1. MAC 1147
Precalc and Trig

2. Julien Sorci (Teaching Assistant)
Office: LIT 455 (4th floor, NW side of building)
Office Hours: TBA on webpage
Webpage: people.clas.ufl.edu/jsorci/
(Webpage can be found on math department website under grad students)

3. Things I do: Grade your assignments (hw, quizzes) Make quizzes
Answer your questions (in discussion, by , in office hours)
Boost morale (sometimes)

4. Things I don’t do: Decide course content Make exam schedule
Create exams
Handle make-ups or absences. See Prof. Tornwall.
Teach*

5. What happens during discussions:
Answering your questions. Write question numbers on board at the beginning of class.
Quiz during last min. (Or collect HW)
Practice problems.

6. What doesn’t happen during discussions:
Giving the lecture again.
Learning everything that happened during the lecture for the first time.

7. What is math? Induction vs. deduction
Assume things we like, and see what can be concluded.
Start with defining an object , then derive facts about the object.
Objects defined try to capture intuitive ideas (e.g. symmetry, transformations, etc.)

8. Math questions you should be asking:
What is the significance of these problems?
Why does this process make sense?
Could this ever not make sense?
How can I make it make sense to myself?
What types of objects am I working with? Am I using the right symbols to express these objects?

9. Problem Solving Tips:
What is the purpose of the question? Does it fit into some broader idea?
Are there simple cases I can easily check? (say, by substituting easy numbers like 0, 1)
Is there something that would be nice to know that would then solve the problem?
Simplify terminology. Clarify what you are looking for and what is known.
Draw pictures.
When in doubt, just do something.

10. Solution style tips:
Keep it simple. Keep it organized. Do one thing at a time.
Don’t cross things out or draw slashes. If you are crossing things out then you are not showing all of the steps.
Use “=“ when you mean equals. Arrows are (almost) never appropriate.
Write legibly and neatly on HW or it will not be looked at.

11. You are your own teacher.
Google the Feynman Technique.
You need to convince yourself.
Commit all concepts and definitions to memory.
Talking about problems with other people makes you understand it better.
Practice problems and ask why something makes sense.

12. Math is like learning a language
Looking and listening are necessary, but not sufficient.
You need to practice and go through problems yourself. It’s an active process.
Regurgitating previous problems is no longer acceptable; A deep understanding of the techniques will be necessary to succeed.