5/20/19 Math 106 Final Exam Reminder: Tuesday, 5/21/19 from 2 - 3:50 pm
If you're taking the final exam, I'll see you there. The problems and point values are fairly easily split over each section covered. There are 8 pages consisting of 28 problems, some with several parts, with lots of space to show your steps and work. I hope you've been practicing problems and preparing for it and do well on it!
If you aren't taking it, please reply to let me know you will not be taking it. So far, this is the list of people I noted who already informed me. Let me know if I missed your name, or if your name is on this list, but you plan on taking the final.
Not taking final: Leanne, Megan, Karlee, Christopher, Brandi, Amy, Marlene, Nohemi, Ryan, Alyssa (?), Jackie, Madelyn, Nicole, Emily
Have a great summer!
5/15/19
Hi all,
In case I don't see you in class on Thursday or at the final, I want to let you know I hope you have great summer! I hope as a future teacher you will inspire your students to love and see the beauty in math. Elementary School teachers have a lot of influence in how their students view learning and math. I wish you the best!
I've graded Test 3 and recorded your score in MyOpenMath. Your current total out of 2500 points for the semester is showing in your gradebook in MyOpenMath. If you are satisfied with your grade, you may come to class to pick up your test, or to hang out and help others, or to have some candy, or review for fun, or you can skip class. Please let me know if you are sure you are NOT going to take the final exam next Tuesday, and to save trees, I'll print fewer tests. Read on so you can make an informed decision. I imagine the 8 of you who earned an A are happy with your grade. That's the most students I've ever had earning an A in this class! So Congratulations on your great work! Below is the grading scale from the Syllabus showing points needed for each letter grade. If you earned extra credit, that does not show in MyOpenMath, but you can add in those points to your total.
If you want to earn a higher grade than what you currently earned, please come to class to pick up your test so you can study it. Also bring your previous tests and reviews. This last class will be devoted to review for the final exam, either as a group, or individually. The final exam is cumulative, covering any material from the entire semester.
To figure out what you'd need on the final to get a higher grade, do this:
1) Go to your gradebook and write down your total points (not the percent).
2) Take the percent of your lowest test score and multiply by 6.
3) Subtract that number from your current number of points.
4) Add any extra credit points to your total.
5) That is your current total if you end up dropping that lowest test score. Look above for the points you'd need to earn the grade you are going for, and subtract your total from that number.
6) Divide that by 6. That's the percent you'd need on the final exam to get that grade.
Keep in mind that if it's impossible to get that percent because it's over 100%, I have this other option:
If you earn 90% or more on the final, you will earn at least a B.
If you earn 80% or more on the final, you will earn at least C.
If you earn 60% or more on the final, you will earn at least a D.
Example: Let's say Tim has 1700 points, which is a C, but wants to earn a B in the class. Tim's lowest test score is 72%. Multiply 72 by 6 to get 432. Subtract 432 from 1700, which is 1268. To earn a B, Tim needs 1750 points. Subtract 1268 from 1750. Tim needs 482 more points. Divide 482 by 6 to get the percent he'll need on the final: 482/6 is 80.333..., so Tim needs 81% on the final to earn a B.
5/7/19
1. Make sure you have and can do all the handouts I've posted in MyOpenMath.
Complete ALL problems in 8.2 before Thursday. Remember I passed out a new page 8 that is a square. I will be checking 8.2 on Tuesday as our last HW Check.
2. Do the two Ch. 8 Symmetry Reviews. On Thursday, we will be reviewing questions you have from and of the sections or reviews for Ch. 5, 7, 8, and Moebius Strip (done in class today). Test 3 over all of this material is on Tuesday, 5/14.
3. The last quiz of the semester will be the Proof of the Pythagorean Theorem, given on Thursday. Practice it a lot.
4. All Service Learning/Stream Festival paperwork must be turned in this Thursday, 5/9. Make sure you have your time sheet, journal, a typed reflection paper, evaluation sheets, etc. Put everything together and in order before coming to class. You must also give a short presentation on your SL or Stream Festival experience this Thursday (if there is time) or on Thursday, the last day of class.
