About Homework

There are two types of homework: (1) required homework, for which you will receive a grade constituting 20% of your final grade, and (2) extra-credit homework, which is optional, but will directly boost your course average.

Required homework: After a topic is discussed, homework exercises will be assigned to be completed before the next class session.  This is a minimal set of odd-numbered problems you can check for yourself;  the answers appear in the back of the book. 

Extra-credit homework:  You may choose to cement your skills further and also earn extra credit by doing additional extra-credit exercises. You may turn in extra-credit homework at any time for grading and feedback from me, but it will be best to wait one class session until after you have your questions answered about the required homework before tackling the extra-credit homework over a given topic.  Extra-credit exercises will consist of even-numbered problems similar to the required exercises.

You may submit as many of the extra-credit problems of a section as you wish; each will be graded at 5 points per exercise.  The correct and convincing completion of 10 of these exercises will raise your final course score by 1 percentage point.  Thus, 100 correct extra credit exercises (there are more than that available) would raise your course score by 10 points, a guaranteed letter-grade improvement! 

This work is to be yours, and yours alone.

As important as coming to class and reading the book are, this fact remains:  

the heart and soul of this course is in

the homework

By neglecting the homework, you will be cutting the heart and soul out of the course.  Why is this?

· you learn math by doing it, not by hearing or reading about it

· the required homework represents the true initial learning phase over each subject

· it will uncover gaps in your understanding of what you have heard and read

· those gaps will be filled when you ask questions during the next class session

· you will then be ready to try the extra-credit homework over the same material

· further questions over the extra-credit homework when you receive it back after grading should allow you to complete your understanding

· with appropriate review, you will then be ready for testing over the material

Please demonstrate to me that you take this course seriously by applying yourself conscientiously to the required homework!  Impress me further (and improve your understanding and your grade) by undertaking as many of the extra-credit exercises as you can!