Monthly Schedule

(Algebra II, Periods E and F)

M 1/2/06	No school.
T 1/3/06	HW due: §6-14 #5, 7, 12; §7-12 #C1, C3. If you find C1 and C3 too difficult, you may substitute §7-12 #R1-R7 all, R10, R11. Strongly suggested HW (will be collected Jan. 5): Do your studying including chapter review questions at the end of each chapter. Then work on the practice midterm exam. You may omit question #11. Remember to show your work, since you will have to show your work on the real exam. When you have finished, check the partial answer key. In class: Vertex form of parabolas. Note: The chapter review originally scheduled for today has been postponed.
W 1/4/06	Double Quiz. Part I is cumulative, year to date. Part II is based on the vertex form of parabolas (§5-2). HW due: Finish problems #1-6 that were assigned during class, showing the vertex, the y-intercept, and a sketch for each. Then work §5-2 #21-30 mo3. Note that the blue box at the bottom of p. 177 is equivalent to the vertex form given in class. Our goal is to use factoring and completion of the square to convert a quadratic equation of form y = ax^2 + bx + c (with y-intercept at (0, c) by inspection) into an equivalent form y = a(x – h)^2 + k. This second form is called the vertex form, and the vertex can be read off immediately as (h, k). What your book calls the “symmetric point” is simply the point on the curve that has the same y value as the y-intercept and an x value that is equidistant from the axis of symmetry but on the other side. Example 1, pp. 178-179, should clarify matters. If you wish to put y – k on the left as your textbook does, that is fine. I prefer to leave the k on the right so that the up/down shifting of the function output is more obvious.
Th 1/5/06	HW due: If you have not already done so, work through as much of the practice midterm exam as possible (after you have studied for the exam). Be sure to show your work, since you will have to show your work on the real exam. In class: Midterm review and “pop” quiz. The quiz was quietly announced yesterday.
F 1/6/06	HW due: Finish the practice midterm exam. Be sure to show your work, since you will have to show your work on the real exam. When you have finished, check the partial answer key. In class: Midterm review.
M 1/9/06	Optional Study/Review Session, 12:15–1:15 p.m., Room R. Invite your friends from other sections to come. You may stay for as long or as short a time as you wish.
T 1/10/06	Midterm Exam, 8:00–10:00 a.m., Trapier Theater. Bring several sharpened pencils and a calculator. If you bring spare batteries, you will earn 1 bonus point on the exam. The exam is worth 20% of your semester grade. Calculator memories will not be cleared before the exam, but I caution you that the exam is written in such a way that storing notes or programs such as QUAD4 in your calculator will not help you much. On most of the problems, you will need to show work to earn points anyway.
M 1/16/06	No school.
T 1/17/06	No school.
W 1/18/06	Classes resume.
Th 1/19/06	HW due: Write pp. 406-407 #R1-R11, omitting R8e. Almost all of these problems have been previously assigned. If you have kept up with all your assignments, then the only new problems you need to do are p. 407 #8abcd, 9. Also make sure that your existing HW in Chapter 7 is complete, since there may be spot checks on all of Chapter 7. (See archives.) For all assignments in Chapters 1-6, amnesty is now in effect. You may recycle your papers from Chapters 1-6 if you wish.
F 1/20/06	HW due: If you could not finish all the review problems last night, finish them tonight. I especially encourage you to do the “one-question test” (#C1) on p. 408 and the light intensity word problem (#C3). If you missed the lunchtime announcement regarding the handout for #C3, please pick up a copy on Monday morning.
M 1/23/06	Test on Chapter 7. A handout for #C3 is available if you stop by my office.
T 1/24/06	No additional HW due. A scan from Chapter 7 is still possible, however. By now you should have completed #C1 and #C3, in addition to all the other problems that were assigned. Bonus opportunity: Try solving any of the Mathcross puzzles other than the ones for which solutions have already been circulated. I will award a 5-point bonus for the first completely correct solution received for each puzzle (limit one per student). In class: Begin discussing Chapter 8.
W 1/25/06	HW due: §8-3 #3-23 eoo. The scores from Monday’s test will be “curved” (adjusted) for everyone, with the students near the bottom receiving the greatest adjustment. Near the end of the period today, a few recycled problems, with numbers changed, will be given to you. If you do well on this “qualifying quiz,” you may take a re-test Friday at 7:00 a.m. Note: Students who just transferred in from other sections will qualify regardless of score. Helpful links: A blank copy of Monday’s test and an answer key are now available.
Th 1/26/06	HW due: Read §8-4; write §8-4 #5, 7. Remember that you must check the answer(s) that you get after applying the quadratic formula to make sure that you exclude the extraneous solutions. Helpful links as you prepare for tomorrow’s re-test: Here are a blank copy of Monday’s test, an answer key for Monday’s test, and the qualifying quiz. I will not provide the answer to quiz question #1, since you can easily verify correctness with your calculator (highly reliable, though not a proof). However, here are the answers to quiz question #2. (a) Let x = bicyclist’s constant speed (mph), y = required power (watts), where y depends on x. (b) y = kx^3 (c) Set 225 = k(22^3) to get k = 225/22^3. Therefore, p.e. is y = 225x^3/22^3. (d) Use the p.e. to get 570.530 W by calc. (Put p.e. in Y1 and use GRAPH TRACE 30 ENTER.) (e) Use the p.e. to get 23.086 mph by calc. (Put 260 in Y2 and use 2nd CALC intersect.) Note: The methods given for (d) and (e) are the fastest, but you should also be able to solve those two questions by algebra. In (d), plug in 30 for x and solve for y. In (e), plug in 260 for y and solve for x. Take the qualifying quiz again until you can do it reliably in less than 15 minutes. Or, better yet, work some additional practice problems from Chapter 7 under time pressure. Your time will be limited tomorrow.
F 1/27/06	Optional Chapter 7 Re-Test, 7:00 a.m., Room R. Regular timers should arrive no later than 7:15 for a 7:20 start. Extra timers need to arrive at 7:00 promptly. Time will end at 7:50. There will be no make-ups. The test will consist of 3 problems. One problem will be comparable in scope and difficulty to #3 from Monday’s test, and the others will be a mixture of simplifying/factoring/equation solving. A calculator is required. To calculate your curved score from Monday’s test, write a general linear equation in which the adjustment is a linear function of the original score. An original score of 35 would receive a boost of 27 points, resulting in a low D (62), while an original score of 65 would receive a boost of only 15 points, resulting in a low B (80). As you can tell, the “curve” is larger at the low end of the scale than at the high end. Develop a particular equation that satisfies these criteria, and then plug in your score to calculate the amount of your adjustment. HW due: §8-4 #28-36 mo4, §8-5 #5, 7. Optional reading: §8-5 (good example problem).
M 1/30/06	HW due: Make sure you are up-to-date on the previously assigned problems, and then do the following problems. If you took good notes in class Friday, these will both be easy. Check the archives if you forgot to take down the information about the test curve calculation. 1. Write down the curved score that you earned on last Monday’s Chapter 7 test. 2. Simplify the following expression, showing all steps.
T 1/31/06	HW due: Read §8-6 (required for E period, optional for F period); write at least 2 of the following 3 problems: §8-6 #4, 9, 10. Please do all 3 if you can.

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Last updated: 03 Feb 2006