5. Next Tuesday, both Ch. 8 Symmetry Reviews are due with all work shown, along with all Self Quizzes starting with SQ11. Put everything in order, and make sure it is neat and easy to follow.
6. The last regular day of class is Thursday, 5/16. I will return Test 3, and you will be able to check your grade so far in MyOpenMath.
7. The final exam in on Tuesday, 5/21 from 2-3:50 pm and covers everything from the entire semester. If you earn 90% or more on it, you will earn at least a B in the class. If you earn 80% or more on it, you will earn at least a C in the class. There is a lot of material to study. I suggest you start studying the previous Tests and Reviews, as well as Ch. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 in the book.
See you on Thursday. As always, you are more than welcome to come to my office hour which I hold before class starting at 1:30 pm.
4/18/19
Click the link for the schedule of what we did in class, and what is due on Tuesday. Also, in MyOpenMath, check out the corrections to packet and answers.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18CKqiGsT9-kCdotvI3IKknTrfI7Cjry2OswM4gqb6ug/edit#gid=0
Understanding transformations is not easy to learn on your own. I suggest you do the work in class if you need any help.
You need to know how to read the instructions carefully to be able to do transformations, and how to explain how to determine if a transformation is distance-preserving. For any 2 random points, the distance between the points must equal the distance between their images under the transformation to be distance-preserving. For 2a, the transformation is distance-preserving (check the distance from A to B compared to A* and B*, the distance from A to C compared to A* and C*, and the distance from B to C compared to B* and C*). I wrote the wrong answer on the answer key. For 2b, it is not. Check the distance from A to B compared to A+ and B+, the distance from A to C compared to A+ and C+, and the distance from B to C compared to B+ and C+)
Homework is always to do the problems twice! That's how you'll process it better and remember how to do them.
Have a great weekend. If you are celebrating Easter or Passover or any other happy event, I hope you enjoy celebrating!
4/16/19
Attached (to the email I sent) is the Ch. 5 Review problems to be turned in at the beginning of class on Thursday. If you have to miss class, scan all work and email to me by 2 pm on Thursday. It's worth 10 points toward HW Checks.
Bring Ch 5 and Ch 7 to class on Thursday, along with your mira, compass, ruler, etc.
We are having a Ch. 5 Quiz on Thursday, the presentations, and doing 7.1. There may also be another HW or Quiz assignment given in class. I usually post info in MyOpenMath, including the Tentative Schedule, so check that regularly.
Thanks to all of you who have presented problems from Ch. 5 so far. We have a few more this Thursday. Make sure you have all the conversions down, including the Metric system. You can do it! It's a matter of writing it down a few times until it feels natural. I will give you the conversion from inches to cm, miles to feet, and kg to pounds. You need to know everything else. Go for it!
Have a wonderful evening!
4/5/19
I wanted to let you know about this opportunity. Please read the following and consider applying if it is something you might be interested in. Note the part in bold below: $1000 scholarship, staff parking permit!
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Marc Mendoza <mmendoza@miracosta.edu>
Date: Fri, Apr 5, 2019 at 12:08 PM
MiraCosta College Community,
With our commitment to putting students first, we believe student voice is essential. ASG (Associated Student Government) is a strong avenue for activating student voice. We would like your help and ask that you encourage your students to apply to serve on the 2019-2020 ASG.
The application deadline has been extended to Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at 1:00pm.
This is an amazing opportunity for students that encourages personal and professional growth, provides leadership opportunities, elevates the student voice on campus and looks phenomenal on a resume.
ASG elected and appointed officers receive a scholarship of $1000, staff parking passes and opportunities to receive letters of recommendation from advisors.
Students can learn more about the positions and apply by clicking here: www.miracosta.edu/vote
Please contact asg@miracosta.edu with any questions.
Thank you for your support.
Kind regards,
Marc
Marc Mendoza
President - Associated Student Government
4/5/19
There is important info about the class. Please read and save this email. The final exam is on Tuesday, 5/21/19 from 2-3:50 pm. Click here for the tentative schedule for this class that I usually update regularly.
