Class Information

Course Title Math 130: Quantitative Reasoning

Instructor Julia Williams

Website http://juliakw.net/teaching/2026/math130fall/

Email jwilliams@capecod.edu

Phone (774) 330-4260

Primary out of class contact course website or email me

Class Hours and Room Tuesdays/Thursdays 11:00–12:15, Bldg. 4 Room 105

Office Hours In-person Tuesdays/Thursdays 9:00–10:00, virtual Mondays/Wednesdays 1:00–2:00

Office Bldg. 6 Room 119

Textbook Mathematics: The Science of Reasoning, 0th edition, Julia K Williams.

Course Description This course explores connections between mathematics and various aspects of modern life. Topics in this course include logic, unit analysis, percentages, personal finance, statistics, probability, linear and exponential growth, mathematical modeling, and geometry

Prerequisite MAT035 (Algebra for Non-STEM) or MAT045 (Intermediate Algebra for STEM) or satisfactory basic skills assessment score

Departmental Syllabus (with formal learning outcomes) https://capecod.b-cdn.net/app/uploads/2026/04/MAT130.pdf

Informal Learning Outcomes

This course is a survey of topics in mathematics you can use to improve your reasoning. Upon the successful completion of this course you will be able to use logical concepts to analyze the validity of deductive reasoning, interpret data using statistics, assess the correctness of statistical inference, and think critically about the use of prediction models.

Grading Policy

Your learning outcomes for this class will be assessed with quizzes, homework, and in-class writing exercises. The breakdown for your grade is as follows:

  • 20%: Homework

  • 20%: Unit 1 Quiz

  • 20%: Unit 2 Quiz

  • 20%: Unit 3 Quiz

  • 20%: Comprehensive Exam

Grades will be assigned on the standard A through F scale, with +’s or –’s for borderline cases. I reserve the right to make adjustments for individual circumstance.

Homework

Homework is assigned weekly, due Tuesday the following week. Homework problems will be taken from the textbook.

Show your work on homework! You do not need to show every minor step, but I need to be able to follow your thought process. More important than arriving at a correct final answer is being able to explain how you obtained it. Think of showing your work as communicating your process so others can follow it.

Homework grades are based on completion and my selection of two problems. Here is the rubric for how you will be graded.

  • Rubric for completion

    • 20/20: you did all problems.

    • 10/20: you did most problems.

    • 0/20: you did only a few problems.

  • Rubric for individual problems

    • 40/40: you gave a full correct solution.

    • 35/40: you gave a complete solution but made a minor error along the way.

    • 20/40: you were on the right track but were unable to finish or made significant errors.

    • 0/40: you didn’t make meaningful progress toward a correct solution.

You are encouraged to work together on homework, but the work you turn in is expected to be your own. If you do collaborate with classmates, please say so and give their names with your submitted work.

I will not accept late work. Instead, I will drop your two lowest homework scores from consideration for your final grade.

Exams

This class is divided into three units, each of which ends with an exam. These are in-person, individual assessments.

You will be allowed use of a note sheet and a calculator on the quizzes. Other resources or electronic devices are not permitted.

There will be a cumulative exam during the final exam period, covering material from all three units. If it helps your grade, I will replace your lowest quiz grade with your final grade.

Textbook Information

The textbook for this class is Mathematics: The Science of Reasoning, 0th edition, Julia K Williams. It is freely available online (pdf version). The textbook and class material go hand-in-hand. If you ever have to miss class you should read the corresponding section of the textbook.

I will assign homework out of the textbook.

Attendance and Class Participation Guidelines

You are expected to attend class sessions. In each unit, the material builds upon itself. If you skip class and fall behind it is difficult to get back on track. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to ensure you make up the missed lesson, which you can do with the corresponding textbook chapter. If you know in advance you will have to miss a class, please email me.

Class time will be spent on a combination of lecture and group work/discussion.

You are expected to participate in all parts of class sessions. For lecture you should be actively listening, taking notes, and asking questions as appropriate. For group work/discussion you should engage in the work, sharing ideas with your classmates.

Mathematics has a reputation for being removed from social concerns and identities. Whether or not this is true for the content of mathematics, it is certainly false for the process of learning mathematics. Our classroom is to be a welcoming one, where everyone feels able to participate and learn regardless of their background or identity. As learners it is your obligation to treat others with respect and generosity, and be willing to exchange ideas with others.

Communication Policy and Office Hours

Announcements and homework will be posted to the course website.

The best way to contact me outside of class is by email. Please put “math 130” in the subject line of your email. If I do not respond by the end of the next weekday, please send me a follow up reminder message.

Office hours are held multiple times in the week, to give you an opportunity to ask questions and receive help in-person outside of class time. If you prefer to meet at a different time, please contact me to arrange that.

Accessibility

Students with disabilities are legally entitled to reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to education. I am committed to providing you with equal access to this class, and am happy to work with you to ensure reasonable accommodations. Because the accommodations offered are usually forward-looking modifications, it is important to get them set up as soon as possible.

Anyone who feels they may need accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the O’Neill Center for Student Access and Support (774-330-4453; oneillcenter@capecod.edu)

The Americans with Disabilities Act defines a disability as a medical condition that substantially limits one or more major life activities—including things like walking, sleeping, taking care of yourself, learning, and regulating your emotions—or major bodily functions. If you have a medical condition—including mental health conditions—that significantly interferes with your schoolwork, you probably qualify. You do not need to disclose your condition to your instructors to receive accommodations.

Academic Honesty and AI Policy

You are expected to know and uphold the college’s policies on academic honesty as described in the Student Handbook. Mathematics classes form part of the core base of skills you need to succeed in many later classes, and you are harming yourself if you try to avoid learning the material for this class.

The point of this class is to learn fundamental skills to serve you later in your education and career. AI tools interfere with this goal. For that reason, the use of ChatGPT or other AI tools to produce or help produce material you turn in for a grade is prohibited. Submitted work using these tools will receive a zero, with no chance for making up the lost points. I reserve the right to escalate the consequences for repeated violations.

The following are examples of prohibited AI use:

  • Submitting work entirely generated by an LLM.

  • Asking Claude to solve a homework problem for you, then writing up its solution.

  • Using ChatGPT to draft a paper.

Outside of work you submit for a grade I am not interested in policing your use of AI. If you want to use AI tools to help you take notes, generate extra practice problems before an exam, or similar then that is none of my business.

You are encouraged to collaborate with classmates for homework, but the work you submit is expected to be your own. If you do work with others, please say so and give their names with your submitted homework.

Calendar

  • Unit 1 (9/8–10/8): Logic

    • Week 1: Intro, Arguments

    • Week 2: Language, Truth tables

    • Week 3: Entailment, Semantic notions

    • Week 4: Quantifiers, Models

    • Week 5: Review, Exam

  • Unit 2 (10/13–11/12): Statistics

    • Week 6: Intro, Visualizing data

    • Week 7: Averages, Range and quartiles

    • Week 8: Box and whisker plots, Standard deviation

    • Week 9: Normal distibutions, hypothesis testing

    • Week 10: Review, Exam

  • Unit 3 (11/17–12/10): Modeling

    • Week 11: Intro, Functions

    • Week 12: Linear models, Exponential functions

    • Week 13: Exponential models, Logistic models

    • Week 14: Review, Exam

Notice of Changes

This syllabus is subject to change. If this happens, you will be informed.