Welcome to Seminar Four
Exponential/Logarithmic Functions (MTH112)
Weekly Content - Exponential/Logarithmic Functions
This week we're going to be discussing exponential and logarithmic functions - two sides of the same coin. These functions are inverses of each other so they're always taught together. In terms of applications, they come up in fields as diverse as psychology and physics.
Weekly Motivation
Each problem that I solved became a rule, which served afterwards to solve other problems.
[1]
-- Renee Descartes
Implicit in Descartes's statement is that he did a lot of problems to develop lots of rules. That's good advice for any student. The more problems that you do, the more comfortable you'll become with the material. A corollary to that is that, if you don't understand a question, it's imperative that you ask questions about it. I'll be glad to go over any problem that you like either by email or in the discussion board.
[1] Descarte, Renee. (1637) Le Discours de la Méthode
[1]
-- Renee Descartes
Implicit in Descartes's statement is that he did a lot of problems to develop lots of rules. That's good advice for any student. The more problems that you do, the more comfortable you'll become with the material. A corollary to that is that, if you don't understand a question, it's imperative that you ask questions about it. I'll be glad to go over any problem that you like either by email or in the discussion board.
[1] Descarte, Renee. (1637) Le Discours de la Méthode
Private Discussion Areas
If you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to the discussion board in our private discussion area. Doing so will tell Blackboard to send you an email every time I post something there. Every week I'll post a summary of your previous week's grades there and you'll be responsible for following up on any comments that I make. You can access our private discussion area by clicking on the Feedback/Groups button on the left side of this page then clicking on your name, then Group Discussion Board then your name again.
Discussion Posts
As you work on this week's discussion, remember that I'm looking for specifics, not generalities. For example, if you're asked for an example of how a technique or concept is used in the real world, you should give a specific example not just a single general statement. For example,
"I use fractions when cooking."
isn't the kind of post that I'm looking for. This is the kind of college level response that I'm expecting:
"I use fractions when changing the yield of recipes. For example, if a recipe provides food for four, I would need to cut that down to two to feed myself and my son. To do that I would take every ingredient and divide it by two (or multiply it by one half). That would make, for example, 3 cups of flour into (1/2) * 3 = 3/2 or 1 1/2 cups."
"I use fractions when cooking."
isn't the kind of post that I'm looking for. This is the kind of college level response that I'm expecting:
"I use fractions when changing the yield of recipes. For example, if a recipe provides food for four, I would need to cut that down to two to feed myself and my son. To do that I would take every ingredient and divide it by two (or multiply it by one half). That would make, for example, 3 cups of flour into (1/2) * 3 = 3/2 or 1 1/2 cups."
Getting Help
The University offers a live tutoring service to all students. If you feel you need to actually speak to someone about your questions, you can set up an appointment with the Online Math Center by clicking on the "Online Tutoring" button on the left side of this page. That will take you to a form that you can fill out to be contacted by one of the math center's tutors.
Professor Gregory Allen
Email: gallen06@baker.edu
Website: http://www.whitecraneeducation.com
Location: Skype: prof.gregory.allen
Phone: 813.995.8622