Calculus I

Fall 1996

Other resources

Syllabus

Instructor: Dr. Art Duval

Please feel free to come by any time during scheduled office hours. You are welcome to come at other times, but in that case you might want to make an appointment, just to make sure that I will be there then. You can make an appointment simply by talking to me before or after class, by calling me at my office or at home, or sending e-mail.

Textbook: CALCULUS, Deborah Hughes-Hallet, Andrew M. Gleason, et. al., Chs. 1-6.

We will skip a few sections, as announced in class. The textbook is required at all class meetings. A Student Solution Manual, consisting of solutions to approximately every other odd problem, is also available at the bookstore.

Calculators:

Each student must have a graphing calculator with capabilities equivalent to the TI-85. The calculator is required at all class meetings and exams.

Some programs for the TI-85 will be made available in class. You may have any programs you wish in your calculators during exams and you may bring your calculator manual to exams. Failure to have certain programs in your calculator may put you at a distinct disadvantage on an exam.

Grades:

Homework(13%):
Homework will be assigned most class days and will be due as follows: Late homeworks will NOT be accepted, but the lowest four homework scores will be dropped.

Some homework may take the form of written group projects; in this case, every group member will receive the same score. Each of these will count as two homework assignments.

There will also be in-class group assignments, due at the end of class. These will each count as half a homework assignment, and cannot be made up if you are absent.

Tests (13% each):
There will be four in-class tests on the following days: NO MAKE-UP TESTS (except in EXTRAORDINARY circumstances and with advance notice), but see ``Exception'' below.
Final (40%)
comprehensive (including Ch. 6)
Wed. 11 Dec., 10:00 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Exception
The final exam score will be used in place of the lowest in-class test score, if this increases the overall class average.

Attendance Policy:

On-time attendance at all classes is required. If you have more than three unexcused absences, your overall course grade will be reduced by seven points; more than six, and you will be dropped with an F. Unexcused late arrivals or early departures will count as half an unexcused absence.

Drop policy:

The deadline for student initiated drops with an automatic W is Fri. Oct. 4. From then until Fri. Nov. 22, you can drop the course by consulting me. Through Mon. Oct. 14 (by which time the second test will be returned), I will give an automatic W. After that time, to drop with a W requires a D average on the tests taken to that point, but I will also drop you with a W, even if your average is below a D, if you discuss your situation with me immediately after the test that brings your average below a D.

Goal of the course:

The goal of the calculus sequence is to obtain a solid understanding of the concepts of function, derivative, and integral equally well from numerical, graphical, and symbolic points of view, and to be able to express your understanding in written or spoken form, using correct language and grammar. In dealing with a problem to which calculus is applicable, you should be able to use whichever point of view is most effective.

You will also understand when it is appropriate to use technology, when a purely symbolic approach is more effective, and how to mix the two. You will have acquired facility with numerical and symbolic computations of derivatives, and with numerical and simple symbolic computations of integrals.

You will be able to set up and solve problems which require understanding and use of derivatives and integrals. You will experience open-ended problems, problems which require written commentary rather than a string of symbols or numbers, and problems for which different answers may be equally correct.

You will be ready to begin learning systematic techniques for computation of antiderivatives (the starting point for a traditional second semester calculus course).

Required Reading: Preface: pages vii, xiii, xiv. The textbook is intended to be read. In full. Pay particular attention to the third bullet on page xiii. Read each section that we cover in class, both before and after class. We will be spending some time in class learning how to effectively read a math textbook.

Fair Warning: The approach of this course to calculus is intended to be different. If you have had a calculus course already, you will probably find much that is unfamiliar and a very different emphasis on things you may think you know already. Be alert to this and remember that previous experience is unlikely to be enough to coast on. Treat each topic as if you were meeting it for the first time, and be alert to make sure you understand each day's material before the next class meeting.

HELP:

There is help available to you provided you are willing to take advantage of it.

my office: I will be glad to meet with you, in addition to office hours, at any time that I do not have to be somewhere else. You may wish to make an appointment to be sure that I will be in my office when you are coming, but you do not need to. My entire schedule is on my office door.

other faculty, T.A.'s: I hope to shortly have a list of ``pooled'' office hours of other faculty teaching the course and of teaching assistants, all of whom who will be willing to help you during office hours.

each other!: It is the intent of the course to require some group activities, which will enable you to get to know each other and form study groups on your own.

Calculator: Some training on the TI-85 will be given in class, and some help with the TI-82, TI-83, or HP48G may be available, but we will spend as little time as possible in class on formal calculator training. I will be glad to help you with the calculator outside of class. Remember that the calculator is just a tool and that calculator wizardry is neither necessary nor sufficient to do well in the course.

Some videotapes for TI-85 training are available at the library, for the cost of the blank tape ($3).

I am not an expert on the calculator, and I hope and expect that soon many of you will know more about it than I do. Please let me know if you figure out anything interesting!