RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOK

Stitz and Zeager, Precalculus (3rd ed.) – Available free online

 

SECTION COVERAGE

The following table lists the minimum set of topics to be included in this course.  The number of lectures listed for each chapter is only a suggestion and will vary across instructors and semesters.

There are typically 42-43 lecture days in a semester, so lecture periods are available for exams.

Sections Topics Lectures
1.1-1.7 Relations, Graphs, and Functions 6
2.1 – 2.5 Linear and Quadratic Functions 5
3.1 – 3.4 Polynomial Functions 6
4.1 – 4.3 Rational Functions 4
5.1 – 5.2 Function Composition and Inverse Functions 4
6.1 – 6.5 Exponential and Logarithmic Functions 6
8.1 – 8.5 Systems of Equations and Matrices 7
Total 39

OPTIONAL TOPICS (time permitting)

  • Sections 9.1-9.3 on sequences, summation, induction, and counting
  • Other outside topics, readings, videos, or materials the Instructor deems relevant

 

MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES

  1. Students can interpret and use mathematical notation and vocabulary related to the concepts of a function and the graph of a function.
  2. Students can compose functions, invert functions, and interpret relationships between inverse functions via composition.
  3. Students can identify shifts, stretches, and compressions of a function via its graph and its defining formula.
  4. Students can write and graph linear functions and solve linear equations.
  5. Students can use data to find and interpret a linear relationship between quantities in a given context.
  6. Students can write and graph quadratic functions in various forms, and find their vertices and roots.
  7. Students can recognize the shape of a power function’s graph based on its exponent, and model various phenomena with power functions.
  8. Students can write and graph polynomial functions, identify their end behavior, and use technology to find their local extrema.
  9. Students can find real zeros of polynomial functions by hand and using technology.
  10. Students can write and graph rational functions, and find their domains, zeros, and asymptotes.
  11. Students can write and graph functions representing both exponential growth and exponential decay.
  12. Students can define a logarithm, graph logarithmic functions, and use the properties of logarithms to simplify logarithmic expressions.
  13. Students can solve exponential equations and use data to find and interpret an exponential relationship between quantities in context.
  14. Students can identify inconsistent systems of linear equations, and solve independent and dependent systems of linear equations using Gaussian elimination.
  15. Students can multiply matrices, find matrix inverses, and use matrix inverses to solve systems of linear equations.