Precal Review/Preview, Session 1

Schedule: We will meet for two weeks, five days a week, 1.5 hours per day. (15 hours total.)

Format: An intro course to prep for a semester of precal, with lecture to cover concepts, and lots of class interaction and individual practice. We will learn concepts and practice them to attain the mastery we can in a short time, in preparation for a longer, graded course during a school year. No grading; homework is optional.

Cost: $275 per person for a group class of 4 or more students; $935 for one-on-one tutoring.

Payment options: Payments can be made via PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, cash, or check.

Materials: A graphing calculator like a TI-84, TI-89, HP Prime, or Casio is recommended. No text. We’ll use free worksheets on the Internet for homework and supplements.

For more details or to schedule a class, contact Michael by email at michaelgold@goldams.com or by phone at 281-770-2276.

Class Description.

We will learn some precal (trigonometry) and will work on developing a real understanding of mathematics.

We will have a mix of lecture, Q&A, and in-class work. We will have some interactive lecture in which students practice concepts and techniques as we go. Everyone will get a chance to ask and answer questions, get feedback, and check their understanding.

You will get some class notes posted everyday on Outschool (you will need to take some of your own notes!), some optional extra reading for understanding, and lots of optional practice work. All classes on Outschool are recorded, so you can watch ones you might have to miss and watch class over again to take notes or review.

Topics Covered

1. The Basic Trigonometric Functions
2. The Unit Circle
3. Graphing the Trigonometric Functions
4. The Trigonometric Identities
5. Trigonometric Formulas
6. Trigonometric Equations
7. Solving Triangles

Tentative schedule
Week 1
Day 1: basic trig functions; angles; the radian; the unit circle; terminal side; reference angle
Day 2: properties of the trig functions; graphs of the trig functions
Day 3: graphs of the trig functions; transformations; domain, range, amplitude, period, phase shift, vertical shift
Day 4: graphs of the trig functions; transformations; domain, range, amplitude, period, phase shift, vertical shift
Day 5: inverse trig functions

Week 2
Day 1: the trig identities; verifying identities; trig equations
Day 2: sum and difference formulas; double-angle and half-angle formulas; trig equations
Day 3: product-sum formulas; trig equations
Day 4: solving triangles; the law of sines and the law of cosines
Day 5: solving triangles; finding the area of a triangle; trig word problems

Time permitting:
polar graphs

Learning Goals.
To understand the basic trig functions.
To understand and memorize the unit circle.
To understand how to graph the trig functions using parameters/transformations.
To understand how to work trig identities.
To understand how to solve trig equations.
To understand how to solve triangles.
To be prepared for a year-long course in precalculus.
To understand how perecal is useful to fields like physics, chemistry, and biology.
To learn some logic and thinking skills that will help all through life in all areas of life.