## Precalculus Resources: Spring 2017 Midterm II Review

I have gathered quizzes that relate directly to the upcoming midterm, as well as included a sample midterm. Please feel free to use these for practice! If you have trouble with the material, visit this page for additional resources. Don’t forget to grab a free version of wolfram alpha pro to help you if you’re enrolled at San Francisco State University!

## Topics Covered:

• 2.4: Polynomials
• Vertex of a parabola
• Determine the behavior of a polynomial near $- \infty$ or $\infty$
• 2.5: Rational Functions
• Determine the behavior of rational functions near $- \infty$ to $\infty$
• Determine the vertical and horizontal asymptotes of a rational function
• Determine the holes of a rational function, if they exist.
• 3.1: Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
• Their definitions as inverses
• Practice using #23 – #32 in Precalculus – Prelude to Calculus, 3rd Ed.
• 3.2: Power Rule
• Change of Base
• 3.3: Product and Quotient Rule
• Read p.249-p.252 for applications in scientific settings
• 3.4: Exponential Growth
• Compound Interest (n times per year)
• 3.5: e and the Natural Logarithm
• Understanding the definition of e will enhance your understanding of proofs later on. For now, we know it’s a real number that is approximately equal to 2.71, and it’s associated with Continuous growth!
• 3.7: Exponential Growth Revisited
• Read p.304-p.306 for an application of the approximation methods discussed in 3.6 used in financial estimations.
• Focus on Continuous Compound Interest
• 4.1: Unit Circle
• Make sure you can convert between degrees and radians.
• 4.3: Sine and Cosine
• Definition using unit Circle
• Domain and Range of Sine & Cosine
• If you want a challenge, try answering #45 from this section.

## Precalculus Resources: Spring 2017 Midterm I Review (Section 0.1 – 2.2)

I have gathered quizzes that relate directly to the upcoming midterm, as well as included a sample midterm. Please feel free to use these for practice! If you have trouble with the material, visit this page for additional resources. Don’t forget to grab a free version of wolfram alpha pro to help you if you’re enrolled at San Francisco State University!

## Precalculus Resources: Intro & Review of Functions

In the first couple of chapters, Dr. Axler covers the properties of real numbers, and gives a throughout exploration of functions in his textbook for Math 199 (Precalculus at SFSU).

### Flashcards

You can take the file to a print shop to have directly printed and cut for you, or print it double sided on regular paper and cut + paste onto index cards. Get creative!

More resources to come!

## Teacher Evaluations & Reflection, Fall 2016

Teacher Evaluations are out at SFSU. 😀

From my students’ responses, I learned that I can improve in the following ways:

• Plan what I will write on the board in more detail instead of such a rough sketch,
• “Don’t let nerves cause mistakes” – definitely happened 2-3 times where I did a problem incorrectly because I tried to wing it on the board…
• More intensive examples that can tie different concepts together before the midterm (where they do see synthesized word problems),
• On Universal Design:
• Group work that involve manipulatives, geared for kinesthetic/tactile learners,
• Audio / Visual learners balance – I tend to write a conclusion and verbally say a paragraph of explanations.
• On Long Term Planning:
• More group work for inverse trig functions and beyond,
• Maybe building a story that can be used for the concept questions during class?
• Manage expectations earlier – students will need to work and figure out a lot of stuff on their own,
• Create systems that can help students organize all the information – give suggestions on how to take notes, maybe?
• Give more time to do Chapters 4-6, Trigonometry chapters of the book.
• On Class Policy:
• Attendance and participation should be recorded more in detail,