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Contents Introduction 3 1 Study guide 4 1.1 What’s MU123 about? 4 1.2 What to d

Contents Introduction 3 1 Study guide 4 1.1 What’s MU123 about? 4 1.2 What to do first 4 1.3 Before you begin your studies 5 1.4 MU123 components 9 1.5 Assessment 10 1.6 Learning outcomes 13 1.7 Support and how to contact the OU 14 1.8 Getting started 15 2 Technology guide 16 2.1 Computing safely 16 2.2 Computer resources and tutorial clips 16 2.3 Video 18 2.4 Dataplotter and Graphplotter 18 2.5 Practice quizzes and iCMAs 24 2.6 Online forum 25 2.7 Online tutorials: Elluminate Live! 27 2.8 Working offline 30 2.9 Computing support 30 3 Accessibility guide 32 3.1 General issues for MU123 33 3.2 Advice for each unit 35 3.3 Summary of web links and further information 38 4 Calculator guide 39 4.1 Getting to know your calculator (Unit 1, Activity 5) 39 4.2 Using your calculator for negative numbers (Unit 1, Activity 16) 43 4.3 Using your calculator for fractions (Unit 1, Activity 20) 44 4.4 Doing longer calculations using your calculator (Unit 2, Activity 19) 45 4.5 Scientific notation on your calculator (Unit 3, Activity 27) 48 Copyright © 2011 The Open University SUP 02400 2 Printed in the United Kingdom 2.1 MU123 Discovering mathematics MU123 Guide 2 4.6 Powers and surds on your calculator (Unit 3, Activity 35) 49 4.7 Trigonometric ratios on your calculator (Unit 12, Activity 3) 50 4.8 Finding angles from trigonometric ratios (Unit 12, Activity 8) 51 4.9 Radians on your calculator (Unit 12, Activity 32) 51 4.10 Logarithms on your calculator (Unit 13, Activity 21) 52 4.11 Natural logarithms and powers of e on your calculator (Unit 13, Activity 25) 52 4.12 Calculator reference guide 53 4.13 Solutions and comments on Calculator Activities 57 Index 62 3 Introduction A warm welcome to Discovering mathematics, also known as MU123. Please read this Introduction and the ‘Study guide’ section before you start working on the units because they contain important information about MU123 and its assessment. You can then get started on Book A, which you should do as soon as you can and by the official start date. This MU123 Guide contains four main sections: ! Section 1: Study guide – this tells you about the structure of MU123, what you need to do before and whilst you are studying it, and the support that you can expect to receive. You should read this as soon as possible because there are various activities that you will need to undertake to ensure that you are ready to begin your studies. ! Section 2: Technology guide – this gives further details about the computing, online and DVD components of MU123. You may wish to skim through this now, and read it in more detail as and when you need to during your studies. ! Section 3: Accessibility guide – this section is primarily aimed at those who may have difficulty with one or more elements of MU123 because of a disability, for example. ! Section 4: Calculator guide – this gives guidance on how to use a scientific calculator for various aspects of MU123, and includes the activities from the study units that illustrate how to use a calculator. You don’t need to read this until directed to do so by the units. As well as the study texts that you received with this MU123 Guide, other essential learning resources will be delivered through the MU123 website. The website will open about two weeks before the official start date of MU123, and can be accessed from your StudentHome page (via www.open.ac.uk/students). Any significant updates to the information in this MU123 Guide, and other study texts, will be provided on the website. Links to websites given in this document will also be on the MU123 website. Keep this MU123 Guide to hand while you study, as you will need to refer to it throughout your studies. The MU123 website and StudentHome are described in Subsection 1.3. 4 1 Study guide 1.1 What’s MU123 about? MU123 is intended to enrich your mathematical knowledge and understanding and to provide you with techniques and strategies to tackle mathematical problems. It will give a basis for you to study further mathematics at The Open University (OU), and should help you to understand the mathematical aspects of other subject areas. MU123 is broad in nature, and has been written by a group of mathematicians with a wide range of interests, including mathematics for its own sake, the application of mathematics to real problems, statistical analysis and mathematical education. MU123 looks at a variety of mathematical topics such as numbers, statistics, graphs, algebra, trigonometry and associated techniques. It also introduces mathematical modelling and some problem-solving strategies. As well as ‘doing the maths’ you will learn how to interpret your results in context and to explain your approach and conclusions. As your study on MU123 progresses, you should find that you are increasingly able to identify mathematics in the world around you, and to begin to apply your knowledge and understanding of mathematics in your everyday life. You will probably find that you enjoy some parts of the study materials more than others and we hope that there will be plenty for everyone in MU123, from those who know that they want to study more mathematics to those who are just trying it out at this stage. MU123 also aims to teach and develop relevant study skills, as well as mathematical skills, which will be useful for advancement of your study more generally. 1.2 What to do first Unpack the materials You may be wondering where to start with all the materials that have arrived from the OU. It is vital that you check the content of the mailing as soon as possible, so that you know what it contains and can make sure that all the items are present. Find the Contents Checklist and tick off each item listed as you unpack it. If anything is missing, follow the instructions on the Contents Checklist to notify the OU, so that replacements can be sent to you. On the reverse of the Contents Checklist you’ll find the MU123 Bulletin. This will give you a quick reminder of what you need to do before you start your studies, with fuller details given below, and a list of the key dates for your MU123 studies. Organise your study Ideally, you will study in a place that is close to where you can store all the materials and to the computer that you will be using for MU123, and that is away from distractions. Each time you are studying you are likely to need the following items. ! The relevant MU123 text. ! Easy access to a computer with connection to the internet. Mathematics crops up all over the place. Have you noticed the geometrically patterned door on the cover? The door is in the Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia. The photograph was taken by Andrija Kova. Check your mailing! A link to the recommended computer specification is given in Subsection 1.3. 5 ! A4 paper and, occasionally, graph paper. ! Pens, and a ruler and sharp pencil for graph work. ! The MU123 Handbook. ! This MU123 Guide. ! A basic scientific calculator. Details of suitable calculators are given in ‘Check your calculator’ in Subsection 1.3. ! A DVD player, if your computer doesn’t have a DVD drive. Organise your time You’ll also need to decide when you will study, and how you will find time each week to stay on schedule. An average student is likely to need about 8 hours per week to study MU123, but some topics may take some people longer. Your MU123 Bulletin gives all the key dates on your ‘journey’ through MU123, including the dates by which your assignments must be received, and you can use it now to start planning your studies over the next few months. You’ll find a much more detailed Study planner on the MU123 website from where, for each unit, you can link directly to the relevant computer-based resources and activities. You can print the Study planner, using the link below it, and keep it handy (perhaps at the front of the folder where you keep your MU123 work, or pinned up somewhere so that you can see it every day). 1.3 Before you begin your studies Each of the following five subsections lists activities that you should do before you begin studying Unit 1 of MU123, and you should do these as soon as possible. Depending on your previous background in mathematics and as an OU student, you may need to allow several hours to complete them. Check your computer Check that you have access to a personal computer of the required specification as detailed in the MU123 description at www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/course/mu123.htm. You should also have a basic knowledge of how to use it. In particular, we assume that you: ! can navigate around a standard desktop on a computer ! can use the mouse or keyboard to open a document uploads/Litterature/ mu123-guide.pdf