Moraine Valley Community College

Course Syllabus

Date: January 18, 2011

Course Title: Trigonometric Functions
Course Number: MTH 142
Semester: Spring, 2011

I. Faculty Information
A. Instructor: Dr. Kristen R. Schreck
B. Office: D112
C. Office Phone: 708-974-5614
D. Office Hours: M Noon – 1:00 pm
W 10:00 – 11:00 am
T/R 9:00 – 10:00 am
Also by appointment.
E. Mailbox location: D108
F. Instructor’s E-mail: schreckk@morainevalley.edu (note the extra "k")
G. Email Policy: 1) Students must use the e-mail account provided by MVCC
as the official means of email communication for all
business related to this course. Any email that does not come
directly from your MVCC (username@student.morainevalley.edu)
account may be filtered as spam or junk mail or will be deleted.
2) The subject line of all emails to the instructor must begin
with the course number and day: MTH 142 Wednesday Class
or your email may be deleted as spam.

II. Course Identification

A. Credit hours: 2
B. Total contact hours: Lecture: 2 Lab: 0
C. Class meetings: MTH 142 Section 175: Wednesdays 11:00 – 12:50 am Room: D223
D. Prerequisite: Three years of high school math including advanced algebra and
appropriate assessment test score, or MTH 135 or MTH 141, or
concurrent registration in MTH 141.
E. Catalog Description: Topics include trigonometric functions, their inverse functions,
graphs, the unit circle, right triangle trigonometry, basic identities,
and trigonometric equations.

III. Textbooks & Supplies

A. Textbook: Custom edition for MVCC of Trigonometry A Right Triangle Approach
Selected Chapters with Student Solutions Manual, taken from the 5th Edition, by Sullivan
and Sullivan packaged with the MathXL Access Code, Pearson Custom Publishing,
Upper Saddle River, NJ 2009.
B. Required: TI-83 or 84+ graphing calculator. The use of calculators may be restricted on
quizzes and exams.

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IV. Topical Outline
A. Chapter 2: Angles and their measure, applied geometry problems, right triangle
trigonometry, trigonometric functions of given angles and of general angles, unit
circle approach to trigonometric functions, graphs of sine and cosine functions,
graphs of tangent, cotangent, cosecant, and secant functions, phase shift
B. Chapter 3: Inverse trigonometric functions, trigonometric identities, sum and
difference formulas, double-angle and half-angle formulas, solving trigonometric
Equations
C. Chapter 4: Applications involving right triangles, the Law of Sines, the Law of Cosines,
area of a triangle

V. Learning Outcomes
The student will:
1. define the six trigonometric functions in terms of right triangles, the unit circle,
and Cartesian coordinates.
2. convert degree measure to radian measure and conversely; determine reference
angles.
3. determine values for the six trigonometric functions for
real numbers (radians) equal to integral multiples of
(special angles) and their degree equivalents without a calculator.
4. determine values for the six trigonometric functions for any
real number (radian) or angle in degrees with a calculator.
5. graph the six trigonometric functions and identify the domain, range, period,
intercepts, and asymptotic behavior of each function.
6. identify the phase shift, amplitude, and period for functions of the type
y = Asin(Bx + C) + D and y = Acos(Bx + C) + D
7. distinguish between an identity and a conditional equation; simplify trigonometric
expressions using memorized identities; solve trigonometric equations up to and
including quadratic, for the unknown angle or angles.
8. define and graph the inverse trigonometric functions.
9. use the Law of Sines and the Law of Cosines to solve for unknown elements of
oblique triangles.
10. evaluate expressions involving trigonometric functions.
11. use trigonometry to solve applied geometry problems.
12. communicate mathematics effectively, both verbally and in writing, through in-
class collaborative group assignments.
13. use graphing calculators effectively in the exploration of the mathematical
concepts studied.

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VI. Classroom Policies and Procedures
A. Attendance: Students are expected to attend class regularly and punctually. Students are
responsible for the material covered during lecture in class as well as the material in the
text.

B. Cheating/Plagiarism: Any form of academic dishonesty (plagiarizing/cheating) will

result in a grade of “0” on that particular assignment/exam. A repeated offense
results in failure of the course. In addition, students will be issued official
notification which will become part of his/her permanent record.

C. Cell Phones: Faculty, staff, students, and college visitors may not use and must silence
cellular phones, pagers, and other communication devices in all instructional areas which
include: all classrooms and labs during instructional sessions, the Library, the Testing
Center (B101), and other areas so designated by the college.

D. Student Conduct: Each student is responsible for adhering to the Code of Student
Conduct as stated in the college catalog.

E. Course Withdrawal: A student who does not officially withdraw from this course will
receive a grade of “F” which will become a part of the student’s permanent record.
The course withdrawal date is listed in the attached General Information Sheet at the end
of this syllabus.

