Prerequisite: Honors Math 2
Grade Level: 11, 12
Semesters: 2
Credits: 1
Honors Math 3 will integrate and apply the mathematics they have learned from their earlier courses. This course includes standards from the conceptual categories of Number and Quantity, Algebra, Functions(Rational, Logarithmic, Trigonometric, and Polynomial), and Geometry. Students synthesize and generalize what they have learned about a variety of function families. They extend their work with exponential functions to include solving exponential equations with logarithms. They explore the effects of transformations on graphs of diverse functions, including functions arising in an application, in order to abstract the general principle that transformations on a graph always have the same effect regardless of the type of the underlying function. They identify appropriate types of functions to model a situation, they adjust parameters to improve the model, and they compare models by analyzing appropriateness of fit and making judgments about the domain over which a model is a good fit. The description of modeling as “the process of choosing and using mathematics and statistics to analyze empirical situations, to understand them better, and to make decisions” is at the heart of Honors Math 3.
In Honors Math 3 instructional time should focus on three critical areas:(1) expand understanding of functions to include polynomial, rational, and radical functions;(2) expand right triangle trigonometry to include general triangles; and(3) consolidate functions and geometry to create models and solve contextual problems.