VCU Department of Mathematics

MATH COURSES 001-191

MATH 001 Elementary Algebra

Prerequisite: permission of the department chair.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours or 3 laboratory-tutorial hours. No credit.

The purpose of this course is to provide laboratory and tutorial instruction for those seeking remediation or review of high school algebra. Topics include basic properties of real numbers, operations with algebraic expressions, solution of equations and inequalities, exponents and radicals, introduction to functions, and graphing.

MATH 121 Prespective Geometry

Semester course; 3 lecture hours or 3 laboratory-tutorial hours. 1 credit.

Short course (5 weeks); 3 lecture hours. 1 credit. Students will examine ways in which Renaissance artists who developed linear perspective in geometry in order to paint scenes realistically infuenced the development of mathematics and geometry. Topics covered will include the foundations of projective geometry. Pascal's mystic hexagram, Brianchon"s Theorem and duality. A need for higher mathematics will also be introduced and explained. MATH 121-122-123 fulfills the math requirement for art students. The sequence can be taken in any order.

MATH 122 Tessellations

Semester course; 3 lecture hours or 3 laboratory-tutorial hours. 1 credit.

Short course (5 weeks); 3 lecture hours. 1 credit. Students will examine ways in which mathematics is rooted in both natural philosophy and art by examining tiling theory. Course topics include Penrose tilings, symmetries and various other tessellations. MATH 121-122-123 fulfills the math requirement for art students. The sequence can be taken in any order.

MATH 123 Visualization

Semester course; 3 lecture hours or 3 laboratory-tutorial hours. 1 credit.

Short course (5 weeks); 3 lecture hours. 1 credit. Students will examine ways in which mathematics has been visualized artistically and will develop their own way to express a mathematical idea. Topics covered will include fractals, knots, minimal surfaces, non-Euclidean geometry and the fourth dimension. MATH 121-122-123 fulfills the math requirement for art students. The sequence can be taken in any order..

MATH 131 Introduction To Contemporary Mathematics

Prerequisite: MATH 001 or satisfactory score on the Mathematics Placement Test.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits.

Topics include optimization problems; data handling; growth and symmetry; and mathematics with applications in areas of social choice. Major emphasis is on the process of taking a real-world situation, converting the situation to an abstract modeling problem, solving the problem and applying what is learned to the original situation. (Serves as a prerequisite for STA 208 or 210, but does not serve as a prerequisite for calculus or other advanced mathematical sciences courses.)

MATH 141 Algebra with Applications

Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the VCU Mathematics Placement Test, or a satisfactory combination of high school grade point average and Mathematics SAT score (for students entering VCU after July 1, 2005). Placement results must be no older than thirty-nine months.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits.

Graphing calculator required: TI-84 or TI-83 recommended

Topics include sets, functions, exponents, logarithms, matrix algebra, systems of linear equations, inequalities, the binomial theorem, sequences, series, complex numbers and linear programming.

MATH 141 is taught in three distinct classroom formats, all covering the same topics, and all serving as a prerequisite for any course requiring MATH 141.

1. MATH 141 Algebra with Applications emphasizes the acquisition and understanding of algebraic skills and their application to real world problems, taking advantage of graphing calculator technology throughout the semester.

2. MATH 141 Algebra with Applications, Modeling-based emphasizes applying algebraic skills to a wide variety of real world problems, taking full advantage of graphing calculator technology on a daily basis. Lecture time is reduced to allow student participation in classroom projects individually and in groups, including some which require meeting outside the classroom. There is a student assistant in the classroom.

3. MATH 141 Algebra with Applications, Stretch emphasizes the acquisition and understanding of algebraic skills and their application to real world problems, taking advantage of graphing calculator technology throughout the semester. There is a student assistant in the classroom and classes meet for an extra hour each week and are restricted to only 25 students. These sections are designed for and open to students who have been admitted to VCU but who do not meet the prerequisite requirements of MATH 141.

MATH 151 Precalculus Mathematics

Prerequisite: MATH 141 or satisfactory score on the Mathematics Placement Test.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours and 1 mathematics laboratory/recitation. 4 credits.

Concepts and applications of algebra and trigonometry. Topics include graphs, transformations and inverses of functions; linear, exponential, logarithmic, power, polynomial, rational, and trigonometric functions.

MATH 191 Topics in Mathematics

See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics and prerequisites.
Semester course; 1-3 credits per semester.

A study of selected topics in mathematics. May be repeated for credit. For a course to meet the general education requirements it must be so stated in the Schedule of Classes.