List of 11 items.

• Math 1: An Intro to the Language of Mathematics

  “The Universe is a grand book which cannot be read until one first learns to comprehend the language and become familiar with the characters in which it is composed. It is written in the language of mathematics.” --Galileo
  
  

  How does the language of mathematics aid us in our problem solving? You will develop a foundation in the language of mathematics and learn expedient algebraic pathways to solving real-world problems involving linear and exponential growth, as well as quadratics. Unlock the mystery of this language by translating words into symbols and problems into “puzzles” that are solved with the laws of mathematics. Your teacher will guide you and your group through instructional activities that gradually reveal “clues’’ to unraveling the algebraic query of the day. You will strategize together by approaching the problem from the different vantage points that each student brings to the work. 

  
  

  Experience the satisfaction of a “team” tackling a challenge and succeeding, as well as the confidence built by independently solving problems through your own hard work and perseverance. You will see how systems of linear equations can be used in the debate about minimum wage, explore foundational concepts of functions with the decoding of encrypted messages, and examine human population growth and its impact on the environment with exponential functions. 

• Math 2: Studying Spatial Relations Through Mathematical Reasoning

  “Geometry will draw the soul towards truth.” --Plato
  
  

  Why did Abraham Lincoln, in preparation for a career in law, study one of the oldest textbooks in existence, The Elements, written in 300 B.C. by Euclid, the father of geometry? In your Math 2 class, you will discover the answers to this question, among many others. When studying geometry, you will not only examine the spatial relations that dictate the laws of the universe, you will also develop the deductive reasoning skill necessary to prove that a conjecture is indisputably true: a skill that one can transfer to any discipline, as Lincoln demonstrated. 

  
  

  Working collaboratively with your peers, you will be guided through investigations that unveil structures and relationships among figures in two-dimensional space. You will strategize together by approaching the problem from the varying vantage points that each individual brings to their work. What begins as an inquiry into an elementary concept—such as the sum of angles in a triangle equaling 180 degrees—evolves into a discussion of curved space and Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. Learn how early geometers measured the height of a pyramid and the distance to the moon. Experience the present-day utility of right triangle trigonometry in the building of access ramps for wheelchair users or in the designing of environmentally safe urban centers of the future. Join us in our Math 2 course and witness the magic of geometry in real-life application while always reaching into our algebraic toolkit to aid us in our problem-solving.

  
  

  Prerequisite: Math 1 or placement test

• Math 3: Building Fluency in the Language of Mathematics

  “Algebra is nothing more than geometry, in words; geometry is nothing more than algebra, in pictures.” --Sophie Germain
  
  

  In your Math 3 course, armed with a strong foundation in geometry, you will further your understanding of algebraic laws in the context of several settings and with access to more mathematical tools. You will join your fellow students in the investigation and comparison of models of growth, from linear to polynomial to exponential and to logarithmic. Indirect variation and rational functions play a large part as we delve into models of decay.

  
  

  Whether you are collaborating on a carbon-dating project to determine the age of fossil remains or studying the growth of a pandemic, you will view problems from the varying vantage points of different individuals and be an active member of a team working towards a single goal. Independent work will allow you to exercise the resilience and perseverance developed in your earlier years of mathematical study. You will revisit trigonometry, not as a set of ratios in a right triangle, but as a function that models the periodic nature of much in the world around us. Math 3 will provide the tools needed to investigate further and in much greater depth the functions that you will see in Precalculus as preparation for the study of Calculus.

  
  

  Prerequisites: Math 2

• Math 3/Pre-Calculus: Navigating the Complex World of Functions

  “We need to replace the idea that learning ability is fixed with the recognition that we are all on a growth journey.”--Jo Boaler
  
  

  As students, you come to Drew in various stages of mathematical maturity and you may accelerate at any time in your development of concepts, skills, knowledge and understanding in solving mathematical problems. As a result, Drew offers a condensed, one-year course that covers the material in the two years of the Math 3 and Precalculus courses. This course keeps up a very rapid pace throughout the year and is designed for those students entering Drew in Math 1 and who demonstrate a fine mathematical understanding of abstract concepts throughout their first two years at Drew. 

  
  

  Moving quickly and in greater depth through material, you will challenge yourself and further cement your love of mathematics. Investigate functions that describe our world, from modeling the geography of land with polynomials to comparing the exponential growth of viruses to examining the periodic nature of coastal tides with trigonometry. All the while, you will simultaneously master advanced algebraic techniques for challenging problem solving. The course prepares students for the study of calculus in their fourth year at Drew and is designed for those students who are interested in further study in mathematics and the physical sciences. 

  
  

  Prerequisite: An “A” average in Math 1 and Math 2, and department approval.

• Precalculus: Modeling the World with Function

  “As long as algebra and geometry have been separated, their progress has been slow and their uses limited; but when these two sciences have been united, they have lent each mutual force, and have marched together towards perfection.” --Joseph-Louis Lagrange
  
  

  When Rene Descartes, a 17th century French mathematician, scientist, and philosopher, devised the first link between Geometry and Algebra, he revolutionized mathematics by paving the path to Calculus. In Precalculus, you will follow Descartes’ lead and delve deeper into the study of functions, the relations that make the mathematical world “go round”. We can describe functions in four ways, but it is the graphical representation of these relations that allows us to investigate more effectively their behaviors as well as their transformations. 

