Official Course Description: This course is designed as a preparation for calculus, including study of basic properties of polynomials, rational functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, and trigonometric functions. Systems of linear equations and matrix operations are also covered.
Official Prerequisites: Officially None. Chapters 1-2 of the course should be reminiscient of high school algebra.
Lectures: MW 9:45am - 11:00am, room E203.
Discussion: F 9:45am - 11:00am, room S212 (Note different room!). I will also be leading the discussions. No new content will be discussed; only practice problems related to the material introduced on the MW of that week.
Lecturer: Andrew Shi (Just call me Andrew), andrewshi@nyu.edu.
Email is not for math questions. Email is for logistics or if you would like to request a topic to discuss on Friday discussions.
Office hours: Immediately after class on MW (not F). By appointment before class or other times.
Learning Assistant:
Bryant Paulino. The Academic Resource Center has many learning assistants dedicated to mathematics where "drop-in" tutoring is available during their office hours. Bryant is the dedicated LA for Precalculus this semester. Please check the tutoring schedule for his availability. Please read the information on the page and the FAQs so you understand the LAs can and cannot do for you.
Exams:
Midterm exam 1: Friday, March 6, 9:45-11:00, S212.
Midterm exam 2: Friday, April 17, 9:45-11:00, S212.
Final exam: Tuesday, May 12, 14:00-17:00, S301. The date and time is fixed but the room is subject to change (check Albert).
Textbook:
Mathematics for Calculus, 8th Edition, James Stewart; Lothar Redlin; Saleem
Watson, ISBN-13: 978-0-357-75363-7 (Previous editions are OK contentwise, but the section and problem numberings might be slightly different)
txt
Main Course Webpage: This is the main course webpage (the page you are on now). It contains the official schedule, homework/project assignments, and all other key course information. Please check it regularly for updates.
Brightspace: We will use this platform for posting course materials and making official announcements. All official announcements, particularly those about policies and logistics, will be made exclusively on Brightspace. Please note that we do not use the Brightspace gradebook, so any percentages or totals it displays are inaccurate.
Gradescope: All quizzes and exams will be graded and returned to you via Gradescope. You can view your graded work and feedback here. You should already be enrolled, but if not use the course entry code KNNKE3.
Wolfram Alpha: This is a useful site; somewhat like a smart calculator. You can type in equations and it will solve them, expressions and it will simplify them, functions and it will graph them, etc.
Desmos: An interactive graphing calculator.
Homework: Weekly homework will be posted on the web page consisting of textbook problems. They will not be turned in or graded (you can thank AI for that). In principle they will be assigned every Wednesday and cover the material from that Monday and the previous Wednesday. Completing these assignments is crucial for success on quizzes, exams, and the calculus course you plan to take. There are so many good problems in the textbook that I will take quiz and exam problems directly from the assigned homework problems.
Quizzes: There will be a total of 10 pen-and-paper quizzes given in the Friday discussion sections. They will mostly cover the material from the previous week, but might include questions on any previous topic. There will be no make-up quizzes, but the lowest two quiz scores will be dropped when computing the grade. Each quiz will take 30 minutes and will be at the start of each Friday discussion section. Quiz problems will be almost always taken exactly from the textbook. Closed book and closed notes, no calculator.
Exams: Two pen-and-paper midterms exams will be given along with a final exam. The midterms are scheduled for Friday 03/06 between 9:45-11:00 and Friday 04/17 between 9:45-11:00. The final exam will be given on Tuesday 05/12 between 14:00 - 17:00. No calculator. You can bring one cheat sheet, A4 size to each exam.
Grades: The final grade will be based the best 8 quizzes (20%), the Midterm exams (20% each), and the Final exam (40%). If it improves your grade, the final exam can replace one of both of your midterms. This allows you to miss the midterm exams, but your chances are improved if you take it.
Grade Cutoffs: You will be graded no harsher than the standard grade cutoffs of A (93+), A- [90, 93), B+ [87, 90), B [83, 87), B- [80, 83), etc. I anticipate either lowering the cutoffs or curving the scores. After each midterm I will give you a sense of where you stand in terms of letter grades.
