MATH 129 - Pre-Calculus Mathematics, 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/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday 10:00-10:50 am
Course Website: http://community.wvu.edu/~bal0018/math129F26.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 129 Pre-Calculus Mathematics (4-1) Credits 4. A treatment of algebra, analytic geometry and trigonometry.
Prerequisite: ACT math at least 25, SAT math at least 590, or ALEKS math at least 60.

Course Material: This course covers the algebra skills and trigonometry content necessary to begin a study of calculus. The first half of the course will focus on solving equations and inequalities and on understanding different types of functions, while the last half will introduce trigonometric functions and their applications.  A rough schedule of the topics covered can be found at the end.

Course Objective: Upon completion of this course the student should have good algebraic manipulation skills, and a basic knowledge of trigonometry, polar coordinates, and complex numbers.

Course Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to do the following:
  1. Use the laws of exponents, and manipulate and simplify algebraic expressions containing fractional exponents, negative exponents, radicals, and fractions.
  2. Solve algebraic and trigonometric equations, inequalities, and systems of equations.
  3. Sketch graphs of algebraic and trigonometric functions.
  4. Find the composition of functions, the inverse of a function, and the domain and range of a function.
  5. Evaluate and graph trigonometric functions, particularly sinusoidal curves.
  6. Use basic trigonometric identities and inverse trigonometric functions to simplify expressions and solve equations.
  7. Solve right and oblique triangles.
  8. Use the trigonometric form of a complex number to compute products, quotients, powers, and roots of complex numbers.
  9. Convert from polar coordinates to rectangular coordinates and vice versa.

Grading: This course combines the course material from MATH 126 and MATH 128.  Therefore, MATH 129 is taught as two courses that you get one combined grade for.  You must demonstrate knowledge of both algebra and trigonometry to pass the course.  To that end, there will be a comprehensive algebra exam held during week 9, and a comprehensive trigonometry exam held during the week of final exams.  Failure to record at least a 60\% grade on either of these comprehensive exams will disqualify you from receiving a C or higher in the course, which is the necessary grade to take the calculus sequence.
Besides those two cumulative exams, your final grade will also be based on homework, quizzes, and two other ordinary exams during the semester.  Your final course score will be the maximum of the following two grading schemes:

Letter Grade Cutoffs:  For everyone who records at least a 60% or better on each comprehensive exam, letter grades will be assigned using the full grading scheme(s) and the following 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!

Attendance: Attendance will count for credit beginning on Monday, August 31.  From that point on, there will be approximately 65 lectures.  If you miss no more than 7 of those lectures, you will maintain your full 5% for attendance.  If you miss 8 or more lectures, you will lose one percentage point for each two lectures missed.  (Note: Excused absences such as participation in athletics or clubs will not count toward your total of absences.)

Quizzes: There will be a quiz given most weeks in which there is no exam.  This will be a very brief quiz given at the beginning of class, intended to test you with more immediacy than the exams and with less consequence.  The problems that appear on the quiz will be taken from the homework problems I assign.  Only your best 5 quizzes will count toward your grade, and there will be absolutely NO make-up quizzes.

Exams: The first algebra exam, which I will call Exam 1, is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, September 16. The algebra cumulative exam will be a two-day exam, tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, October 20 and Wednesday, October 21. The first trigonometry exam, which I will call Exam 3, is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, November 11. These will be 50 minute exams taken during the regular lecture time. The trig cumulative exam will be given during the course final exam time, which has been set by the university, and will be Monday, December 7 from 10:00-11:50 am. 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
18-Aug Syllabus and Prereqs
19-Aug 2.2: Solving Basic Linear/Rational/Power Equations
20-Aug 2.5: Quadratic Equations - Factoring/Completing the Square
21-Aug 2.5: Quadratic Equations - Quadratic Formula
24-Aug 2.4: Complex Numbers as Solutions to Quadratic Equations
25-Aug 2.6: Solving Other Types of Equations
26-Aug 2.6: Solving Other Types of Equations
27-Aug 2.7: Solving Linear and Absolute Value Inequalities
28-Aug Solving Polynomial and Rational Inequalities
31-Aug Solving Polynomial and Rational Inequalities
1-Sep 2.1: Rectangular Coordinates, Graphs, Distance Formula, and Circles
2-Sep 2.2: Equations and Graphs of Lines
3-Sep 2.2: Equations and Graphs of Lines
4-Sep 11.1/11.2: Systems of Linear Equations
8-Sep 3.1: Introduction to Functions and Graphs of Toolkit Functions
9-Sep 3.2: Domains and Ranges of Functions, Piecewise-Defined Functions
10-Sep 3.3: Using Graphs to Learn about Functions, Rates of Change
11-Sep 3.4: Compositions of Functions
14-Sep 3.7: Inverse Functions
15-Sep Review
16-Sep Exam 1
17-Sep 3.5: Transformations of Functions and Graphs
18-Sep 3.5: Transformations of Functions and Graphs
21-Sep 5.1: Quadratic Functions and their Graphs
22-Sep 5.2: Polynomial Functions, and Graphs of Monomial Functions
23-Sep 5.3: Graphs of Polynomial Functions
24-Sep 5.3: Graphs of Polynomial Functions
25-Sep 5.4: Dividing Polynomials
28-Sep 5.5: Zeros of Polynomial Functions
29-Sep 5.5: Zeros of Polynomial Functions
30-Sep 5.6: Graphs of Rational Functions
1-Oct 5.6: Graphs of Rational Functions
2-Oct 5.6: Graphs of Rational Functions
5-Oct 6.1/6.2: Exponential Functions and their Graphs
6-Oct 6.1/6.2: Exponential Functions and their Graphs
7-Oct 6.3/6.4: Logarithmic Functions and their Graphs
8-Oct 6.5: Laws of Logarithms
12-Oct 6.6: Solving Exponential and Logarithmic Equations
13-Oct 6.6: Solving Exponential and Logarithmic Equations
14-Oct 6.6: Solving Exponential and Logarithmic Equations
15-Oct Catch-Up/Review
16-Oct Review
19-Oct Review
20-Oct Comprehensive Algebra Exam, Part 1
21-Oct Comprehensive Algebra Exam, Part 2
22-Oct 7.1: Angles
23-Oct 7.3/7.4: Unit Circle Trigonometry
26-Oct 7.3/7.4: Unit Circle Trigonometry
27-Oct 7.2: Right Triangle Trigonometry
28-Oct 7.2: Right Triangle Trigonometry
29-Oct 8.1: Graphs of Sinusoidal Functions
30-Oct 8.1: Graphs of Sinusoidal Functions
2-Nov 8.2: Graphs of Other Trigonometric Functions
4-Nov 8.3: Inverse Trigonometric Functions
5-Nov 8.3: Inverse Trigonometric Functions
6-Nov 9.5: Solving Basic Trigonometric Equations
9-Nov 9.5: Solving Basic Trigonometric Equations
10-Nov Review
11-Nov Exam 3
12-Nov 9.1: Verifying and Using Trigonometric Identities
13-Nov 9.1: Verifying and Using Trigonometric Identities
16-Nov 9.2/9.3/9.4: Common Identities and Their Uses
17-Nov 10.1: Solving Triangles with Law of Sines
18-Nov 10.1: Solving Triangles with Law of Sines
19-Nov 10.2: Solving Triangles with Law of Cosines
20-Nov 10.3/10.4: The Polar Coordinate System
30-Nov 10.5: Polar Form of Complex Numbers
1-Dec 10.5: Polar Form of Complex Numbers
2-Dec 10.8: Vectors
3-Dec 10.8: Vectors
4-Dec Review