General Mathematics is a course for students not planning to complete a college preparatory program in mathematics. General mathematics emphasizes considerable development of computational skill and, in addition, General Mathematics contains some of the "discrete" mathematics necessary for a person with limited technical training to function in a technological society.

The concepts and content in General Mathematics are predicated upon the need for students to become capable in problem solving, computation, mathematics applications, and non-technical "discrete" mathematics. Alternately named courses such as Career Mathematics, Personal Mathematics, Proficiency Mathematics, or Occupational Mathematics, etc. may serve as the vehicle for accomplishing proficiency in these concepts provided such courses cover the critical components, goals and objectives.

General Mathematics may satisfy two of the four credits required for graduation.

In order to satisfy the state graduation requirement' General Mathematics should deal significantly with:

• Problem Solving
• Numbers and Operations
• Measurement
• Geometry
• Rates, Ratios, Proportions, and Relations
• Graphs
• Probability and Statistics
• "Discrete" Mathematics

Students will improve proficiency in applying a variety of problem solving strategies to typical real life problems.

Objectives:
Students will

1. Use a calculator to solve problems involving long or tedious computations.

2. Use estimation procedures to determine the "reasonableness" of calculator results.

3. Use appropriate software for computer solutions to problems.

A. Goal:

Students will be able to select and apply appropriate computational skills to solve problems.

Objectives:
Students will

1. Select and use appropriate computational skills in solving a variety of occupational and personal real life problems.

2. Use estimation procedures to determine the "reasonableness" of the results of their computations.

A. Goal:

Students will demonstrate proficiency in the use of customary and metric measures.

Objectives:
Students will

1. Select and use appropriate customary and metric measures for common occupational and personal needs.

2. Determine approximate equivalent customary and metric measures in "common" use.

A. Goal:

Students will select and use the common geometric concepts in solving appropriate problems.

Objectives:
Students will

1. Determine perimeters, areas, and volumes of common geometric shapes and solids.

2. Apply common formulas to calculate desired measurements.

3. Calculate desired measurements of non-common shapes by breaking the shape into combinations of common shapes.

4. Apply the Pythagorean Principle to appropriate occupational and personal problems.

B. Goal:

Students will demonstrate proficiency in the use of the coordinate system.

Objectives:
Students will:

1. Use a coordinate system to interpret appropriate problems.

2. Graph common mathematical relationships using a coordinate system.

V. Rates, Ratios, Proportions and Relations

A. Goal:

Students will be able to determine and use ratios, and proportions in solving common problems.

Objective:
Students will

1. Apply ratio and proportion concepts and skills to a variety of occupational and personal problems.

B. Goal:

Students will interpret fractions and decimals as ratios and work with percents.

Objectives:
Students will

1. Express fractions and decimals as ratios.

2. Express ratios as fractions and decimals.

3. Apply appropriate ratios to solving problems with fraction or decimal data.

4. Show proficiency in working with percentages and their applications.

C. Goal:

Students will recognize and use relationships that exist in sequential processes.

Objectives:
Students will

1. Construct and use flow charts or sequenced directions to describe problem solving plans.

2. Complete forms requiring sequenced operations.

IV. Graphs

A. Goal:

Students will prepare and interpret graphs, charts, and tables.

Objectives:
Students will

1. Use charts and graphs to predict or explain.

2. Interpret data from a chart or graph.

3. Organize raw data in percent form.

4. Determine mean, median, and mode of data in roster, graph, or chart form.

A. Goal:

Students will use "simple" statistics and probability procedures to interpret data.

Objectives:
Students will

1. Collect data.

2. Determine the range, mean, median, an mode of data.,

3. Make reasonable predictions from data

4. Determine the "chance" of an event happening.

A. Goal:

Students will become familiar, at a non4echnical or non-rigorous level, with the mathematics of computers and technology.

Objectives:
Students will

1. Use common algorithms to solve problems.

2. Recognize a matrix as a rectangular array.

3. Use matrices to organize data.

4. Determine "reasonableness" of computer results.

5. Identify what computers can and cannot do.

6. Recognize and construct simple sequences.

7. Identity simple counting procedures (e.g., tree diagrams, and multiplication principles).