Observance of Religious Holidays:: Observance of Religious Holidays: You may miss class for the observance of religious holidays.
If you anticipate being absent because of religious observance, notify me at the beginning of the
semester (within the first two weeks) so we can create a plan for making up missed work. For
more on this policy:
https://www.nyu.edu/about/policies-guidelines-compliance/policies-and-guidelines/university-calendar-policy-on-religious-holidays.html
Important: It is crucial that you approach me within the first two weeks for such matters, as I
might arrange certain assignments so that they do not overlap with religious holidays that are
relevant to students attending the course.
Competitions, Conferences, Presentations:: You are permitted to be absent from classes to participate in competitions, conferences, and presentations, either at home or out of town, as approved by the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs. Review the Undergraduate Bulletin for the conditions you must meet to obtain approval for this kind of absence.
Extended Illness: If you are ill and need to miss more than one day of classes, you must speak to the Health & Wellness Office. Once Health and Wellness verifies the reasons for your extended absence, I will consult with Academic Affairs and recommend the best course of action. I will not look at doctors’ notes, both for your health privacy reasons and because I cannot verify the authenticity or content of the notes.
Academic Honesty/Plagiarism: Carefully read NYU Shanghai’s Statement on Academic Integrity (in the Undergraduate Bulletin). Breaches of academic integrity could result in failure of an assignment, failure of the course, or other sanctions, as determined by the Academic Affairs office.
Disability Disclosure Statement: NYU Shanghai is committed to providing equal educational opportunity and participation for students with disabilities. It is NYU Shanghai’s policy that no student with a qualified disability be excluded from participating in any NYU Shanghai program or activity, denied the benefits of any NYU Shanghai program or activity, or otherwise subjected to discrimination with regard to any NYU Shanghai program or activity. Any student who needs a reasonable accommodation based on a qualified disability should register with the Moses Center for Student Accessibility for assistance. Students can register online through the Moses Center and can contact the Academic Accommodations Team at shanghai.academicaccommodations@nyu.edu with questions or for assistance..
Title IX Statement: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs. It protects victims of sexual or gender-based bullying and harassment and survivors of gender-based violence. Protection from the discrimination on the basis of sex includes protection from being retaliated against for filing a complaint of discrimination or harassment. NYU Shanghai is committed to complying with Title IX and enforcing University policies prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex. Shakera Turi (shakera.turi@nyu.edu), Executive Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity, serves as the University’s Title IX Coordinator. The Title IX Coordinator is a resource for any questions or concerns about sex discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual violence, or sexual misconduct and is available to discuss your rights and judicial options. University policies define prohibited conduct, provide informal and formal procedures for filing a complaint and a prompt and equitable resolution of complaints.
In this course, your goal is to master the material, not just produce correct answers. For the homework, you are encouraged to learn from any available resource, including collaborating with classmates, consulting online materials (e.g., Stack Overflow), and using AI assistants (e.g., Gemini, ChatGPT). These are powerful tools for brainstorming and understanding complex concepts. However, the fundamental rule is that the work you submit must be your own.
Think of it this way: discussing ideas and problems with a friend is great, and asking an AI to explain an error is smart. However, simply copying a solution from any source without understanding it is academic dishonesty. Be aware that you will be tested on these concepts in the quizzes and the exams, where these resources and collaborators will not be available. The homework is your opportunity to practice and genuinely learn the material, so make sure you are the one doing the learning.
