Syllabus for Math 131 A

Calculus and Analytic Geometry I, Spring 2000, Central College.

Jump to the class schedule and assignments section.


Professor: Tom Linton, 312 B Central Hall, campus phone (515) 628-5264, email: lintont@central.edu.
Office Hours: 11 AM Monday, 9 AM Tuesday, 3 PM Wednesday, 1 PM Thursday and Friday, or by appointment.
Class Meets: 10:00 to 10:50 AM, MTWF in Central Hall 308.
Text: Calculus from Graphical, Numerical, and Symbolic Points of View by Ostebee and Zorn.
Technology: A graphing calculator is required and the TI-83 is highly recommended. Students with different graphing calculators bear the responsibility of making it emulate a TI-83. The TI-83 will be utilized regularly as a lecture aid by the instructor. The software program Mathematica may be used (by the instructor) on occasion. No prior knowledge of technology use is assumed. Calculators (similar to the TI-83) are allowed on all exams except the gateway. The class web page is located at the URL http://www.central.edu/homepages/lintont/classes/spring00/calculus/calculus.html and some information relevant to this course may be distributed via email. You should check your email and visit the class web page on occasion.

Course overview and more on the text

Calculus is the study of change; how variations in one quantity relate to changes in another. These relationships are abundant in our daily lives. As such, understanding calculus will help you better understand the interactions of the world around you. The skills you develop in this course will provide a powerful collection of tools for analyzing and predicting these interactions. No prior knowledge of calculus is assumed, in fact, this course is the traditional first year college level course in mathematics. While many students find calculus challenging, the knowledge you gain greatly outweighs the time and effort devoted to thoroughly understanding the concepts of the course. You will work hard, but your efforts will be amply rewarded. We will cover chapters 1 to 3, parts of chapter 4 and sections 5.1 to 5.3 of the text.

Our text is exceptional and may differ significantly from mathematics texts which you have used previously. Unlike many mathematics texts, you should find our text to be a wonderful learning resource, specially designed to be read (as opposed to just a source of questions with similar examples). You should strive to read the text, it is written with you in mind. Reading mathematics is a skill we will focus on in this course and an active process, unlike reading most novels or poems. Your homework assignments will likely contain fewer problems than past assignments, and it is expected that you will struggle with most of these problems. Deciding what to do in order to solve a problem will play a major role in this course, and "doing it" correctly is important, but by no means the only requirement for success. In short, we will emphasize the why much more than the how in this course. Most students that struggle with calculus fall behind at some point, avoid this like the plague. One day at a time, calculus is easy! If you blow off a few days, it can become much more challenging.

Grades:

Exams Three midterm exams (tentatively Feb 16, March 10 and April 19) worth 100 points each, a Gateway exam (explained below) and a cumulative 150 point final exam given Wednesday May 17 at 8 AM. 
Projects Two extensive group projects worth 150 points total (weighted roughly 75 points each), due roughly Feb 25 and April 28. These are challenging group assignments, similar to tough take-home exam problems that require word processed write-ups and emphasize writing mathematics in a clear and concise manner. You will be given approximately 2 weeks to complete each project.
Other Approximately 250 points total on homework, quizzes (every Friday), class activities, participation and attendance.
Grades (based on the letter, or A, A-, B+, B, B-, . . . system) will be based on a curve (no stricter than the traditional 90, 80, 70, 60 percent scheme) of the total points in the class. There is no extra credit for this class. You are encouraged to work together on group assignments (including homework), but copying answers of others is not allowed.

If any student has a physical, learning or psychiatric disability that restricts the development or expression of your gifts, please feel free to let me know so that we can, when possible, make accommodations that will enhance your classroom experience.

Late assignments and academic dishonesty:

Late homework, activities, and projects will be penalized by 10% each lecture they are late. I am fairly flexible about giving exams at alternate times, BUT you should definitely warn me before the exam is missed, and plan on taking it early rather than late. Quizzes missed due to absences can NOT be made up. You are responsible for all of the material covered in class each day, even if you are not present.

Plagiarism, or copying answers from other people or books without citing the source is a serious offense and will result in no credit for the work.  It is OK to discuss your answers with other groups on group assignments, but  the work you turn in must be your own.

Schedule:

Relevant information will be added this schedule as we progress through the semester. An up to date version is available on line at http://www.central.edu/homepages/lintont/classes/spring00/Calculus/131syll.html.
 
WEEK DATES SECTION(S) ASSIGNMENTS
   1 1-24 to 28 Apdx A,B 
1.1, 1.2		 Apdx A #1,4,6,16 Apdx B #1,2,6,8
1.1 #2,3,4,7,15,19,23 
1.2 #1,3 thru 9,16,21,41,42,51,56 thru 60
quiz 1
   2 1-31 to 2-4
Add-drop
deadline (2-4).		 1.3 and 1.4
Apdx E		 1.3 #2,3,4,12,13,17,21 
1.4 #1,4,12,14,18,53
Apdx E#2,3,9 Apdx F#1,2,4,8 Apdx G#1,2,6
quiz 2
   3 2-7 to 11 
Apdx F,G,1.5		 1.5#3,17,18,19,20,23,25 thru 29,35,54
1.6#1,3,4,11,24,25,30,36,43,48
   4 2-14 to 18 1.6, 2.1 Exam 1 (practice problems) and answers.
  5 2-21 to 25 2.1,2.2 2.1#1,2,4,5,7,9,10,11,17
2.2#2,3,4,6,13,19,24,25
2.3#1,2,4,7,13,19,23,26 activity on f '(x)
  6 2-28 to 3-3 2.3, racetrack 2.1#6,19,20,22,24,28,29 and 2.2#30,31,32
2.4#1,4,8,9,13,14,19,23 quiz3
  7 3-6 to 10 2.4,2.5 2.5#1,3,5,7,8,9,13,17,18
2.6#17 TO 27,40,47,61 quiz 4
  8 3-13 to 17 2.6, 2.7, 3.1 2.7#2,3,4,18
3.1#1,2,4,7,11,12,14,17,21,22,24,27,33,34,78,79
  9 3-20 to 24 Spring Break  
 10 3-27 to 31 3.1, 3.2 3.2#1,4,6,7,10,11,18,25 exam 2, review answers
3.3#2,3,6,7,11,14,15,17,21,29,32,36,48,51,99
 11 4-3 to 7 3.3, 3.4 3.4#2,3,6,7,10,11,15,25,27,30,31
3.5#2,5,10,11,12,13,18,43,50,51,52
 12 4-10 to 14 3.5, 3.6 3.6#1,3,5,9,13,16,18,33,45,46,47
3.7#5,9 quiz 5
 13 4-17 to 20 3.7, 3.8 3.8#2,5,8,18,21,31,33
 14 4-24 to 28 4.3 Gateway exam project 2
4.3#1,2,5,9,11,16,17,19
 15 5-1 to 5 4.4, 4.6 4.4#1,3,4,10,11,13
4.6#1,2,12,14,17,21
 16 5-8 to 13 5.1, 5.2, 5.3  
 17 Final Exam cumulative Wed. May 17, 8 AM

This personal page is maintained by Tom Linton, email: lintont@central.edu. Last updated May 3, 2000.

Disclaimer: "The views expressed on this page are the responsibility of Tom Linton and do not necessarily reflect Central College  policies or official positions."