Mat 107: Math and the Environment                         Back to My Homepage: http://www.seattlecentral.edu/faculty/glangkamp/
Greg Langkamp - Seattle Central Community College                                    
Course Syllabus Fall 2004

Instructor:  Greg Langkamp              phone:  587-3810                  email:  glangkamp@sccd.ctc.edu

Office:    5115        Office Hours:   Daily 12:15-1:15  (or just set up an appointment)

Course Description: This course will explore environmental issues and problems using the mathematics of functions, data analysis and basic statistics. Much coursework will entail hands-on activities and projects, taking place in active group settings. Students will make use of calculator technology for data manipulation and display. Students may wish to take environmental science (ENV150) to complement the topics explored in this course.

Note that a 13-credit interdisciplinary course (CSP) linking MAT107, Environmental Science, Excel basics and 2 Field trips will be offered Spring quarter, 2005. For more information click here.

Prerequisites:  Mat 098 with a 2.0 or better or sufficiently high placement exam score.  Anyone not meeting these prerequisites should see me ASAP. Note:  If you met the prerequisite for this course by passing a placement test, be aware that the accuracy of such tests is fairly low.   It may be the case that you were placed correctly, but perhaps you were placed either too high or too low.  If you suspect that you are in the wrong course, please come and see me ASAP, and I’ll try to help you get into the correct course.

Course Contents:   The following is an approximate guide, subject to revision:

# days

Unit of Study

 Text Chapters

Project

7

Units, Percents, and other Essential Math

 Ch 1, 2 Melting the World's Ice

5

 Graphical Methods Ch 3 U.S. energy consumption

10

 Introduction to Statistics Ch 11 Urban Runoff Index (part A)

10

 Standard Deviation Ch 12 Urban Runoff Index (part B)

10

 Normal Distributions Ch 13 The Statistics of Hazardous Waste

13

 Linear Functions Ch 4 Measuring Total Fertility Rates

Required Materials:

a) 6 Billion and Counting, a text written by Greg Langkamp and Joe Hull of SCCC. The text will eventually be published by Prentice-Hall. For this course, the text is available in a photocopy format in the 3rd floor copy center of SCCC. The first part of the text that we'll use is currently available for about $12+ tax. Sometime during the middle of the quarter you will need to purchase the second part (for a lesser price). I recommend that you purchase a medium-sized 3-ring binder to store the text.

b)  Pencil, eraser, lined paper, graph paper, and a small ruler.  Work will not be graded if done in ink!

c)  Graphing calculator (TI-83, TI-83+, or TI-84 required)   The textbook is specifically written to make use of the functions on these calculators. Renting Calculators:  TI-83+ calculators are available to rent for $20/quarter.  You will need to pay $20 to the school cashier (on the first floor).  On Wednesday of the first week, rental calculators will be handed out in class.  Bring your receipt to class, fill out a contract, get the calculator.  You may rent calculators earlier than Wednesday during my office hours.

Student work :  You should expect to spend on average 2 hours per day for this course outside of class; this time will consist of reading the textbook, reading class notes, doing problems from the text and worksheets, working on the projects and studying for quizzes.

Group work: Modern educational theory suggests that students who actively engage in group discussions and problem solving sessions learn more than counterparts who do it alone. My observations from many years of teaching agree with this. I have structured this course so that there will be many activities during and outside of class in which you will have the opportunity/requirement to work in groups. You will need to make some effort to be flexible and accommodating to work out times when you can get together with your group. I also suggest that you find a study partner (or two) to work on regular textbook and worksheet assignments. Exchange phone numbers and emails!!

Projects: A large part of this course (almost 50% of your grade) is based upon group projects. For each project, I will offer 2-4 days in class for group work, depending on the length of the project. Additional project work is required outside of class. It is imperative that you attend all project days as you will be working with your group. Students who do not "pull their weight" with the projects will have their grades reduced.

Homework: There will be readings and problems in the text assigned on a regular basis, following lecture material. Some of the homework will act as a prelude to the projects, so it will be necessary to do homework problems as soon as they are assigned. Homework will be collected and graded regularly.

Quizzes: There will be quiz (30-40 minutes long) following each unit of study. The quizzes will test your understanding of the unit's mathematical material taken from the text and projects. For each quiz you are allowed to bring in a 3"x5" card of notes to consult as you wish.  The last quiz will take place on the final exam day: Wednesday, December 15, 8am-10am.

Grades (points subject to change):             

Homework (7-8) 10 points each
Projects (6) 10-40 points each
Quizzes (6) 20 points each

Grades will be computed as follows:    Grade = 0.073 times percentage correct –  2.96

(This makes 95% correct = 4.0 , 89% = 3.5, 75% = 2.5, 61% = 1.5, 50% = 0.7.)

Example:   In the middle of the quarter, a student has quiz scores of 16, 18 , and 12; project scores of 25, 30 and 28, and homework scores of 9, 9 and 10. The total is 157 out of a possible 180.    The percentage correct is (157/180)x100%=87.2%. The quarter grade is:  grade = 0.073(87.2)–2.96 = 3.4

Policy on missing quizzes, homework, projects, etc: 

·         By signing up for this course you are expected to attend every day. If you plan to be absent and can notify me in advance, I will try to help you plan ahead so you may study on your own.   This is not a promise – it depends on the reasonableness of your request. 

·         If you miss an important project day, you will be "docked" some points. Homework that is turned in late will lose 1 point for every day that it is late. If you miss 1 quiz, don't worry; the lowest quiz score will be replaced by the mean of the other 5 quiz scores. If you miss 2 or more quizzes, those scores will equal 0.

·         Please do not call me for assignments if you miss class.  (With over 90 students each quarter, I cannot accommodate all your requests!).  Call a member of your group - they can also let you know about other important things that you might have missed.

Posted Solutions:  I will post solutions for most quizzes and worksheets on my bulletin board, located around the corner from my office.

Tutoring Help:  You will find assistance at the MATH TUTORING LAB  (Room 5119, offers "drop in" help, open daily)  Also check out COLLEGE WIDE TUTORING (2nd floor above latte stand, by appointment)  Both are free!!

Other Resources:  The SCCC math faculty have a web site with sample syllabi, course information, and cool math links. See  http://www.seattlecentral.org/learn/math/

Data Sets on the World Wide Web                       

Special Accommodations: Students with documented disabilities who need course accommodations, have emergency medical information or require special arrangements for building evacuation should contact the instructor within the first two weeks of class.

Final Note: Information in this syllabus may be modified anytime during the quarter.   back to top