The module covers the mathematical skills needed to proceed to any degree course where knowledge of mathematics up to GCSE standard is required. The syllabus covers the mathematics of number work, algebra, geometry, probability and statistics. The syllabus also includes some basic calculus and topics linked to business, economics and other relevant applications. The associated work in classes develops the skills used to solve relevant problems, with classwork and homework exercises being set and full solutions provided as part of the feedback process.

Aims

1. To ensure that students from a wide range of educational backgrounds have a broad understanding of basic mathematical skills
2. To develop the ability to acquire knowledge and skills from lectures, from text books and classwork exercises, and from the application of theory to a range of weekly coursework material
3. To develop students' ability to use these skills in their subsequent degree course
4. To equip students with the mathematical techniques needed to solve problems and to clearly structure their solutions and conclusions
5. To give students the ability to present data clearly and unambiguously to an audience with no specialist knowledge of statistics
6. To give students an understanding and ability to calculate basic statistical measures
7. To provide students with an introduction to probability theory.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module a student is expected to be able to:

1. Understand and use basic arithmetic and algebra.
2. Solve linear single equations and simultaneous equations, inequality and regions, and sketch linear and quadratic graphs.
3. Be able to solve quadratic equations, calculate simple areas and use formulas.
4. Understand and use differentiation to find gradient of curves, partial differentiation, and solve simple log equations.
5. Understand basic Matrices and basic probability rules.
6. Understand basic Statistics and calculate mean, mode, median, quartiles and standard deviation.
7. Understand grouped and un-grouped frequency distribution tables and use various diagrams to visualise data.
8. Understand normal distribution and perform hypothesis testing. 
9. Use Excel to do basic Math, analyse data and produce various graphs.

Syllabus

Basic arithmetic and number work
Algebra: formulae; solution of linear, simultaneous, quadratic and polynomial equations; inequalities; 
Graphical representation of functions and inequalities; curve sketching; 
Basic calculus: differentiation of linear and polynomial functions, second derivative; turning points; applications of differentiation; partial differentiation 
Descriptive statistics: data collection and summary; stem and leaf plots, box plots and histograms; measures of location and dispersion; transformations.
Probability: relative frequencies; simple and joint events; mutually exclusive events; addition rule of probability
Using Excel to carry out some simple statistical computations
Practical application of algebra and statistics to real-life problems, including the solution and analyses economics and business related calculations and problems.