An elementary study of the basic properties and underlying concepts of number systems. This content course emphasizes problem-solving techniques and a structural study of the whole numbers, the integers, rational numbers, decimals, and real numbers.
Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details
Required Materials:
- A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics; 10th edition; Billstein, et al.; 2010
- scientific calculator
Contact Information
Textbook
Name: A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics
Edition: 10th
ISBN: 9780321570550
Author: Billstein, et al.
Publisher: Pearson
Course Goals and Objectives: Students will learn the computational skills of, connections between, and real-world applications involved in the mathematics of number systems. This includes whole numbers, integers, rational numbers, decimals, and real numbers.
Tentative Course Schedule:
| Chapter 1 | An Introduction to Problem Solving | |
| Chapter 4 | Algebraic Thinking | |
| Chapter 2 | Numeration Systems and Sets | |
| Exam #1 | approximately one third of the way through the semester | |
| Chapter 3 | Whole Numbers and Their Operations | |
| Chapter 5 | Integers and Number Theory | |
| Exam #2 | approximately two thirds of the way through the semester | |
| Chapter 6 | Rational Numbers as Fractions | |
| Chapter 7 | Decimals and Real Numbers | |
| Exam #3 | during final exam period (see below) |
Evaluation:
| Short Assignments (assigned at various points during the semester) | 200 points | |
Exams (three at 100 points each – third exam during final exam period: Friday, December 11, 2026; 8:00–10:00 a.m.) | 300 points
| |
| Semester Total | 500 points |
Grade Scale:
| Percentage | Points | Grade | |
| 93% <= x <= 100% | 465 <= x <= 500 | A | |
| 90% <= x < 93% | 450 <= x < 465 | A- | |
| 87% <= x < 90% | 435 <= x < 450 | B+ | |
| 83% <= x < 87% | 415 <= x < 435 | B | |
| 80% <= x < 83% | 400 <= x < 415 | B- | |
| 77% <= x < 80% | 385 <= x < 400 | C+ | |
| 73% <= x < 77% | 365 <= x < 385 | C | |
| 70% <= x < 73% | 350 <= x < 365 | C- | |
| 67% <= x < 70% | 335 <= x < 350 | D+ | |
| 60% <= x < 67% | 300 <= x < 335 | D | |
| x < 60% | x < 300 | F |
Instructor Course Policies
Attendance/Absence Policy: See the current Student Handbook for the college’s attendance policy especially as it pertains to excused absences.
Academic Integrity: See the current Student Handbook for the college’s academic integrity policies as they pertain to examinations, plagiarism, classroom behavior, and the process for handling academic misconduct charges.
Americans with Disability Act
If you have a documented disability that requires accommodations, please contact the Associate VP for Compliance in College Hall, Room 306 (spencer.izor@wilmington.edu) (937-481-2365).
Class Policies
- Students are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner. You are expected to be in class on time, to be prepared, to submit assigned work on time and at an acceptable level of accuracy, and to treat other class members and their ideas with respect.
- You must show your work and the processes involved in solving exercises and problems on exams in order to receive full credit. Correct processes and incorrect answers will receive partial credit, but correct answers with incorrect or unspecified processes will receive little or no credit.
- Students are expected to take exams when first given. Makeup exams will be given only in exceptional cases (judged by me) for unavoidable emergency or with prior permission for an unavoidable circumstance. Unexcused absence for an exam will result in a zero for that work.
Expectations
A reasonable estimate of time spent in preparation for a class is at least two hours of study time for each hour spent in class. You are expected to read the appropriate textbook sections and to work on all of the assigned homework problems. Be ready to discuss the material and problems in class. Be sure to keep up with the pace of the class because it is often difficult to catch up once you let yourself fall behind. If you feel yourself beginning to have trouble, please come see me or visit the math center.
Homework
Homework will be assigned on a daily basis and discussed during the following class.
Electronic Submission of Assignments
If you want to send me an electronic copy of an assignment, then you must attach the file (.doc or .pdf version) to an e-mail to me at my e-mail address listed above. When I have received your file and verified that I can access/read it, I will send you a reply back indicating that I have received it. Your assignment is not considered turned in until you receive a reply back from me that I have received it. Google Docs Note: If you want to send me an electronic version of a file that you have in Google Docs, then do not “Share” it with me, as this often doesn’t work. Instead you must do the following. While in Google Docs, choose File>Download>PDF Document (.pdf) to download a .pdf version of your file to your computer. Then attach that .pdf version to an e-mail to me at my e-mail address listed above.
Notes
- In the case that Wilmington College moves to online at some point this semester, this course will become online asynchronous.
- This syllabus is subject to modification upon the decision of the professor.
Institutional and Program-Level Policies
All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.
Undergraduate: FA26 Final Exam Schedule
Out-of-class Work Expectation A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week. |
Instructional Course Delivery Definition of Courses |
Academic Integrity Policy The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions. Academic Integrity Policy |
Class Attendance Policy Institutional Class Attendance Policy |