First-day Handout

Spring 2012

 

M408S – Integral Calculus for Science

TTh 12:30 – 2, ECJ 1.202 (55410 55415, 55420)

 

INSTRUCTOR:        Dr. Jane Arledge, RLM 9.144, arledge@math.utexas.edu

OFFICE HOURS:     Wednesday 11:30-12:30 and Thursday 2:30-4:30

WEB PAGE:  www.math.utexas.edu/users/arledge                                      

This course consists of two lectures and two discussion sessions per week.  The lectures are given by the instructor and are attended by all students enrolled in sections with any of the three unique numbers above.  The discussion sessions are led by a graduate Teaching Assistant (TA).  During lectures you will be working on new material, and during your discussion sessions you will have the opportunity to further your understanding of that material.  You are expected to attend all five hours per week.  Your unique number determines which of the three discussion sections is yours, as is indicated in the table below.

Discussion Section

Teaching Assistant for all Discussion Sections

Unique

Number

Day

Hours

Building

Room

Phil Vucins

pvucins@math.utexas.edu

RLM 12.146

55410

MW

10-11

BUR 134

 

55415

MW

3-4

RLM 5.114

 

55420

MW

4-5

CMA A3.112

Office Hours:  Monday and Wednesday, 1-2:30

 

TEXT: Calculus, Early Transcendentals, 7th Edition, by Stewart.

 

OBJECTIVES OF COURSE:  Successful students will leave this course understanding the basic concepts and having mastered the computational skills of integral calculus.  The concepts covered will include an introduction to the theory and applications of integral calculus of functions of one variable.  Topics include integration and infinite series and a brief introduction to calculus of functions of two variables:  5.3 The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, 5.4 Indefinite Integrals and the Net Change Theorem, 5.5 The Substitution Rule, 6.1 Areas Between Curves, 6.2 Volumes, 7.1 Integration by Parts, 7.2 Trigonometric Integrals, 7.3 Trigonometric Substitution, 7.4 Integration of Rational Functions by Partial Fractions, 7.5 Strategy for Integration, 7.8 Improper Integrals, 11.1 Sequences, 11.2 Series, 11.3 The Integral Test, 11.4 The Comparison Tests, 11.5 Alternating Series, 11.6 Absolute Convergence and the Ratio and Root Tests, 11.7 Strategy for Testing Series, 11.8 Power Series, 11.9 Representations of Functions of Power Series, 11.10 Taylor and Maclaurin Series, 14.3 Partial Derivatives, 15.1 Double Integrals over Rectangles, 15.2 Iterated Integrals, and 15.3 Double Integrals over General Regions.  You may view and/or print the tentative schedule on my web page above or click on calendar.

 

RESTRICTIONS AND PREREQUISITES:  This course is restricted to students in the College of Natural Sciences.  The prerequisite for the class is a grade of C- or better in M 408N, M 408K, M 408C or equivalent.  Please see me if you are taking this course after receiving a C- or low C grade in M 408N, so that I can help determine how to change your study habits – with a grade of C on prerequisite material, you will have to change your habits in order to pass this class.

 

OPTIONAL MATERIALS:  It may be helpful to check the accuracy of your homework with a calculator.  However, work the problems by hand, since no calculators maybe used during exams. 

 

GRADES:  On all work, your grade will be computed as a percentage: the number of points you earned divided by the number of points possible.  It is unlikely that any grade will be curved.  The percentages of each type of work that will be used to compute your final grade are given below.  Your letter grade will be given based on your numerical average earned in the class, on a scale not stricter than the following:  you are guaranteed a D for 60 or above, C- for 70 or above, C for 73 or above, C+ for 77 or above, B- for 80 or above, B for 83 or above, B+ for 87 or above, A- for 90 or above, and an A for 93 or above.

 

DEADLINES FOR DROPPING A COURSE:  If you drop a class on or before February 1, the class will not show up on your transcript.  If you drop a class after that date, the course will show up on the transcript with a ŇQÓ grade.  After April 2, it is not possible to drop a course except for extenuating (usually non-academic) circumstances.

HOMEWORK (15% of final grade):

As you are aware, you learn math by doing math.  The expectation is that your homework will require up to 10 hours per week of your time.  It comprises 10% of your grade in order that you will be motivated to do it.  However, doing or not doing assigned homework will have much more than a 10% effect on your grade!

 

While the attached calendar gives an idea of when each homework assignment will be due (one paper and one online assignment for each section covered and a weekly summary assignment), the due dates will be determined by the date of the lecture in which we actually finish a section (see Text homework and Online homework below).  You are responsible for knowing these dates.

 

No late homework will be accepted for any reason.  As noted below, we will drop some of the homework scores to allow for legitimate reasons for not turning in an assignment (left it at home, computer crashed the night the Quest was due, Quest crashed at the last minute, ill with the flu, didnŐt get the assignment in time, didnŐt know the due date, did the wrong assignment, family emergency, etc.)   Please do not ask if we will accept a late assignment.  We will not.

