MATH 1030
Elementary Functions
Course Information and Policies
- Summer 2025 Syllabus
- Click here to read advice that former MATH 1030 students have for you! (I strongly recommend reading these suggestions.)
- The topics covered in MATH 1030 can be found by clicking here. Mastery of these topics will be assessed via three major exams, one cumulative final exam, frequent quizzes, and many homework assignments.
- Course coordinator: David G. Costanzo (dgcosta@clemson.edu)
Daily Course Schedule
If you click on the date, then you will be able to download the blank slides that I use in class. The annotated slides from class can be downloaded by clicking the handwritten notes corresponding to your section. I am also including a short description of the day's topic(s). By the way, there are almost always "extra" slides that I did not cover in class. I usually copy-and-paste them in the next day's lesson. So, if you happen to be absent (which you should not be), you can refer to the handwritten notes to see where I stopped.
- June 30, 2025
- Syllabus
- Intro to operations on polynomials
- handwritten notes from Section 201
- handwritten notes from Section 202
- July 1, 2025
- operations on polynomials continued
- factoring polynomials
- quiz: basic operations on polynomials
- handwritten notes from Section 201
- handwritten notes from Section 202
- July 2, 2025
- polynomial long division
- introduction to polynomial inequalities
- quiz: factoring
- handwritten notes from Section 201
- handwritten notes from Section 202
- July 3, 2025
- polynomial inequalities
- rational expressions
- quiz: polynomial long division
- handwritten notes from Section 201
- handwritten notes from Section 202
- July 7, 2025
- complex fractions
- rational inequalities
- quiz: polynomial inequalities, rational expressions
- handwritten notes from Section 201
- handwritten notes from Section 202
- July 8, 2025
- rational inequalities (continued)
- exponents
- radicals
- the radical conjugate trick
- quiz: complex fractions, rational inequalities
- handwritten notes from Section 201
- handwritten notes from Section 202
- July 9, 2025
- radical conjugates
- intro to functions
- handwritten notes from Section 201
- handwritten notes from Section 202
- July 10, 2025 (no new slides---exam day)
- Exam 1
- July 11, 2025
- functions (continued)
- difference quotients
- average rate of change
- quiz: basics on functions
- handwritten notes from Section 201
- handwritten notes from Section 202
- July 14, 2025
- difference quotients (continued)
- function composition
- quiz: difference quotients
- handwritten notes from Section 201
- handwritten notes from Section 202
- July 15, 2025
- function composition (continued)
- function decomposition
- one-to-one functions
- inverse functions
- quiz: avg. rate of change, function composition
- handwritten notes from Section 201
- handwritten notes from Section 202
- July 16, 2025
- inverse functions continued
- quick overview of linear functions
- quiz: domains of composites, basics on inverses
- handwritten notes from Section 201
- handwritten notes from Section 202
- July 17, 2025
- intro to rational functions
- quiz: basics on linear functions
- handwritten notes from Section 201
- handwritten notes from Section 202
- July 18, 2025 (no new slides---review day)
- review
- July 21, 2025 (no new slides---exam day)
- Exam 2
- July 22, 2025
- intro to exponentials
- handwritten notes from Section 201
- handwritten notes from Section 202
Exam Information
- There are precisely four "high-stakes" assessments in MATH 1030; specifically, there are three 90-minute unit exams and one cumulative 150-minute final exam. These assessments are no joke and constitute the majority of your final grade. The final exam is mandatory; there are no exemptions. On the bright side, your final exam will replace your lowest exam score.
- Here are the dates for these assessments. Please mark your calenders.
- EXAM 1: July 10, 2025
- EXAM 2: July 21, 2025
- EXAM 3:
- FINAL EXAM:
Additional Resources
Course coordinator: David G. Costanzo (dgcosta@clemson.edu)