MATH 128 - Plane Trigonometry, Fall 2026
Course Syllabus

Instructor: Brian Leary
Email: Brian.Leary1@mail.wvu.edu
Office: Learning Resource Center, 323J
Office Hours: Mondays 2-3, Tuesdays 12-1, Wednesdays 2-3, Thursdays 11-1, Fridays 12-1

Class Room and Time: Innovation 211, Monday/Wednesday/Friday 1:00-1:50 pm
Course Website: http://community.wvu.edu/~bal0018/math128F26.html

Course announcements and handouts may be posted on the website or the MyOpenMath page or sent via email. Please be sure to check the website regularly, and to regularly check the email address you have on record. You are responsible for any information posted on the course website.

Textbook: Jay Abramson, Algebra and Trigonometry, 2nd ed, available to download for free at https://openstax.org/details/books/algebra-and-trigonometry-2e

Catalog Data: MATH 128 Trigonometry (3-0) Credits 3. Trigonometric functions, identities, vectors, complex numbers, and trigonometric equations.  This course satisfies GEF3 Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning.
Prerequisite: MATH 124 or MATH 126 with minimum grade of C.

Course Material: Trigonometry is the branch of mathematics studying triangles, and the formulas that govern the lengths of sides and measures of angles in triangles.  Chapters 7 and 8 consider trigonometry from a geometric perspective.  Chapter 9 takes an analytic approach to trigonometric functions and investigates the formulas that these functions satisfy.  Chapter 10 applies our knowledge of trigonometry to study polar coordinates and the complex plane.  A rough schedule of the topics covered can be found below.

Course Objective: Upon completion of this course, the student should have a basic knowledge of trigonometry and its uses. This includes graphs, trigonometric identities, trigonometric equations, polar coordinates, the complex plane, and applications. The student will learn critical thinking skills and be able to express information in a mathematical setting.

Course Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to do the following:
  1. Compute the values of the trigonometric functions of an angle.
  2. Graph the trigonometric functions, in particular, sinusoidal curves.
  3. Use basic trigonometric identities to simplify expressions, solve equations, and prove identities.
  4. Solve right triangles, solve oblique triangles, and find the area of a triangle.
  5. Use the properties of inverse trigonometric functions to simplify expressions.
  6. Use the trigonometric form of a complex number to compute products, quotients, powers, and roots of complex numbers.
  7. Convert from polar coordinates to rectangular coordinates and vice-versa.
  8. Use mathematical analysis to solve various types of problems.

Grading: Your final grade will be based on homework, quizzes, three exams during the semester, and the final exam.  Your final course score will be the maximum of the following two grading schemes:

Letter Grade Cutoffs:  A: 90%, B: 80%, C: 70%, D: 60%, F: below 60%

Homework: Homework will be completed online with MyOpenMath.com.  When you sign-up, you will use the Course ID and Enrollment Key given in class.  Homework assignments will be due at the beginning of class on most Fridays.  Note that most problems on the homework assignments may be resubmitted as often as needed until they are correct, so you should strive for a homework percentage near 100%!
A note about the homework: the only real point of the homework is for you to do it. The time you spend thinking, trying things, getting wrong answers, and (hopefully) getting right answers is the purpose of the homework.  The exams are where your course grade will really be decided, and the homework is your training for the exams.  Don't skip your training!

Quizzes: There will be two or three quizzes throughout the semester.  The dates of these quizzes will be announced at least a week in advance in class and on the course website, and will be on specific predetermined topics from the course.

Exams: There will be three exams, tentatively scheduled for Friday, September 18; Friday, October 16; and Friday, November 13. These will be 50 minute exams taken during the regular lecture time. The final exam time has been set by the university, and will be on Monday, December 7 from 1:00-2:50 pm.  Make-up exams will only be given to students with excused absences, and such make-up exams must be scheduled within 24 hours of the missed exam.

Getting Help: Always remember: asking for help when you need it is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength! Please feel free to attend my office hours or email me if you have questions about the course material.  If you are unable to make it to my regularly scheduled office hours, I am willing to make an appointment to meet at another time if possible.  Free tutoring is also available through the Student Success Center, located in the library on the second floor of LRC and online at https://studentsuccesscenter.wvutech.edu/tutoring. You should also find out if you qualify for TRIO SSS, located in Benedum 100 and online at https://triosss.wvutech.edu, which also provides tutoring services.  Additionally, for quick math questions, you can feel free to stop by the Math Department in LRC 323 and ask any math professor with an open door.  Finally, I would also encourage the formation of study groups, to learn from each other and help each other learn.

Class Policies:

Institutional Policies: Students are responsible for reviewing policies on inclusivity, academic integrity, incompletes, sale of course materials, sexual misconduct, adverse weather, student evaluation of instruction, and other statements. For these detailed policies of West Virginia University, please review: https://facultysenate.wvu.edu/resources/syllabus-policies-and-statements

Approximate Schedule of Topics:

Date Topic
19-Aug Syllabus, 7.1: Angles
21-Aug 7.3: Unit Circle Trigonometry
24-Aug 7.3: Unit Circle Trigonometry
26-Aug 7.2: Right Triangle Trigonometry
28-Aug 7.2: Right Triangle Trigonometry
31-Aug 8.1: Sinusoidal Trig Graphs
2-Sep 8.1: Sinusoidal Trig Graphs
4-Sep 8.2: More Graphs of Trigonometric Functions
9-Sep 8.3: Inverse Trigonometric Functions
11-Sep 8.3: Inverse Trigonometric Functions
14-Sep 8.3: Inverse Trigonometric Functions
16-Sep Review
18-Sep Exam 1
21-Sep 9.5: Basic Trigonometric Equations
23-Sep 9.5: Basic Trigonometric Equations
25-Sep 9.1: Trigonometric Identies
28-Sep 9.2-9.4: Common Trigonometric Identities and Uses
30-Sep 9.2-9.4: Common Trigonometric Identities and Uses
2-Oct 10.1: Law of Sines
5-Oct 10.1: Law of Sines
7-Oct 10.2: Law of Cosines
12-Oct 10.2: Law of Cosines
14-Oct Review
16-Oct Exam 2
19-Oct 10.3: Polar Coordinates
21-Oct 10.3: Polar Coordinates
23-Oct 10.4: Polar Graphs
26-Oct 10.4: Polar Graphs
28-Oct 10.5: Polar Form of Complex Numbers
30-Oct 10.5: Polar Form of Complex Numbers
2-Nov 10.8: Vectors
4-Nov 10.8: Vectors
6-Nov 10.8: Vectors
9-Nov Catch-Up
11-Nov Review
13-Nov Exam 3
16-Nov 12.3: Parabolas
18-Nov 12.1: Ellipses
20-Nov 12.2: Hyperbolas
30-Nov 12.5: Conics in Polar Coordinates
2-Dec Catch-Up
4-Dec Review