Click here for links to videos on conversions/rates if you would like to view more examples for some of the types of problems in 5.1 (and 5.2). Make sure you learn the metric system. You need to memorize it. I will give you the English/metric conversion 1 in. = 2.54 cm, and the conversions in the English system such as 1 mile = 5280 feet, etc. You can google metric system or metric system conversion or dimensional analysis on YouTube for more methods/examples if you need more help.
Please complete 5.1 before Tuesday. I'll be doing a 5.1 HW check while you do a Self Quiz at the beginning of class.
Have a Great Weekend! I will be out of town at a funeral through Monday. However, I am happy to help anyone during my office hours before class (1:30-2:20 pm) any Tuesday or Thursday in room 3622, and I am also available after class.
3/27/19
Complete 6.1 by Thursday, and as much of the Test 2 Review as possible before class so if you have questions or need help, I can help you in class. Bring cut-outs (2 each) of the shapes on page 12. Test 2 will be given on Tuesday, 4/2/19, and will cover Chapters 3.1-3.4, 4.1-4.2 and 6.1. The Test 2 Review was handed out in class on Tuesday, and is attached in case you were absent. It's also posted in MyOpenMath.
On Thursday, bring Ch. 3, 4, and 6, and all your Self-Quizzes and Quizzes since the last test. If you are not doing Service Learning or the Stream Festival, remember that your Quiz scores replace that grade. If you aren't doing well on quizzes (or have been missing a lot of them) and haven't signed up to do Service Learning or the Stream Festival, consider doing that to bring up your grade. Your grades are in MyOpenMath.
On the day of the test, you will need to turn in the Self-Quizzes since the last test, and the complete solutions with all work shown for Review for Test 2. Your Self-Quizzes need to be neat (re-do if necessary), in order, and labeled by date, with your name on each page. If you miss one, get it from someone else in class. The Review for Test 2 needs to be complete, neat, with all work shown. I will be posting solutions in MyOpenMath.
Make sure you always bring the book (or sections we will be working on as well as ALL previous sections) to class. I will do a HW check for 6.1 at the beginning of class on Thursday, and plan to do a HW check daily at most every class for the remainder of the semester. You need to be organized and have materials out and ready to be checked by me at the beginning of class. You must be in class with your materials ready at the time I check it. At the beginning of any class, I may be giving a Self-Quiz or a real Quiz, so be there on time.
If you plan to take the extra credit Proof of the Pythagorean Quiz at the Math Learning Center in the library, note it's on a first-come first-served basis, so plan accordingly. You might have to wait. The latest you may take it in on Thursday, 4/4, at 1 pm, and only if seats are available. I suggest you go on an earlier date, and give yourself plenty of time. See MyOpenMath for the other extra credit opportunities and deadlines. Click Here to Follow the Tentative Schedule for class. Click Here for the Solutions to the Chapters. Bookmark those links.
See you on Thursday. STUDY and redo problems as many times as it takes to feel confident that you can do any problem from Ch. 3, 4, or 6 in the book, or on the review.
3/14/19 Pythagorean Theorem Proof, Pi Day, and schedule...
I forgot I had made a video explaining a proof of the Pythagorean Theorem. Strangely enough, I was cleaning up the icons on my computer's desktop today, and the mp4 was right there. I have no idea how it got there, but the Universe works in mysterious ways! This is not the full written proof you will need to write out in its entirety with all steps for extra credit, but I am showing illustrations, explaining my reasoning, and showing the algebra on this video. Click link: http://youtu.be/4zBTHsnsRfo
Also, we are going to skip Chapter 5 for now, and do 6.1 first. If time allow, we might start 6.1 today, but will mainly be working on it the Tuesday after Spring break. So Test 2 will cover Chapters 3.1-3.4, 4.1-4.2 and 6.1. Make sure you always bring the book (or pages we will be working on as well as previous sections) to class.
It's Pi Day today! So, Happy Pi Day. π is usually estimated as 3.14... That number has been calculated to over a trillion digits so far, so I can't write all the digits here. It's the most famous irrational number and people are eating more pie and pizza today! And did you know that March 14 (3.14), was Albert Einstein's birthday?
