11th Pre-Calculus

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I'm pleased to have your child as a student in PreCalculus, and am looking forward to a good year. Many parents have questions about what PreCalculus covers. Basically it's half a year of trigonometry combined with some more algebra and mathematical applications. In the final trimester we will also have mini units on Calculus and Statistics to help the students decide which AP math to take. I will be supplementing the book with material from other texts and university websites, so I'd like everyone to have a 3 ring binder so they can keep up with the handouts. Other than that, students should have graph paper and a graphing calculator available for homework assignments. Students should plan on homework most nights. We will do several projects throughout the year.

If you'd like to get in touch with me, my email is mdimaio@woodscharter.org, or you can call and leave a voice mail at 919 960-8353 ex. 217 I will be available after school and at lunch for
tutoring, and students are encouraged to come in if they have any questions or concerns.

 By the NC course description PreCalculus is only offered as an Honors class.

Course Outline for Pre Calculus

1st Trimester:

-skill assessment
-Calculator Programming Unit
-Review of linear relations and functions, and systems of equations(Ch 1-3)
-Polynomial and Rational Functions (Ch4)
-Trigonometric functions and the Unit Circle (ch 5)


2nd Trimester:

-Manipulating the graphs of trigonometric functions, and using them to
model real world data (Ch 6)

-Trigonometric Identities and Equations (Ch 7)

-Mid course project/Midterm

-Polar Coordinates and Complex Numbers (Ch 9)

-Vectors (Ch 8)

3rd Trimester

-Component Vectors and Projectile Motion (Ch 8)

-Exponential and Logarithmic Functions (Ch 11)

-Sequences and Series (Ch 12)

-Combinatorics and Probability (Ch 13)

- Statistics and Data Analysis (Ch 14)

- Intro to Calculus (Ch 15)

End of course project/Exam