Mathematics & Statistics

Math Subjects

• Precalculus

  Precalculus courses often cover topics from both algebra and trigonometry, as well as some topics from geometry and analytical geometry. Some of the specific topics that may be covered in a precalculus course include:

  • Exponents, radicals, and logarithms
  • Polynomial and rational functions
  • Trigonometric functions and their properties
  • Trigonometric identities and equations
  • Analytic geometry and conic sections
  • Limits and continuity
  • Derivatives and applications

  The main goal of a precalculus course is to provide students with the mathematical skills and knowledge they need to succeed in a calculus course and beyond.

• Calculus

  Calculus is the study of how things change. It provides tools for modeling systems that involve change, and allows us to make predictions based on those models. It has two main branches: differential calculus and integral calculus.

  Some of the specific topics that are covered in a calculus courses include:

  • Limits and continuity
  • Derivatives and their applications
  • Integrals and their applications
  • Differential equations
  • Vector calculus
  • Multivariable calculus

• Statistics

  Statistics courses typically focus on the collection, analysis, interpretation, presentation, and organization of data. They teach students how to use statistical methods and tools to describe and summarize data sets, make inferences about populations, and make decisions based on data.

  Some of the specific topics that may be covered in a college statistics course include:

  • Descriptive statistics: This includes measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and measures of dispersion (range, variance, standard deviation).
  • Probability: This includes the study of the likelihood of events occurring, and the use of probability distributions to model and analyze random events.
  • Inferential statistics: This includes methods for making inferences about a population based on a sample, such as hypothesis testing and confidence intervals.
  • Regression and correlation: This includes the analysis of the relationships between two or more variables, and the use of regression models to make predictions.
  • Design of experiments: This includes the principles of experimental design and the use of statistical methods to analyze the results of experiments.
  • Nonparametric statistics: This includes statistical methods that do not rely on assumptions about the underlying probability distributions of the data.

• Trigonometry

  Often recommended as a calculus prerequisite. Some of the specific topics that may be covered in a trigonometry course include:

  • Trigonometric functions: This includes the definitions and properties of sine, cosine, and tangent, and their inverse functions.
  • Trigonometric identities: This includes the use of trigonometric identities to simplify expressions and solve equations.
  • Trigonometric equations: This includes the solution of trigonometric equations and the use of graphs and tables of trigonometric functions.
  • Trigonometric applications: This includes the use of trigonometry to solve problems involving angles, distances, and heights in two and three dimensions.