Module Identifier MA12510  
Module Title INTRODUCTORY MATHEMATICAL TECHNIQUES  
Academic Year 2000/2001  
Co-ordinator Dr R S Jones  
Semester Semester 1  
Pre-Requisite GCSE Mathematics at grade C or above.  
Mutually Exclusive May not be taken at the same time as, or after, any of MA10020 to MA11410, MA12610, MA13610.  
Course delivery Lecture   22 x 1 hour lectures  
  Seminars / Tutorials   11 x 1 hour example classes  
Assessment Exam   2-hour written examination   100%  
  Resit assessment   2-hour written examination   100%  

General description
The purpose of this module is to introduce some of the basic ideas of mathematics to students without A-level qualifications in Mathematics but who require mathematics in their main subject. The syllabus includes basic set theory; functions and graphs; indices, exponentials and logarithms; rates of growth; recurrence relations, arithmetic and geometric progressions; matrices and determinants, solution of linear equations and elementary descriptive statistics.

Aims
To introduce students to some of the basic concepts of mathematics and to develop their manipulative skills.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module, a student should be able to:

Syllabus
1. REPRESENTATION OF NUMBER: Natural numbers, integers, fractions, decimals, different bases, fixed and floating point, the laws of indices, exponents, logarithms.
2. ALGEBRA: Rules of algebra, simplification of algebraic expressions, factorization, inequalities, the solution of linear and quadratic equations.
3. COMPLEX NUMBERS: Real and imaginary parts, modulus and argument, representation on the Argand diagram.
4. THE CONCEPT OF FUNCTION: Linear and quadratic functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, trigonometric functions and inverse functions.
5. CALCULUS: Introduction to curves, tangents and the derivative of a function, the rules of differentiation, rates of change.

Reading Lists
Books
** Recommended Text
D J Booth. Foundation Mathematics. Addison-Wesley