MA12710 - A ROUGH GUIDE TO MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS

Module Identifier	MA12710
Module Title	A ROUGH GUIDE TO MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS
Academic Year	2001/2002
Co-ordinator	Dr V Mavron
Semester	Semester 2
Other staff	Dr J Lane, Dr Robert Douglas
Mutually Exclusive	May not be taken with any of the modules MA10020-MA11310
Course delivery	Lecture	20 x 1 hour lectures
	Workshop	11 x 2 hour help-desk (attendance optional)
Assessment	In-course assessment	2 x 1-hour in-course tests, each held during a lecture period. (25% each)	50%
	Exam	2 Hours (written examination)	50%
	Resit assessment	The mark for any passed component of the semester assessment (in-course tests and written examination) is carried forward; 2-hour written examination (remaining percentage).	100%

General description

The module will enhance a student's employment prospects through developing proficiency in the application of quantitative skills. The module is designed for students pursuing degree schemes with little or no mathematical content. Students are not expected to have formal mathematical training beyond GCSE level. Elementary techniques in formulating and solving problems and in interpreting summarized data will be studied. Among the topics covered with be (i) mathematical notation, (ii) percentages, interest, instalment buying, annuities and mortgages, (iii) graphs of simple functions, (iv) chance and probability, (v) interpreting tables and diagrams, (vi) formalizing logical propositions, (vii) methods of encoding information.

Aims

The main aim of this module is to enhance a student's employment prospects through developing proficiency in the application of quantitative skills. The module is designed for students pursuing degree schemes with little or no mathematical content. Students are not expected to have formal mathematical training beyond GCSE level. Techniques covering quantitative skills, problems of everyday finance, encoding and interpreting data, and logical reasoning will be taught using appropriate case studies.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this module, students should be able to:

apply formulae involving percentages, interest and rates of change to solve financial problems;
formulate simple quantitative problems and solve them;
recognize and analyze trends and patterns;
calculate probabilities and make appropriate decisions;
interpret, and draw inferences from, summarized data and diagrams;
use basic propositional logic to make inference from a set of statements.

Reading Lists

Books
** Supplementary Text
W. M. Setek and M. A. Gallo. (1999) Fundamentals of Mathematics. 8th. Prentice-Hall 0137783418
D. K. Hathaway. (2000) Mathematics for the Modern World. Addison-Wesley 0201611295
T. Pirnot. (2001) Mathematics All Around. Addison-Wesley 0201308150
A. Angel, S. Porter. (2001) Survey of Mathematics with Applications. 6th. Addison-Wesley 0201703084