Content (Syllabus outline)
· Real numbers and selected elementary functions: graphic presentation and properties of linear, quadratic, exponential and logarithmic functions, solving quadratic, exponential and logarithmic equations, introduction to derivatives, relative and absolute minima and maxima, elasticity, examples of their use in agriculture (use software).
· Sequences and mathematics of finance: definition and properties of sequences and series, arithmetic and geometric sequences, infinite geometric series, definition of number e, simple interest, compound interest, annuities, present value of annuity, law of natural growth.
· Introduction to linear algebra: definition of matrices, matrix multiplication, inverse of a matrix, system of linear equations, concept of a linear program and its graphic solution, examples of systems of equations and linear programs in agriculture and the use of software to solve them.
· Introduction to probability and decision making: basic concepts in combinatorial analysis, computing probabilities, introduction to decision-making methods, decision tree, minmax principle, Bayes’ rule.
· Network planning: definition of a network and its graphic presentation, shortest path, scheduling problems, use of MS project for some cases in agriculture.
Introduction to statistics: basic statistical concepts: tables, grouped data, frequency distribution, bar charts, pie diagrams, graphs, histogram, polygon, ogive, quartiles, deciles, percentiles, arithmetic mean, median, mode, standard deviation and some other measures of dispersion, introduction to correlation of two numerical variables, scatter diagram, regression line, coefficient of correlation, time series, linear trend, examples of professional practice and application of computer programs.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite for course work:
Enrolment in the appropriate academic year.
Prerequisite for permission to attend the final exam:
- Attendance at tutorials
- Written preliminary examination
Exam (written examination)