  
  

  After having acquired the algebraic skills necessary to manipulate mathematical symbols in Math 3, you will investigate the interplay between curves on a coordinate plane and the algebraic symbols that represent them. You will join your peers working together to explore the use of functions in modeling real-world situations in your quest to view the world through a mathematical lens. See a sinusoidal function demonstrating the movement of our oceans or an exponential function revealing the harrowing nature of radioactive decay as well as the rapid growth of a pandemic. You will do all this in your preparation for the study of one of mathematics’ most beautiful accomplishments - Calculus. 

  
  

  Prerequisite: Math 3

• Financial Literacy with Algebra

  How do we answer the age-old question, “When am I going to use math in real life?”  In the Financial Literacy & Algebra course you will collaborate with your peers in tackling this question on a daily basis as you begin to see mathematical tools come to life in the world of business and finance. This financial literacy course will develop your ability to understand and effectively use various financial skills, including personal financial management, budgeting, saving, and investing. All are crucial for making informed decisions about money, which can impact our quality of life. The course provides the focus necessary for using math to understand the financial landscape and model financial decision-making effectively, while reinforcing the algebraic skills needed to navigate in the 21st century.  

  
  

  Prerequisite:  Math 3

• Programming 1

  If you are interested in getting started with a STEM field, this course is designed for you regardless of your programming skill. The course will introduce you to the fundamental concepts of programming and computer science. The course will delve deeply into problem-solving building on your computational and abstraction skills.

   

  Topics include data types, conditional structures, methods, arrays, objects and classes. You will engage in group lessons to get introduced to new concepts, and then work independently in small groups by completing programming challenges in class. The goal of the class is to master the basics of programming along with gaining understanding of how computers work.

• Programming 2

  Once you have mastered the concepts introduced in Programming 1, this class builds on those lessons and introduces new ones. You will engage in larger projects with a full software development cycle: design, test, and iterate. Larger projects require greater planning, so you will also be introduced to design concepts that will guide your development process. Focusing on project-based learning, the course will be broken down into several programming projects. You will engage in group lessons to introduce new concepts and work on short practice exercises in small groups. The course’s emphasis will be on independent projects that are to be completed in and outside of class. The goal for the course is to advance your programming skills and knowledge by building meaningful and relevant projects.

   

  Prerequisite: Programming 1

• Applied Calculus: Investigations & Applications

  How does the beauty of this dynamic branch of mathematics resonate in the world around us? How does it help us to make sense of motion and change, as witnessed in population growth, climate change, or the profit analysis of goods? This is an introductory course for those students interested in studying science or mathematics. It provides a glimpse into the elegance and utility of calculus without the rigor of an advanced mathematics course. 

  
  

  You will discover the foundational concepts of the mathematical study of change by working with your peers to unveil the mystery of calculus. The emphasis on this course is on the applications of calculus, moving from the conceptual to the concrete, you will work collaboratively to begin to use the tools of calculus to help model real-life problems from population growth to climate change to poverty and beyond. 

  
  

  Prerequisites: Precalculus

• Statistics Honors: Modeling for Prediction

  “The key is in remembering that a model is a tool to help us understand the complexities of the universe, and never a substitute for the universe itself.”--Nate Silver
  
  

  How can we make informed inferences and accurate predictions using the tools of mathematics? Knowledge of statistics provides you with the necessary tools and conceptual foundations in quantitative reasoning to extract information intelligently from an abundance of data. In collaboration with your peers, you will investigate ways to depict data in an accessible and effective way: one which provides a clear mathematical snapshot of events. Learn the laws of chance as you delve into a study of probability, work on teams in your exploration of various statistical techniques of sampling and experimentation. Together you will enter the world of inferential statistics and begin to use statistical tools to make inferences with a heightened level of accuracy. You will measure the “significance” of various hypotheses regarding health, economics, politics, and sports, thereby paving the pathway to statistical prediction. This course is designed for students who enjoy the challenge of a rigorous math course that is steeped in application and provides insight into the complexity of data analysis. 

  
  

  Prerequisites: An “A-” or above in Math 3 and department approval.

• Calculus Honors: The Study of Change

  “As its campfires glow against the dark, every culture tells stories to itself about how the gods lit up the morning sky and set the wheel of being into motion. The great scientific culture of the West--our culture--is no exception. The calculus is the story this world first told itself as it became the modern world.” --David Berlinski
  
  

  How can the study of change lead to advancements in our understanding of the natural and physical world? You will answer this by delving deep into differential calculus as well as studying net change, area, and volume with integral calculus. The notion of a limit in a most fundamental sense forms the foundation of calculus. You will experience this mathematical mystery as it unveils the secrets of the infinitesimally small rate of change at a precise moment in time. Throughout this course, you will witness the historical movement from the static world of geometry to the dynamic world of calculus, which hallmarked The Age of Enlightenment. 

  
  

  This course provides a rigorous, in-depth study of calculus on an Honors level, and is designed for students who are interested in studying mathematics in college as either a major or prerequisite for further studies. The ideal Calculus Honors student has a passion for mathematics, a curiosity about the unknown and seeks out a rewarding challenge in math class. 

  
  

  Prerequisite: An “A” average in Precalculus or Math 3/Precalculus, placement test, and department approval.