Math 131 satisfies the general education requirement in mathematics. Math 131 is a precalculus course that is intended to be the prerequisite course for students taking the calculus course Math 136. A student passing this course will be better prepared to take Math 136. The course objectives are summarized in the outline below.

Course Objectives:

• To develop the ability of students majoring in business, biology, and the social sciences to:
  • think logically and creatively about quantitative problems,
  • use mathematical reasoning, and
  • be able to interpret, develop, and use some basic mathematical models of real world phenomena;
• To focus on mathematical applications relevant to students as informed consumers, decision makers, and educated citizens;
• To demonstrate the use of mathematics as a powerful language in many disciplines and its significant role in human development;
• To use mathematical tools developed in precollege-level mathematics courses to solve problems and develop models, including basic arithmetic and algebraic manipulations and familiarity with polynomial, exponential, logarithmic functions, and systems of linear equations;
• To explore mathematical topics including the mathematics of finance, logistic growth and decay models, matrices, and geometric linear programming.