This course serves to prepare students for other courses in the core curriculum and in their majors and to provide a basis for making decisions that they will encounter after graduation. Topics include solving equations; modeling with linear, quadratic, exponential and logarithmic functions; the mathematic of finance; and probability. While these topics are prerequisites for more advanced mathematics, they increasingly play a part in quantitatively sophisticated discussions of difficult and controversial public policy issues. Placement in this course depends on a student's SAT math score, high school GPA and/or a mathematics placement examination administerd by the mathematics faculty. (Students who have successfully completed MAT 150 may not register for MAT 120.)