UPDATE on 1/17/01

Hi and Welcome to College Algebra Online!

Several of you have stopped by, asking "Where do I start?"  Here is what
you should be doing for this course:

1.   Send me an email so that I have your email address so that I can
keep you informed in a prompt fashion.   If you have not emailed me yet,
please email me IMMEDIATELY  at sakowski@cheqnet.net  or I will drop you from the class on the last day of the drop/add period.

2.  Go to the Start Page at
http://www.lsc.mnscu.edu/faculty/sakowski/castart.html  and bookmark
this page.  From this page you can access all the information that you
need for this course.  Note however, that the VERY LATEST updates will
sometimes be emailed to you and won't show up on this page for a day or
so, so make sure to check your email also.

3.  Obtain the online course notes.  In order to open, view, and print
these notes at home, you must first download the software program called
SMARTBOARD from the link
http://www.lsc.mnscu.edu/faculty/sakowski/canotes.htm  to your
computer.  This only needs to be done once but it may take about 20 or
30 minutes.  The computer MUST BE A PC, NOT A MAC!!!!!!  If you own a
MAC, you must find a PC to do this from or go to the LSC Learning Center
and print out the notes there.   Once SMARTBOARD is on your computer,
just go back to http://www.lsc.mnscu.edu/faculty/sakowski/canotes.htm
and click on the section of notes that you wish to view.  The notes will
be downloaded to your computer and you may then view or print them out
as you wish.

4.  Do the assigned homework problems given on the Homework List at
http://www.lsc.mnscu.edu/faculty/sakowski/cahw.html  .  Do these
problems in a spiral bound or 3-ring bound notebook, checking the
answers in the back of the text, and redoing incorrect problems until
you get them correct.  You will hand in these notebooks at the midterm
and final and indicate how many problems you couldn't eventually get
correct.  You should get through Sections 1.4, 1.5, and 1.6 by the end
of this week.

5.  Do the Online Quizzes and email your results back to me at this
address.  The first quiz is given at the bottom of this email.  Quizzes
should be emailed to me by 4PM each Friday with the exception of this
first weeks quiz.  The deadline for Quiz 1 will be extended to 4:00 PM
on Monday of next week.  Note that some quiz questions require only a
brief answer of several words and some require a more lengthy
explanation.

6.  There are 3 projects which are posted at the link
http://www.lsc.mnscu.edu/faculty/sakowski/caproject.html  with due dates
given on the Start Page.  You will need the program Graphmatica, which
you may obtain on the Start Page also.  You may send me the completed
projects in one of 3 ways:  A) Bring them to LSC and give them to me or
place in my mailbox,  B) Mail them to me via US post at
   Michael Sakowski
   Lake Superior College
   2101 Trinity Road
   Duluth, MN 55811

or C) Try to *email them to me, but this can sometimes be tricky due to
the graphs involved.

7.  GET HELP WHEN NEEDED!  There are a bunch of ways you can get help:
A)  Email me, whenever you have a question - I will get back to you by
the posted email office hours
B)  Get help from me (in person) from 3:00 to 4:00 at my LSC office at
W2872 on Tuesdays or Thursdays
C)  Go to the LSC Learning Center in the back of the LSC Library - there
is a free drop-in Math Tutoring Center available.
D)  You may come to my "regular off-line"  College Algebra lectures
(room space permitting) from 1:00 to 3:00 on Tuesdays  and Thursdays in
Room E2328.  On Tuesdays during the first hour, I answer questions on
the homework problems.

College Algebra - Quiz 1

Answer the following by using plain old Email.  Use complete sentences.
Quizzes are due by 9 AM on Monday June 12.

1.  List the four methods for solving a quadratic equation. (Section 1.4
notes)

2.  Describe the steps used to solve a quadratic equation by completing
the square. (Section 1.4 notes)

3.  What is the first step you must take when solving a quadratic
equation by factoring?  (Section 1.4 notes)

4.  Describe how you would write  (3 + i)/(2 - i) in standard form.
(Section 1.5 notes)

5.  What are the solutions to x^2 = -1.  (Section 1.5 notes)  (*Note
that  ^  is used to denote x-squared)

6.  What is the standard form of the complex number i(2 + i)?   (Section
1.5 notes)

7.  How do you recognize a "quadratic form" equation and list 2 methods
for solving it.  (Section 1.6 notes)

8.  Describe the procedure for solving an equation that contains
radicals.  (Section 1.6 notes)

9.  Describe the procedure for solving an equation that contains
rational expressions.  Note: Equations containing rational expressions
are equations that contain algebraic fractions.  For example,  3 +  2/(x
+ 3) = 1/x  is an equation of this type.  (Section 1.6 notes, page 11)

10.  How many different cases must you solve in an equation containing
an absolute value of an algebraic equation?  (Section 1.6 notes)