Jim Loats, Ph.D. Professor of Mathematical Sciences,
Metropolitan State College of Denver, Denver Colorado
FINALS WEEK OFFICE HOURS for Spring 2008:
MONDAY 10-1 PM, 3- 4:30 PM
TUESDAY 9-10 AM, 12-1:45PM
WEDNESDAY NOT ON CAMPUS
THURSDAY 10-11:30 AM LAST DAY TO COMPLETE GATEWAY AND SUBMIT CAPS
FRIDAY NOT ON CAMPUS
Office Hours: Mon & Wed: 3:00 - 4:30pm; Tues:12:45 - 1:45pm
Office Hours By Appointment: Mon & Wed: 11:30 - 12:45; Tues & Thur:
9 - 10am; Thurs: 12:45 - 4:30pm
More Office Hours: Other times may be available. Email me to set up the arrangements.
Office: Science Building 125 C,
Phone: 303-556-3109
Fax: 303-556-5381
Email Address: loatsj@mscd.edu
Mail Address:Campus Box 38, P.O. Box 173362, Denver CO 80217-3362
Education: B.A. Oklahoma State
Univ., M.S. Ohio Univ., and Ph.D. in Logic
& Set Theory, Univ. of Colorado Boulder
Areas of Interest: Mathematics
Metropolitan State College of Denver.
Welcome to my courses for Spring 2008:
MTH 1610 Integrated Mathematics I meets Tuesday and Thursday 11:30 - 12:45 pm in Science 201.
The suggested text is Elementary and Middle School Mathematics : Teaching Developmentally, by John Van de Walle. Any edition will work, so look for used ones on the web. Note that some students did not find this text helpful, but others did.
Click here for course syllabus and other course materials.
A favorite website is the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives. Don't go here unless you have an hour to kill. Another easy way to get to this site is to enter 'NLVM' into your favorite search engine.
MTH 1120 College Trigonometry meets Tuesday and Thursday 10:00 - 11:15 am in Science 111.
The required text is Trigonometry by Lial , Hornsby & Schneider, 8th edition.
Every student must also have their own graphing calculator: TI-83 or newer.
Click here for the course syllabus and other course materials.
MTH 4640 History of Mathematics meets Monday & Wednesday, 1:00 - 2:50 pm in Science 115.
The required text is History of Mathematics, an Introduction, by David Burton. You may purchase either the 4th Edition (1999, ISBN 0-07-009468-3) or 5th Edition (2003, ISBN 0-07-247140-9). You may google these ISBNs to find better prices. (Do it now!)
Click here for course syllabus and other course materials.
Metro's Rural Mathematics Project Algebra course meets on-line Tuesdays, Thursdays 4:30 - 6pm.
Click here for posted course materials.
I'd like to introduce you to the books I have co-authored:
Algebra Unplugged is a fun, easy to read, non-text for beginning algebra. It is a lively introduction to the concepts of algebra for readers who like to laugh while they learn. Lots of stories that explain the basic ideas well but without any of those annoying exercises. A great gift after you finish it yourself. If you are a teacher, experiment with recommending sections of the book to your students. Kids often learn a lot by reading well crafted and interesting explanations.
Calculus For Cats provides a vivid introduction/review of the topics in beginning calculus using silly stories and analogies involving cats, mice and other pets. Its style is similar to Algebra Unplugged - both supply all the words that are missing from most math textbooks. Some readers who had already taken calculus, reported gaining insight about what it was all about.
Some other items that are available:
This page of Principles of Mathematical Thinking is one of the best descriptions of my goals for math students of all ages.
Finally, there is also a collection of materials that I have assembled for teachers of mathematics. Email me and I'll send you the access info.
The best way to reach me is by using the email address: loatsj@mscd.edu
Thanks, Dr. Jim