This course is a part of the general education core requirements at Norfolk State University (NSU) which provide the foundation for the Academy’s mission to increase in students the knowledge, qualities and attitudes necessary to become productive citizens who contribute to a globally and rapidly changing society. Through this course, it is the goal of the Department of Mathematics at NSU to aid students in the liberal arts in mastering basic mathematical skills, maximizing their strategic problem solving skills, and acquiring an appreciation for the role of quantitative thinking in modern society.

The applications and emphases will occur within the following four contexts:

• Numeric or arithmetic
• Conceptual
• Geometric
• Data representation and chance element

Thus at the completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Express a fraction as a percent.
2. Express a decimal as a percent.
3. Express a percent as a decimal.
4. Use the percent formula.
5. Solve applied problems involving percents.
6. Calculate simple interest.
7. Use the future value formula.
8. Use the simple interest formula on a discounted loan.
9. Use compound interest formulas.
10. Calculate present value.
11. Understand and compute effective annual yield.
12. Identify and use inductive reasoning with an emphasis on discovering patterns.
13. Identify and use deductive reasoning.
14. Use estimation techniques to arrive at an approximate answer to a problem.
15. Apply estimation techniques to information given by graphs.
16. Solve problems with numeric, algebraic, geometric, conceptual, statistical, and chance contexts using the four-step problem solving process.
17. Identify and use the appropriate symbols when writing in set notation.
18. Determine a set’s cardinal number.
19. Identify equal and equivalent sets.
20. Use Venn Diagrams to visualize set relationships with an emphasis on a survey’s results and answer questions about the survey.
21. Perform operations with sets.
22. Evaluate an exponential expression.
23. Find ratios.
24. Solve problems using proportional reasoning.
25. Demonstrate quantitative literacy in the U.S. Customary and metric systems of measurement.
26. Convert from one unit to another within the same or different systems using dimensional analysis.
27. Use appropriate units for making measurements.
28. Read a calibrated scale or measurement tool such as a ruler or protractor.
29. Determine measurements needed to solve a problem.
30. Identify and use geometric concepts in making linear, area, and volume measurements.
31. Solve measurement problems by using a formula, proportional reasoning, or nonstandard unit.
32. Identify and use geometric properties and relationships in both pure and real-world situations such as determining a distance using the Pythagorean relationship.
33. Use the Fundamental Counting Principle the number of possible outcomes in a given situation.
34. Evaluate factorial expressions.
35. Distinguish between permutation and combination problems.
36. Solve problems using the permutations and combinations formulas.
37. Compute and compare theoretical and empirical probabilities.
38. Compute probabilities with the Fundamental Counting Principle, permutations, and combinations.
39. Find the probability that an event will not occur.
40. Compute probabilities of compound events.
41. Use and compute odds.
42. Compute conditional probabilities.
43. Compute expected values.
44. Identify trends and deceptions in visual displays of data.
45. Organize and present data.
46. Select an appropriate sampling technique.
47. Calculate, compare, and select the best measure of central tendency given a data set.
48. Determine the range and standard deviation for a data set.
49. Recognize the characteristics of a normal distribution.
50. Define the empirical rule within the context of a real-world situation.
51. Make a scatter plot given a table of data points.
52. Interpret information given a scatter plot.
53. Write the equation of the regression line.
54. Predict values for the dependent variable using the regression line.