The Learning Centre

UNIVERSITY PREPARATION
PROGRAM
REGZ9070
MATHEMATICS SKILLS 1
INFORMATION BOOKLET

Semester 1, 2015

Units of Credit
REGZ9070 University Preparation Program Mathematics Skills 1 is a 6 UOC course
offered in the UNSW Preparation Program (< 21s) and the University Preparation
Program (UPP). It is not available as a General Education elective and cannot be
counted for credit towards a degree program.

Assumed Knowledge
Assumed knowledge for this course is the Year 10 Mathematics 5.3 pathway. There
will be 4 5 weeks of revision of this material in the first half of the course.

Aims of Course
This course is designed to develop a level of competency in mathematics for students
who have not studied HSC Mathematics (or equivalent) at high school. It is intended
for students who are enrolled in either the Science, Engineering or Commerce streams
of the UPP and UNSW Preparation programs. Successful completion of this course
followed by REGZ9072 should enable students to undertake university level courses
that require the equivalent of NSW HSC 2 Unit Mathematics.

Contact Details
Course Coordinator: Catheryn Gray
Email: catheryn.gray@unsw.edu.au

Lectures and Tutorials

Attendance at tutorials and lectures in REGZ9070 is compulsory. Students can
be failed for attending less than 80% of lectures or tutorials.
Lectures will be held at the following times:
Lecture

Time

Location

Lecture A

6:00-7:00 pm, Monday

Central Lecture Block 1

Lecture B

6:00-7:00 pm, Wednesday

Central Lecture Block 1

Tutorials are held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:00-6:00 pm or 7:00-9:00 pm.
Tutorials start from Monday, Week 1. The rooms for tutorials are as follows:
Tutorial Time

Tutor

Location

4:00-6:00 pm

Jacky

Australian School Business 232

4:00-6:00 pm

Suzanne

Australian School Business 105

7:00-9:00 pm

Vicki

Goldstein G03

7:00-9:00 pm

Jacky

Quadrangle 1046

7:00-9:00 pm

Cathy

Mathews 125

Course Schedule

Topic

Date

Content

Basic Arithmetic
and Algebra

Weeks 1 5

Decimals, fractions and percentages;

Equations and inequalities; Expansion
and factorization of algebraic expressions;
Algebraic fractions; Surds; Indices and index laws

Coordinate
Geometry

Weeks 5 7

Gradient, midpoint and distance formulas; Lines and linear equations; Inequalities and regions in the plane

Curve Sketching

Weeks 7 9

Functions and function notation; Basic

graphs: parabolas, circles, cubics, hyperbolas and exponential graphs; Properties
of graphs

Differential
Calculus

Weeks 10 12

Limits; Differentiation from first principles; The power rule; product, quotient
and chain rules; Curve sketching with calculus; Max-min problems

Assessment
Assessment consists of three components: topic tests, worth a total of 30% of the
grade; a participation mark, worth 10%; and a Final Examination worth the remaining 60%.
Assessment Task

Weighting

Date

Topic Tests

30%

See table below

Participation

10%

All semester

Final Exam

60%

Formal exam period

Topic Tests
Topic tests will be held at the following times:
Test

Topic

Date

Test 1

Basic Skills I

Monday, Week 4

Test 2

Basic Skills II

Monday, Week 6

Test 3

Coordinate Geometry

Monday, Week 8

Test 4

Curve Sketching

Wednesday, Week 10

Please note the following concerning topic tests:

All topic tests will be held in the Lecture Theatre (CLB 1) at 6:05 pm on the
dates listed in the table above. All topic tests will take 20 minutes.
Your mark for the topic test component of the course will be calculated from
your best three marks for the topic tests.
You must bring your Student ID card to each test.
You should provide your own hand-held, non-programmable scientific calculator. (See the following section regarding calculator use in exams at UNSW.)
Normal exam conditions apply. That is, you must not attempt to assist or
receive assistance from any other student, and you should not bring any printed
or written materials into the test with you.
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 If you are unable to attend the test due to illness or other circumstances beyond your control, you must present documentary evidence, such as a medical
certificate, to the course coordinator at the earliest possible opportunity.
Students who miss more than one topic test for a documented reason will have
the final exam re-weighted.

Final Exam
The final examination will be held during the formal examination period at the end
of semester and will cover all the material presented in the course.

Grading
REGZ9070 will be graded according to the standard UNSW grading scale, shown
below. Your final score will be calculated according to the weightings given above
and your mark will be rounded to the nearest whole number. To pass the course
you must receive a final mark of 50% or more.
Percentage

Grade

Abbreviation

85 100

High Distinction

HD

75 84

Distinction

DN

65 74

Credit

CR

50 64

Pass

PS

Less than 50

Fail

FL

Calculator Use at UNSW

For end of semester UNSW exams students must supply their own calculator. Only
calculators on the UNSW list of approved calculators may be used in the end of
semester exams. This list is similar to the list of calculators approved for HSC
examinations.
The list of approved calculator models is available at:
https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/academiclife/assessment/
examinations/Calculator.html
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The model recommended for REGZ9070 is the Casio fx-82AU Plus Scientific Calculator.

Textbooks and Homework

The textbook for REGZ9070 is:
Maths in Focus: Mathematics Preliminary Course by Margaret Grove
Maths in Focus: Mathematics HSC Course by Margaret Grove
This book can be purchased from the UNSW bookshop and a limited number of
copies are available in the short loans section of the UNSW Library.
For further information concerning UNSW library services, consult
http://info.library.unsw.edu.au/web/services/services.html

One-to-One Maths Support

One-to-one maths support for UPP and UNSW Prep students is available at The
Learning Centre at the following times:
4:006:00 pm Monday
4:006:00 pm Tuesday
Please note:
Consultations are for 30 minutes
You can have up to 4 consultations per semester
Consultations must be booked in advance. You can book your consultation
by email (UNSWprep@unsw.edu.au) or by phone (Ph: 9385 2060).

Getting Help and Advice

Your tutor should be able to give you most of the advice you need on mathematical
and administrative matters concerning REGZ9070. If your problems cannot be
resolved with your tutor, please come and see me (Cathy Gray) at The Learning
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Centre in the North Wing of the Chancellery Building. I am usually at the Learning
Centre on Thursday and Friday. Please email me to make an appointment.
If you have general study problems or problems of a personal nature, it is important
to get help early. UNSW provides a wide range of services to students, including a
confidential Counselling Service. For more details, see MyUNSW.

Other Information
Occupational Health and Safety information is available at :
http://www.hr.unsw.edu.au/ohswc/ohs/ohs_policies.html
Student equity and diversity issues via Student Equity Officers (Disability) in
the Student Equity and Diversity Unit (9385 4734).
Further information for students with disabilities is available at
http://www.studentequity.unsw.edu.au/disabil.html
Information concerning the universitys policy on plagiarism is available at :

https://www.gs.unsw.edu.au/policy/documents/studentacademicintegrity
andmanagingplagiarismguidelines.pdf