Group Worksheet 1

What is the purpose of this assignment?

You need to learn how to write math, how to work with other people, as well as how to apply
mathematical concepts we are learning in this class. Group assignments will help you develop all
of these skills.
You are expected to contribute to the group work as much as the rest of the members of your group.
The whole group will get the same grade.
You can expect to find questions similar to the group assignment question on the exams so make
sure everyone in the group understands all the problems on the worksheet.

When is this assignment due?

This assignment is due Thursday 9/28 by end of discussion. This is so your TA can have enough
time to give you feedback on your assignment before you have to submit the next assignment.
How do you submit the assignment?
Click on Worksheet 1 assignment in Canvas and follow the instructions listed there.

Before you start

1. Assign group roles (scribe, reporter, clarifier, and if needed, manager)

2. Exchange contact information with your group mates in case you need to meet outside dis-
cussion section to finish the work

3. Commit to productive, supportive, and respectful group environment

Group roles:

• Scribe: Your role is to turn in the assignment, add all the group members to the assignment,
and select which page of your work correspond to which problem (or make sure that someone
else does if you can’t).
• Reporter: Your role is to report on how group work went that week. Make sure you answer
all the questions on the questionnaire designated to the Reporter.
• Clarifier: Your role is to make sure everyone in the group understands all the problems and the
material covered in the worksheet. If you also don’t understand material from the worksheet,
it is your job to get help from other members of the group, TA, or professor.
• Manager: If your group has four people in it, then the fourth person will have a Manager role.
The role of a manager is to make sure to keep everyone in the group on task and to organize
any meetings necessary to complete group work outside class.
 Group Work Questionnaire
You have to turn in Group Work Questionnaire as a first page of your Group Worksheet. Make
sure you label all the questions clearly and you use full sentences in questions 2, 3, and 4.

It is the job of the Reporter to answer questions 2, 3, and 4.

1. List who in your group had which role:

Scribe:
Reporter:
Clarifier:
Manager: leave this spot empty if your group has three members

2. Reflecting on the group work:

(a) How much time did your group spend on this assignment? (Only report the time you actively
worked on the assignment.)

(b) Were you able to complete this assignment on your own as a group? If you weren’t, list all
the outside help you got in completing this assignment.

(c) List all the class resources you used in completing this assignment. Be specific. (For example:
We used the video posted on Monday page of Week 2 module to solve problem 3 because both
problems addressed how to find an antiderivative of exponential function.)

3. Reflecting on the quality of group work:

(a) Which problem did your group have the hardest time answering?

(b) How did you get over the obstacle?

(c) How did you make sure everyone in the group understood all the problems?

4. Reflecting on the math in the group work:

(a) Which learning goals did each problem on the worksheet address? You can find learning goals
in weekly modules. Be specific and clear. Keep in mind that one problem can address learning
goals from multiple lectures.

(b) Which problem best addressed the topic(s) your group was struggling with in the past week?
Describe how the problem helped you understand that topic.
Problem 1 Simplify the following rational expressions:
y x
x
− y
(a) 1 1 =
x
− y

2x2 x−3
(b) x2 −9
· x+2
=
x+4 2
(c) x3
− x−1
=

Problem 2 Solve the equation. (Find only the real solutions.)

(a) x + 3 = 12 − 31 x

(b) 4|x − 3| = 9

(c) x4 − 2x2 + 1 = 0

Problem 3 Let f (x) = 2x2 and g(x) = x3 . Determine the following functions:

(a) f (x) + g(x)

(b) f (x) − g(x)

(c) f (g(x))

(d) g(f (x))

(e) f (x)g(x)

Problem 4 Find the inverse function of the following functions:

(a) f (x) = 3x + 4

(b) g(x) = e2x

(c) h(x) = sin(3x)

Problem 5 Rewrite by completing the square.

(a) x2 + 3x − 2

(b) 2x2 − 6x + 11