MA12510 - INTRODUCTORY MATHEMATICAL TECHNIQUES

Module Identifier

MA12510

Module Title

INTRODUCTORY MATHEMATICAL TECHNIQUES

Academic Year

2004/2005

Co-ordinator

Dr R S Jones

Semester

Intended for use in future years

Next year offered

N/A

Next semester offered

N/A

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

Assessment Type	Assessment Length/Details	Proportion
Semester Exam	2 Hours	100%
Supplementary Assessment	2 Hours	100%

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.

Brief 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.

Content

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

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 4