DEPARTMENT
OF MATHEMATICS
College of
Science
University of
the Philippines
SYLLABUS OF
MATHEMATICS 2 (MST)
Course Number: Mathematics 2 (MST)
Course Title: Practical Mathematics
Course Description: Basic mathematics skills & applications in everyday life.
Course Credit: 3 units
Prerequisite: None
Course General Objectives: (1)
To provide students with basic and practical mathematics skills;
(2) To teach mathematical concepts and introduce applications without being or appearing to be too theoretical about it, and without introducing or requiring memorization of formulas.
Course Outline:
Unit I. Numbers
(8 meetings; 1 ˝ hours each meeting)
To explain the need for hierarchy among arithmetic operations and the
use of parentheses.
To provide skills in handling and applying fractions, percentages, and
ratios in commonly-occurring contexts.
To identify and avoid common errors in the use of such.
To provide skills that will enable students to make “good enough
estimates” even without a calculator.
To
provide skills that will enable a student to make full and efficient use of
common calculators.
Hierarchy of arithmetic operations (MDAS); Symbols of grouping; LCM and
GCF; Fractions: reducing to lowest
terms, addition and subtraction of fractions; Ratios; Decimals; Percentages;
Use of calculators; Rounding off and Estimations; Large numbers and small
numbers; Conversion between unit measures (e.g. foreign exchange, metric
system).
To introduce the basic properties and applications
of triangles, rectangles, circles and other commonly-occurring shapes.
To illustrate the power of coordinate systems
(whether on the plane or the surface of a sphere such as the earth) as the
conceptual bridge between algebra and geometry.
To enable students to read and interpret
commonly-used graphs/charts and to spot common errors.
Applications
of plane geometry; Distance and Midpoint; Parallel lines; Perpendicular lines;
Triangles; isosceles, equilateral & right; Pythagorean Theorem; Circles,
cylinders & spheres; Regular polygons and polyhedra; Areas and Volumes;
Latitudes & Longitudes as coordinate on a sphere/time zones; Reading and
interpreting charts, graphs, & tables with special emphasis on graphs that
appear in newspapers and news magazines.
Unit III. Practical
Algebra (8 meetings; 1 ˝ hours each meeting)
To make students comfortable and work with algebraic
notation and operations on algebraic expressions.
To illustrate the intimate connection (without being
too theoretical) between linear equations and lines on the plane, between
quadratic functions and parabolas.
To teach skills re the handling of compound interest
and other common situations involving the same concept.
To teach students how to use calculators in solving
such problems.
Algebraic
expressions & operations; Binomial Theorem & its applications; Negative
exponents; Square roots; Introduction to functions (linear and quadratic) and
applications; Exponential functions as applied to compound interest, population
growth, and half-life; Use of calculators.
Unit IV. Special
Functions (6 meetings; 1 ˝ hours each meeting)
To provide a precise but applications-oriented and
visual-oriented introduction to functions without being too theoretical.
To introduce the applications of trigonometry
without being too theoretical about it or introducing too many formulas.
Multi-furcated
functions (e.g. income tax brackets, postal rates, MRT fares, bus fares, etc.);
Simple practical story problems; Trigonometric functions as defined on the
right triangle; Sines, cosines, tangents & graphs of these functions and
applications (e.g. biorhythm); Use of calculators.