F. Testing Center: The Testing Center (B101) will be used for all exams except the final
exam. The test number for this course is #489 – you must give this number to Testing
Center personnel in order to take an exam in this course. In addition, you must
have an MVCC Photo ID in order to take an exam in the Testing Center. A driver's
license will NOT be accepted. MVCC Photo ID's may be obtained in the Student Union.
Pay close attention to the hours of operation of the Testing Center which can be found on
the attached General Information Sheet. WARNING: Do not arrive close to the time
when the Testing Center is closing, you will not be allowed to take the exam.
SPECIAL NOTE: The Testing Center will provide calculators for use on all exams.
No student will be able to use his or her personal calculator in the Testing Center when
taking an exam.

G. Resources/Tutoring: It is your responsibility to see the instructor if you are having

difficulties in mastering the objectives in this course. Please do not delay in seeking help.
If you cannot make the scheduled office hours, please arrange a special appointment.
There is free tutoring by mathematics faculty and qualified students available
in the Tutoring Center (L200) on a walk-in basis. Forming study groups
outside of class is encouraged. Study groups have proven to be of great help to many
students taking this course.

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VII. Grading Policies
A. Online Homework Assignments: At the end of this syllabus is a list of the textbook
problems that have been assigned for the course. The problems given in this list will not be
graded. There are twelve (12) Online Homework Assignments that will be graded.
The problems given in the Online Homework Assignments are taken from (are a subset of)
this list of problems. Students are strongly urged to work through the
textbook problems given in the list in addition to working through each Online Homework
Assignment. The more problems you do, the more successful you will be in this course.

To complete the twelve Online Homework Assignments, students will logon to the Course
Compass/MathXL website: www.mathxl.com using the MathXL Access Code that came
with the textbook purchased in the MVCC Bookstore. **See the detailed instructions for
accessing MathXL and taking each Online Homework Assignment and taking the Online
Practice Exams given in the separate handout.**

There are 12 Online Homework Assignments.

Each Online Homework Assignment is worth 12 points.
The two lowest Online Homework scores will be dropped.
Missed Online Homework Assignments will earn a score of zero.

The sections covered for each Online Homework Assignment are listed below.
The due dates are found on the MathXL website.

Online
Homework Sections Covered
(due dates are given in
MathXL)
Assignment #1 2.1 & 2.2
Assignment #2 2.3 & 2.4
Assignment #3 2.4
Assignment #4 2.5, 2.6 & 2.7
Assignment #5 3.1 & 3.2
Assignment #6 3.3 & 3.4
Assignment #7 3.4 & 3.5
Assignment #8 3.7
Assignment #9 3.8
Assignment #10 4.1
Assignment #11 4.2
Assignment #12 4.3 & 4.4

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B. Quizzes: There will be 4 in-class quizzes. Each quiz will be worth 25 points. The dates
of the quizzes are given on the separate schedule. Calculators will not be allowed on
some quizzes. The lowest quiz score will be dropped. No make-up quizzes will be
given for any reason. Missed quizzes will earn a score of zero.

C. Online Practice Exams: The will be 4 Online Practice Exams taken at MathXL. Each
Online Practice Exam is worth 25 points. The sections covered and the due dates are
given at the MathXL website. The lowest Online Practice Exam score will be
dropped. No make-up Online Practice Exams will be given for any reason. Missed
Online Practice Exams will earn a score of zero.

Exams: There will be 4 exams each worth 100 points. The dates of these exams are
given on the separate schedule. These 4 exams will be taken in the Testing Center
(B101). The exams will consist of questions similar to the examples given in lecture and
the homework exercises and practice exams -- with possible questions from earlier
material to encourage consistent review. The lowest exam score will be dropped. No
make-up exams will be given for any reason. Missed exams will earn a score of
zero.

Final Exam: The final exam will be worth 150 points. The final exam will be taken in
class during final exam week. The final exam is cumulative and will be based on the
topics covered in the textbook and on the assigned homework problems. The final exam
score is never dropped. There is no make-up if you miss the final exam. If you miss
the final exam for any reason, a zero will be recorded as the final exam score.

D. Grades: You can access your scores for all assignments (online homework, online
practice exams, offline quizzes, and offline exams) from the Gradebook at
www.mathxl.com. Grades will be based on the following:

Grade Scale: Grade Distribution:

A 90 - 100% Quizzes (best 3 of 4) 75 points
B 80 – 89.9% Online Homework (best 10 of 12) 120 points
C 70 – 79.9% Online Practice Exams (best 3 of 4) 75 points
D 60 – 69.9% Exams (best 3 of 4) 300 points
F below 60% Final Exam 150 points

VIII. Course Schedule/ Calendar Spring 2011

See the separate handouts for the course schedule for MTH 142-175. The schedule and
may be adjusted during the semester. In addition, items on this syllabus may be modified
throughout the semester. Students will be apprised of any changes.

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