3/13/19 Extra Credit Opportunities
In a testing environment, state the Pythagorean Theorem, and write a complete proof of it including full sentences, relevant diagrams, and all algebraic steps. This must be done by the date of Test 2. It may be done on the day Test 2 is taken, or beforehand by doing it after class. (If the MLC allows it, you might be able to take it there. Keep posted. 10 pt added to Test 2--must be complete and correct)
Find information about Fermat's Last Theorem. Write a 1 page paper in your own words, stating what the theorem is about. Discuss some of the things you found out, including some history, examples, etc. (Due by Test 2. Up to 10 points added to total points in class at end of semester.)
Look up information about Pythagorean Triples. Write a 1 page paper in your own words, stating what is known about them, what some of them are, how to generate them, etc. There is a formula for finding triples. Show the steps used to find examples.(Due by Test 2. Up to 10 points added to total points in class at end of semester.)
Find some other cool thing in math, and make a 5-10 minute presentation to the class. (You may do 2 of these over the semester, each earns up to 10 points added to total points at end of semester. Discuss with me ahead of time what you want to do and when.)
3/8/19 IMPT INFO
Below is the link where I keep what we did in class, or what is due. If you ever miss class, or do not remember everything discussed in class, go to this link.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18CKqiGsT9-kCdotvI3IKknTrfI7Cjry2OswM4gqb6ug/edit#gid=0
Finish all of Ch. 3, including having HW Check 3 & 4 fully correct and ready to turn in on Tuesday. Always bring your packet. We start Ch. 4 on Tuesday.
3/5/19 Math 106 IMPT INFO
The HW Check 3 for 3/5/19 was as follows, but I am letting you turn it in at the beginning of class on Thursday: Turn in #35 on page 10 of 3.2. Note there was a typo. The answer has a denominator of 12, not 8! Every single step must be neatly shown, with all diagrams, like I did it in the example, and you need to have complete sentences with clear explanations. You're allowed to look at my example to do this, so it shouldn't be a problem. It should take a full page on your own blank paper. Write your name and HW Check 3 at the top of your paper.
Complete all of 3.3 before class on Thursday. Make sure you study and rewrite the proofs to the Pythagorean Theorem. Practice them a lot as you will have to do it all on your own for the test, or on a quiz, or both. You can search for other proofs online. The main thing is to have a complete, accurate full proof that you can do. You won't be tested on it until after Spring Break, so you have plenty of time to practice it.
2/21/19
Reminder: Test 1 is on Tuesday, 2/26/19. Complete 3.1 before then, and bring your book to class as will work on 3.2 the first hour of class.
You also need to submit the six Self Quizzes, with correct solutions, as well as Practice Test 1 with all work shown. This is part of the Self Quiz grade from the Syllabus. Make sure you have the papers in order with your name on them.
Click Here for the Math 106 Tentative Schedule Spring 2019. You might want to bookmark the link. There is also a link from the Syllabus and from MyOpenMath, but this way you do not have to log in to see it.
Have a great weekend. Please study hard and make these tests fast and easy to grade by doing well on it! I'm totally happy if everyone earns an A. Go for it!
2/14/19
Due to the flash flood warnings and bad weather, I'm canceling class today, 2/14/19. Stay safe and have a Happy Valentines Day!
Please do 2.5 on your own (or with others) in a dry place! It is not very long, and need to be done before Tuesday. Also, start reviewing everything we've done so far, including 1.1, 1.2, 1.R and all of Chapter 2 material. Try problems again on your own. Redo self-quizzes, etc.
I am also revising the schedule to give you more time to study for Test 1. The tentative schedule is posted in MyOpenMath, and I've posted the grades you've earned so far.
Complete 2.5 before Tuesday. Next week, we will go over questions, work on 3.1, and review for the test.
Test 1 (over everything we've done in Chapters 1, 2) will be on Tues, 2/26/19. We will start 3.2 that day. You'll be turning in work such as Self-Quizzes and anything else I assign you to submit on day of test.