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Math 120 - Dr. Miller - Topics List for Final Exam - Monday, June 27, 2011
The exam will take place during the entire hour and fifty minute period. It is cumulative and also includes
new material from Thursday and Friday.
Refer also to your earlier Topics Lists for reminders about common errors and things to beware when solving
certain kinds of problems; I have NOT restated those cautions here.
Review of Basics and also “Pathological” Situations:
1. This information will NOT be specifically asked about on the Final Exam, but you
must know it for use in other problems.
2. Know what integers, mixed numbers, and fractions are.
3. Apply the Distributive Property and the Order of Operations.
4. Combine like terms.
5. Respond correctly when variables “drop out” in equations, systems, or inequalities.
Graphing and Lines:
1. I will NOT ask you to graph anything on the Final Exam.
2. Find intercepts of lines, give answers as points, identify x- versus y-intercept when asked.
3. Find slope using your choice of method: memorized vertical/horizontal information, MEMORIZED slope formula, or conversion to slope-intercept form.
4. Be prepared for slope computations requiring work with compound fractions.
5. Given information about a line, write its equation.
6. Be prepared to write equations of horizontal, vertical, parallel, or perpendicular lines as well.
Systems of Equations:
1. Solve a given system by your choice of substitution or elimination.
2. Word problems will NOT appear on the Final.
Inequalities:
1. Solve inequalities, including compound ones; reverse the sign under the correct conditions.
2. Use interval notation to write solutions to inequalities.
3. Correctly interpret the relationship between the words “and”/“or” and graphs or interval notation.
4. Be careful to interpret “3-way” inequalities correctly.
Absolute Value:
1. Solve equations involving one or two absolute values.
2. Solve inequalities involving absolute values.
3. Be prepared for absolute value equations or inequalities that have no solutions/are impossibilities.
Exponent Rules and also Exponents, Roots and Complex Numbers:
1. Use exponent rules to simplify expressions, including those using negative and NOW fractional
exponents.
2. Be prepared to write answers without negative exponents.
3. Be careful to treat coefficients correctly; they and the exponents behave differently.
4. Memorize the perfect squares up through 144 and the perfect cubes up through 125.
5. Simplify expressions using the radical symbol, including when it is applied to a negative number.
6. Add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers, writing answers in a + bi form.
7. Divide complex numbers by using the complex conjugate, writing answers in a + bi form.
Polynomials and also Solving Equations by Factoring:
1. Add/subtract and multiply polynomials.
2. Completely factor polynomials by appropriate choices from our methods.
3. Be able to solve polynomial equations by factoring.
4. Word problems will NOT appear on the Final.
Function Notation and also Function Arithmetic:
1. Be able to substitute either numbers or variable expressions in a function’s formula.
2. Be prepared for rational expressions and/or compound fractions.
3. The “Arithmetic” material is new; questions on it will come directly from Friday’s homework.
Rational Expressions and Equations:
1. Simplify expressions involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of rational expressions.
2. Specify all restrictions on the variable when asked.
3. Use your choice of technique to simplify compound fractions. No restrictions will be asked for.
4. Use common denominators to clear fractions in solving rational equations.
5. Remember to check after solving to look for possible restrictions.
Radical Equations, Quadratic Equations, and Simplifying Radicals:
1. This material is new; questions on it will come directly from Wednesday’s and Thursday’s homework.
You may bring a non-cell phone calculator without text-based memory for use on the exam.
I will approve each person’s calculator on the day of the exam.