| Lec | Date | Topic | Textbook |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mon 01/19 | Course introduction and Syllabus Real Numbers |
1.1 |
| 2 | Wed 01/21 | Exponents and Radicals | 1.2 |
| Fri 01/23 | |||
| 3 | Mon 01/26 | Algebraic Expressions Rational Expressions Just started 1.4, finished domain Example 1.19 |
1.3 1.4 |
| 4 | Wed 01/28 | Finish 1.4 Equations |
1.5 |
| Fri 01/30 | Quiz 1 (Lectures 1-2) |
||
| 5 | Mon 02/02 | Inequalities | 1.8 |
| 6 | Wed 02/04 | The Coordinate Plane; Graphs of Equations; Circles Lines |
1.9 1.10 |
| Fri 02/06 | Quiz 2 (Lectures 3-4) | ||
| 7 | Mon 02/09 | Functions and Graphs of Functions | 2.1-2.2 |
| 8 | Wed 02/11 | Transformations of Functions (Slides for Section 2.6) |
2.6 |
| Fri 02/13 | Quiz 3 (Lectures 5-6) | ||
| Mon Feb 16 - Fri Feb 20: No class (Spring Festival) | |||
| 9 | Mon 02/23 | Combining Functions (Link to Video Lecture) One-to-one Functions and Their Inverses (Link to Video Lecture) |
2.7 2.8 |
| 10 | Wed 02/25 | CLASS CANCELLED | |
| Fri 02/27 | Quiz 4 (Lectures 7-8) | ||
| 11 | Mon 03/02 | Quadratic Functions Polynomial Functions and Their Graphs |
3.1 3.2 |
| 12 | Wed 03/04 | Dividing Polynomials Real Zeros of Polynomials |
3.3 3.4 |
| Fri 03/06 |
MIDTERM 1 (Lectures 1-10) | ||
| 13 | Mon 03/09 | Rational Functions | 3.6 |
| 14 | Wed 03/11 | Polynomials and Rational Inequalities | 3.7 |
| Fri 03/13 | Quiz 5 (Lectures 11-12) | ||
| 15 | Mon 03/16 | Exponential Functions Logarithmic Functions |
4.1, 4.2 4.3 |
| 16 | Wed 03/18 | ANDREW ABSENT |
|
| Fri 03/20 | Laws of Logarithms Quiz 6 (Lectures 13-14) |
4.4 | |
| 17 | Mon 03/23 | Exponential and Logarithmic Equations | 4.5 |
| 18 | Wed 03/25 | ANDREW ABSENT |
|
| Fri 03/27 | The Unit Circle Quiz 7 (Lectures 15-16) |
5.1 | |
| 19 | Mon 03/30 | ANDREW ABSENT |
|
| 20 | Wed 04/01 | Trigonometric Functions of Real Numbers Video Lecture for Section 5.2 Trigonometric Graphs (Slides for Section 5.3) Video Lecture for Section 5.3 |
5.2 5.3 |
| Fri 04/03 | Quiz 8 (Lectures 17-18) | ||
| Mon Apr 6 - Fri Apr 10: No class (Qingming Festival/Spring Break) | |||
| 21 | Mon 04/13 | More Trigonometric Graphs (Slides for Section 5.4) |
5.4 |
| 22 | Wed 04/15 | Inverse Trigonometric Functions and their Graphs (Slides for Section 5.5) |
5.5 |
| Fri 04/17 |
MIDTERM 2 (Lectures 1-20) | ||
| 23 | Mon 04/20 | Discussion of Midterm and Upcoming Final, Feedback Angle Measure |
6.1 |
| 24 | Wed 04/22 | Trigonometric Identities Addition and Subtraction Formulas |
7.1 7.2 |
| Fri 04/24 | Quiz 9 (Lectures 21-22) | ||
| Sun 04/26 | Legislative Day (follows Friday Schedule) -- but NO CLASS | ||
| 25 | Mon 04/27 | Double-Angle, Half-Angle, and Product Sum Formulas | 7.3 |
| 26 | Wed 04/29 | Trigonometric Equations | 7.4-7.5 |
| Fri 05/01 | China Labor Day Holiday - No Class | ||
| 27 | Mon 05/04 | Systems of Linear Equations in Two Variables | 9.1 |
| 28 | Wed 05/06 | Systems of Linear Equations in Several Variables | 9.2 |
| Fri 05/08 | Quiz 10 (Lectures 24-26) - Office Hours afterwards | ||
| Tues 05/12 | Final exam |
