MA12510 - INTRODUCTORY MATHEMATICAL TECHNIQUES

Module Identifier	MA12510
Module Title	INTRODUCTORY MATHEMATICAL TECHNIQUES
Academic Year	2001/2002
Co-ordinator	Dr R 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:

explain the difference between integers, rational and irrational numbers and work in different number bases;
manipulate numbers and symbols using the operations of algebra;
simplify algebraic expressions and inequalities;
solve linear and quadratic equations algebraically;
define a function and its domain and range;
differentiate polynomials, logarithmic and exponential functions.

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. (1998) Foundation Mathematics. 3rd. Addison-Wesley 0201342944