ECU Web Unit Outline
 
FACULTY OF HEALTH, ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
Full Unit Outline - Enrolment Approved Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Disclaimer
This unit outline may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.
 
UNIT TITLE Foundations of Mathematics
UNIT CODE MAT1108
CREDIT POINTS 15
FULL YEAR UNIT No
PRE-REQUISITES WACE unit MAT2A/2B
MODE OF DELIVERY On-campus
DESCRIPTION

This unit is intended primarily to provide bridging for those students who have previously studied mathematics to the level of WACE MAT2A/2B (or equivalent) and who wish to study MAT1137 Introductory Applied Mathematics; however it is also appropriate for students from non-mathematical disciplines wishing to enhance their mathematics skills.

 

The unit covers the basic concepts and techniques of algebra, trigonometry, functions and graphs, problem formulation, and differential calculus of polynomials. Where possible, real world examples are used to reinforce conceptual understanding.
 
LEARNING OUTCOMES

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. express simple real world situations in mathematical terms;
  2. solve and manipulate simple algebraic equations;
  3. solve problems using coordinate geometry, trigonometry, and functions and graphs;
  4. solve problems involving exponential growth and decay; and
  5. solve problems involving the application of basic differential calculus.
 
UNIT CONTENT
  1. Algebra: Index laws; absolute value; factorisation of quadratics; solution of linear, quadratic, and cubic (in factorised form), exponential (without logarithms), and power (n=1,2,1/2,1/3,-1) equations both algebraically and graphically; solution of systems of 2 linear equations in 2 unknowns.
  2. Trigonometry: Methods to solve for angles and sides of right angle triangles; methods to solve for angles and sides of triangles using sine and cosine rules; calculation of the area of a triangle; unit circle and solutions to trigonometric equations; Cartesian distance.
  3. Functions and Graphs: Function notation; linear and quadratic functions and their properties; exponential, polynomial, power, hyperbolic, square root and cube root functions; function transformations; domain and range; basic qualitative features.
  4. Calculus: Differentiation of polynomial functions using power, sum and product rules; methods to distinguish between average and instantaneous rates of change; interpretion of derivatives as slopes; applications including tangent lines, graph sketching (no inflection points),and optimisation.
  5. Problem formulation: Formulation of worded problems mathematically (relevant to above content); conversion between different units of measurement.
 
TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESSES

Lectures and tutorials.
 
GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES

The following graduate attributes will be developed in this unit

  • Ability to communicate
  • Critical appraisal skills
  • Ability to generate ideas

 
 
ASSESSMENT
Grading Schema 1
 
Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant Board of Examiners.
 

Item

On-Campus Assessment

Value

  

Assignment

Problem solving and theory*

30%

Test

In-semester tests*

30%

Examination

End of semester examination

40%

 
*These assessment items may include the cumulative assessment of multiple submissions.
 
TEXTS
Nil.
 
SIGNIFICANT REFERENCES
Connally, E., Hughes-Hallett, D., Gleason, A. M., et al. (2003). Functions modelling change (2nd ed.). New York:John Wiley and Sons.
Larson, R., Hostetlier, R., & Edwards, B. (2005). Precalculus (4th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Stewart, J, Redlin, L., & Watson, S. (2002). Precalculus: mathematics for calculus (4th ed.). Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole.
Sullivan, M. (2002). Precalculus. New York: Prentice-Hall.
 
 
 
Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)
For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes, Graduate Attributes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Student Equity, Diversity and Disability Service website:
http://intranet.ecu.edu.au/student/support/student-equity
 
 


Academic Misconduct


Edith Cowan University has firm rules governing academic misconduct and there are substantial penalties that can be applied to students who are found in breach of these rules. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • plagiarism;
  • unauthorised collaboration;
  • cheating in examinations;
  • theft of other students’ work.

Additionally, any material submitted for assessment purposes must be work that has not been submitted previously, by any person, for any other unit at ECU or elsewhere.


The ECU rules and policies governing all academic activities, including misconduct, can be accessed through the ECU website.
ECU Web Unit Outline