Intermediate Algebra
Math 1010-017
Aart K. Costello, Spring Semester 2011
Three similar projects were given in this class to complete. They were all in a work-sheet form requiring
answers in the spaces provided. The signature assignments in this course were given as "group projects." I
completed this project in a group of two, my friend Samuy Khelm being the other member. We chose this
particular project at random. We worked each problem together, and I acted as the scribe. After the paperwork
was done, the assignment was scanned into a PDF file at the SLCC Markosian Library.
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Math1010SA001.pdf Size : 797.712 Kb Type : pdf |
Reflection
This assignment was very straight forward, and it incorporated skills I acquired and reviewed early in this
semester. The main challenge (other than finding the best way to scan it) was in checking my answers. My
partner and I began to rely on our graph to see if the intercepts, points, and so forth made visual sense on the
graph. This was, in and of itself, and additional insight gained by doing this assignment. It is that linear (and
similar) equations can be pictured geometrically, not only for a representation of the data, but also to recognize
where the logical answers should be. This can prove useful in checking the answers in simular problems in the
future.
I was surprised with how much I was able to manipulate and interpret the data provided. My instructor
has always been good at showing practical application of the mathematics of the class, yet rarely are Students
like me given assignments like this to show exactly what we can do with the tools we have acquired in class.
This leads to what I suppose is the purpose of this assignment. The project provided a few variables, and it was
up to my partner and I to organize and represent the data geometrically, and then make predictions,
approximations and other findings based on the equations. This is a side of math that I believe is the discipline's
essence. Taking natural phenomena and organizing them in a useful way is what it is all about. Knowing that
simple algebra and linear mathematics (like in this assignment) are all I need to solve every day problems, is
an empowering thought. The last question in this assignment also pointed out the limitations of those
mathematics, and therefore pointed out the need of continuing in this discipline.
This class, (and this assignment) has helped me acquire at least these two "Salt Lake Community College
Learning Outcomes:" The first is the ability to better "Communicate Effectively." In this assignment, for example,
I gave information much more detailed and exact than what I could express in every day language. This course
has also helped me "Develop quantative literacies necessary for [my] chosen field of study." In the case of my
pursuit of a career in the field of Clinical Psychology, I will need to represent the progress and traits of patients
as well as find patterns and predictability of certain behaviors. Without this class, I would be unable to do this
on a professional level.
