by James Stewart
Published by Brooks Cole
| Main Page | Syllabus | Blackboard | Homework |
| Course Description | Course Goals | Text Book |
|---|---|---|
| Homework | Examinations | Grades |
| Tutors and Study Groups | Honor Principle | Disabilities |
| Course Description |
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Calculus is an important tool for interpreting physical phenomena, and it is interesting theoretically as well. This course aims to prepare you to use calculus in many other disciplines without losing site of its theoretical value. This course is an introduction to single variable calculus and is intended for students who are planning to go on to math 8. Topics include, but are not limited to limits, continuity , derivatives, definite and indefinite integrals over the real line. The jewel of this course is the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus and it will be used to develop some techniques of integration.
The prerequisites for this course are familiarity with high school algebra and trigonometry(see the instructor if you are worried about meeting this criterion... chances are, you are going to be fine) and a willingness to learn and participate in the class. This class does not assume any background in calculus.
| Textbook |
|---|
|
Calculus, fifth edition by James Stewart Published by Brooks Cole |
The textbook will be available at Wheelock Books. This is an expensive book, but it will most likely be used in both math 8 and math 13 if you are planning on pursuing calculus further, and it makes a great reference text. This book is extremely popular so it is likely that you will be able to find used, if not at Wheelock, on some other on-line bookseller.
| Course Goals |
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| Homework |
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There are three different types of homework in Math 3. The bulk of the homework will consist of WebWork. For each day of class, a WebWork problem set will be assigned. This problem set is due by 1 am on the day of the next class. The problem set associated with Monday's class is, thus, due by 1 am on Wednesday.
This is so I can see the results of the homework before the next class period.
In addition to the daily WebWork assignments, there is one written problem due in class on Fridays*.
This problem will be similar to a problem from the WebWork problem sets, so you should have already solved it.
You are required to write this problem up as formally as possible.
The emphasis is on the process of going from the beginning of a problem to the final solution.
If you just submit an answer, this is worth no credit.
We will discuss the standards for this problem in class, but there are some things to keep in mind.
You may adopt your own style; however, all good problem writeups have several things in common.
They always start with givens and things that are known to be true.
They then proceed very methodically and neatly through a series of justified statements to eventually arrive at the conclusion.
Some students may wish to write complete sentences to justify going from one statement to the next while others will wish to focus more on the math; this choice is up to you so long as exactly what is happening is clear.
After reading a problem writeup, the reader should be left with both an understanding of how to solve the problem and the inescapable conclusion that it has been solved correctly.
There is only one such problem due a week to allow you to really think about what your final solution looks like. Grading will be done on a scale of 0, 1, or 2 points.
Late homework will NOT be accepted.
Students taking Math 3 will be required to keep a journal for the course.
These journals will be collected every 2 weeks and will be graded on a credit no credit basis.
Your journals serve two purposes, one as a way of communicating with me about the course and the other is as a tool to help you think critically about mathematics.
As a method of communicating with me you can write about concepts or exercises you are having trouble with, suggestions to me about how to make class time more profitable to you, or anything else you might want to say about the course.
As a critical thinking tool, you can write about why certain hypothesis are necessary, why is a theorem useful or important, why certain steps are justified, or any other thoughts you want to work out in writing or remind yourself of.
I will periodically assign things for you to write about in your journals that will hopefully get you thinking critically about the material and the course.
| Examinations |
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There will be two midterm and a final in this course. All exams will be given outside of class
| Tutors and Study Groups |
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There is a graduate teaching assistant for this course.
She will hold open tutorial sessions from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings.
The purpose of these tutorial sessions is to give you a chance to work with your fellow students on excercises and to have experienced help available if you get stuck.
I would like to emphasize that the graduate TA is not the only resource in the room and that many of your classmates may be able to help too.
The graduate TA is there to answer any Math 3 related question you may have, but is instructed to help you come to the answer yourself.
It is expected that you think about questions on your own and/or with fellow students before you ask the graduate TA.
| Days: | Sunday | Tuesday | Thursday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Times: | 7:00-9:00 p.m. | 7:00-9:00 p.m. | 7:00-9:00 p.m. |
| Location: | Kemeny 007 | Kemeny 007 | Kemeny 007 |
| Grades |
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| Honor Principle |
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On Exams and Quizzes: No help given or received. All exams and quizzes will be closed book. No calculators or
computers are allowed.
On Homework: Collaboration with your classmates on homework is highly
encouraged; that is, it's a great idea to talk about the homework problems
with each other and try to solve them together. However, you are expected
to produce the final written homework set individually and
independently, ie NO COPYING..
If you consult any person or source other than the course
textbook, your classmates, your class notes, or myself, you must acknowledge the
source in your homework write-up. Failure to do so is an act of
plagiarism. The same rules apply for WebWork problem sets. You may work on the problems with other students and tutors; however, you must submit your final solutions to WebWork yourself. Computing devices are allowed on homework.
| Disabilities |
|---|
Students with disabilities who will be taking this course and may need disability-related classroom accommodations are encouraged to make an appointment to see me as soon as possible. I will do my best to accommodate any reasonable requests. I also recommend stopping by the Academic Skills Center in Collis Center to register for support services.