about your ability to do the work in this course, look at the textbook, which is
also used in the more basic course Foundations of Mathematics. PreAlgebra begins with chapter 9
and continues through chapter 15 of this text. Therefore, to take PreAlgebra, you should be
comfortable with the material in chapters 1 through 8.

Course Description

The course is an introduction to algebra, including the simplifying of algebraic expressions; solving
and graphing linear equations and inequalities; radicals, exponents, factoring polynomials , rational
expressions, systems of equations, and quadratic equations.

Course Outcomes

Students will have the opportunity to:

•simplify algebraic expressions
•develop competency in solving linear equations and linear inequalities
•apply their knowledge of linear equations to solve problems
•develop competency in graphing linear functions and linear inequalities
•learn how the slope of a line is used in linear equations
•develop competency in solving systems of linear equations
•apply their knowledge of linear systems to problems
•apply the rules for exponents to problems
•develop competency in representing numbers in scientific notation
•develop competency in adding, subtracting, multiplying, and factoring polynomials
•develop competency in working with rational expressions

Course Methodology

Because this is an online section, there are no physical meetings. You will view lectures online, read
material in the textbook, do homework exercises, and complete quizzes and exams on your own, but
you are never without a source of help. Your instructor is available, by telephone or email, to
explain the material and to answer your questions. Tutorial services are also available via
Blackboard and myMathLab (see below).

This course uses the Blackboard software system, accessed through the College of Professional
Studies Blackboard site, to guide you through assignments, week by week. Quizzes, a mid-term
exam, and a final exam are all taken online. You must have access to a computer with a web
browser and a high-speed internet connection to take this course.

You will do homework and take quizzes and exams using MyMathLab, an interactive system that
analyses any errors you may make and guides you to understanding topics where you may be having
difficulty. After completing a quiz or exam you receive immediate feedback.

Each week, you will be expected to:
1. Review the week's learning objectives.
2. Complete assigned readings in our textbook.
3. Review the online lectures for each section.
4. Using MyMathLab, complete all homework for the week
5. Participate in the Discussion Board
6. Using MyMathLab, complete and submit all quizzes and exams by the due dates.

Please Note: In the summer session, this course is completed in eight weeks, rather than in 12
weeks as is done in the other quarters of the academic year. Accordingly, you should be prepared to
devote sufficient time to do the required work. Students in prior sections of this course have reported
needing from 6 to 12 hours per week; you may need more or less, depending on your ability and level
of preparation.

Online Tutoring

Online tutoring is available 24/7 from within Blackboard via a link to a tutoring service called
SMARTHINKING. Look in the left hand navigation bar within the Blackboard system and click on
“Free online tutoring”. No login is required when entering this service area from within blackboard.
MyMathLab also has its own tutors, available to you by telephone at no extra cost. Details are
provided with the MyMathLab Student Access Kit.

Contact the Instructor When You Have Problems

You should contact your instructor when you are unable to complete an example or you encounter
frustration with the assignments. The time when you encounter difficulty is the best time to resolve it.

Participation in the Discussion Board

The instructor will post questions on the discussion board weekly.

Students are required to check the discussion board frequently, and to post an initial response to the
instructor’s questions by Wednesday of each week.

Students are also encouraged to post their own questions about material in the course, including
descriptions of trouble they has with the material, and how they handled it.

Communication/Submission of Work

You will do homework and take quizzes and exams using MyMathLab, an interactive system that
analyses any errors you may make and guides you to understanding topics where you may be having
difficulty. MyMathLab guides you when you have difficulty, and in the case of quizzes and exams,
provides you with an immediate grade and helpful feedback.

Grading/Evaluation Standards

Grading will be based on the following weights:

Class Schedule / Topical Outline

Here’s what we’ll cover in the course. The numbers refer to chapters and sections in the textbook
Prealgebra & Introductory Algebra. Note that the weeks in this online course run from Monday
morning through Sunday midnight. When there is a quiz or exam, the deadline for submission is
Sunday night.

Topical outline by section:
9.2 Properties of Real Numbers
9.3 Further Solving Linear Equations
9.4 Further Problem Solving
9.5 Formulas and Problem Solving
9.6 Linear Inequalities and Problem Solving
10.1 Exponents
10.2 Negative Exponents and Scientific Notation
10.3 Introduction to Polynomials
10.4 Adding and Subtracting Polynomials
10.5 Multiplying Polynomials
10.6 Special Products
10.7 Dividing Polynomials
11.1 The greatest Common Factor
11.2 Factoring Trinomials of the Form x^2+ bx + c
(skip 11.3; a better way to factor trinomials is in section 11.4)
11.4 Factoring Trinomials of the form ax^2 + bx + c by Grouping
11.5 Factoring By Special Products
11.6 Solving Quadratic Equations by Factoring
11.7 Quadratic Equations and Problem Solving
12.1 Simplifying Rational Expressions
12.2 Multiplying and Dividing Rational Expressions
12.3 Adding and Subtracting Rational Expressions with the Same Denominator and Least Common
Denominator
12.4 Adding and Subtracting Rational Expressions with Different Denominators
12.5 Solving Equations Containing Rational Expressions
13.1 The Rectangular Coordinate System
13.2 Graphing Linear Equations
13.3 Intercepts
13.4 Slope and Rate of Change
13.5 Equations of Lines
13.6 Introduction to Functions
14.1 Solving systems of Linear Equations by Graphing
14.2 Solving Systems of Linear Equations by Substitution
14.3 Solving Systems of Linear Equations by Addition
Integrated Review — Systems of Linear Equations
14.4 Systems of Linear Equations and Problem Solving
15.1 Introduction to Radicals
15.2 Simplifying Radicals
15.3 Adding and Subtracting Radicals
15.4 Multiplying and Dividing Radicals