Course Description
Pre-calculus Math has been designed for the majority of students either requiring Pre-calculus to gain admittance to the Dalhousie B.Sc. program or as a preparation for Calculus 1000. This course provides a more in-depth coverage of math concepts than found in the accelerated 1 term class and adds a review of relevant 11 and 12 material, as well as a study of area under a curve. Students who have been away from math for 2 or more years, or have a heavy schedule, will find this course a better fit than the accelerated Math 0010.00.
Course Outline
Course Topics Include:
- a review of exponents, radicals and scientific notation
- multiplying and factoring algebraic expressions
- solving quadratic, radical, rational, exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric equations
- solving quadratic and rational inequalities
- functions and their inverses
- using transformations to graph quadratic, radical, absolute value, exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions
- using calculus methods to graph polynomial and rational functions
- using limits to find slopes of tangents and areas under curves
- the power rule
- maximum/minimum problems
- combinations of functions
What You Will Learn
Throughout the course, algebra, and applied geometric problem-solving skills needed for calculus are emphasized.
Notes
There is no laboratory work. Evaluation will be based on engagement/discussions, a midterm, and final exam. A detailed course outline will be provided on the first day of the course.
* University Prep courses are non-credit preparatory courses. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that each course they enrol in is accepted at other post-secondary institutions, beyond Dalhousie University.
For more University Prep courses, click here.
The Faculty of OLCD recommends an intermediate level of English language proficiency for the most effective learning and participation in our online and face-to-face courses. A list of minimum recommended scores on some common English tests can be found on our website. If you have questions about your English language proficiency and ability to succeed in this course, please contact openlearning@dal.ca.
Prerequisites
Grade 11 and 12 math or equivalent. We encourage you to complete our complimentary math diagnostic. This will assist us to identify your current math strengths.
Recommended For
Students either requiring Pre-calculus to gain admittance to the Dalhousie B.Sc. program or as a preparation for Calculus 1000.
Testimonials
"This class (with Jerry Amiro) taught me a lot in such a short time frame. I feel prepared for my first year calculus course.”
~ Danielle Jones
“I found the course exceptional. My professor (Frank Brown) was beyond helpful and very thorough with his teaching. One thing during the course I found stood out for me was the fact be proved what he was doing to ensure our understanding of such concepts.”
~ Carter MacKeen
“It was a wonderful and smooth course which prepared me for Calculus in just four months.”
~ A. Anwar
"Mr. Brown was an excellent teacher in this course. He was extremely knowledgeable in all topics and units, and taught the course to students in an engaging way that was easy to understand. He is a very amiable person and treats every student with kindness and respect. I thoroughly enjoyed taking this course and with having Mr. Brown as my teacher.”
~ Cecilia Glenham