 

Text homework (5%):  At the beginning of each lecture, we will collect all text homework assignments due, and will grade selected problems.  An assignment from a section of the book covered during lecture will be due at the beginning of the first lecture that follows.   In order to receive credit for an assignment, you must put your name and unique number and time of your discussion section at the top of the page, show all of your work, the homework paper must be stapled with no ragged edges (such as those on papers torn from a spiral notebook), your exercises must be well-labeled, neat, and in order, and your assignment must be turned in before the lecture begins.  There will be approximately 28 such assignments (one for each section of the book covered); your highest 23 scores will count towards your grade.  This homework comprises 5% of your final grade.  You may view homework assignments on my web page or by clicking on text assignments.

 

Online homework (10%):  Our online homework system is called Quest, which can be accessed by going to the page at the link https://quest.cns.utexas.edu/  .  You will be charged a one-time $22 fee to use this service*, which is mandatory for this class.  There will be a preparatory assignment due before every lecture, which will consist of some reading from the upcoming section of the text (these can be found on at preparatory assignments or on my web page) and then a short Quest assessment over the reading.  These preparatory assignments will be due at 9 am on the day of the lecture.  There will be approximately 28 prep assignments; your highest 23 scores will count towards your grade. This homework comprises 5% of your final grade. There will also be a weekly Quest assignment, summarizing the material covered during the week, due after the material is covered, each Sunday night at midnight.  There will be approximately 12 weekly assignments; the highest 10 will count towards your grade. This homework comprises 5% of your final grade.  There will be a special initial assessment the first week of classes, which will count as one of the weekly assignments.

 

EXAMS (85% of final grade):

You must bring a valid photo ID to all exams.   Notes, books, and calculators are not allowed during exams.

Regular semester exams:  There will be two exams during the regular semester, each covering a little over 1/3 of the course material.  Some of the questions on each exam will be multiple choice, like problems on the QUEST homework system, and some will require that you show your work, like problems from the text.  These exams will be given during the normal lecture period.  Each exam will comprise 28 1/3 % of your final grade.

            Exam I:                        Thursday, February 23

            Exam II:          Thursday, April 12

Final exam:  You will have a comprehensive final exam during finals week. This two-hour exam will be given in a room different from the lecture hall, on Thursday, May 10, 9-12 noon.  The final exam will comprise 28 1/3% of your final grade.  Your final exam will replace the lower of your two regular semester exams, if the final exam score is higher than either of them.

You should carefully examine the exam dates above, since being available for these exams is a requirement for this course.   Makeup exams are given only for serious reasons such as a severe illness or an emergency.  In order to have any hope of being allowed to take a makeup exam, you must contact me via email before the exam (if physically possible), and have documentation indicating your inability to take the exam at the scheduled time.  For example, that family members bought you airline tickets for travel on the day of an exam will not be an appropriate reason to miss an exam.

 

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:  Upon request, the University of Texas at Austin provides appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities.  For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259 or 471-6441 TTY. 

 

STUDENT CONDUCT: Please come to class on time.  If you will be late or need to leave early for some legitimate reason, please sit near the exit.  Coming and going during class is distracting to your fellow students, and they do not like it; we know this because they complain about it. Please do not talk or otherwise disturb students in the class who are trying to learn.

 

All computers, cell phones and other electronic devices must be put away out of sight during class and during exams.

 

Cheating is dishonorable and disgusting.  Keep in mind that most students are honest, and honest students do not like cheaters, and often report what they see.  If you are caught cheating, you will be penalized as harshly as possible under the rules of UT.  Do not cheat.

 

ATTENDANCE:  This course is structured with the expectation that you will attend every lecture and discussion session, and your grade will benefit from your attendance.  Of course, sometimes an absence is necessary.  In such a situation, you should contact a classmate to get notes, due dates and other information for the class you missed.  Please introduce yourself to and write the names and contact information of at least five classmates below.

1.      

2.      

3.      

4.      

5.      

If you choose to miss class, do not email or otherwise contact your TA or me to ask what material was covered during class, what the assignments are, when assignments were made or are due, what sections the exams will cover, or any other question that has been answered or will be answered during class.  I will not respond to such queries.  If you miss class, accept responsibility for your absence without involving me.

 

ADVICE: You should think about this fact: I will write the lectures and lead the discussion in class, and will write the exam material (which is 90% of your grade).  Come to class.  Taking notes, including everything written on the board as well as my comments, will be directly correlated to your grade in this class.  I will pass on information not in the book, such as hints to help you remember necessary facts, and common errors and how to avoid them, and I will focus your attention on certain aspects of the material.  If you do not write these things down, you will forget them.  If you have to choose between listening and writing notes, write the notes – you will have a record that you can study at your leisure. In particular, during the lectures I will tell you exactly what you need to learn and understand in order to do well on the exams.  Studying your notes (with asterisks beside material I have emphasized) and working problems without assistance from the book will greatly assist you in doing well on the exams.   Since I tell you what to expect on exams during the lecture, there will be no exam review during lecture.

 

Drop-in tutoring (free) and private tutoring (not free) for M408S are available in the UT Sanger Learning Center in Jester A332 (http://lifelearning.utexas.edu/), as well as some free workshops and classes.  If you need help, please avail yourself of this assistance.  Both your TA and I have office hours, and are happy to meet with you; you should take advantage of this access.  We can help you.  Come as soon as you have questions – if you wait, it will be hard or impossible to catch up. 

 

Before you email me to ask a question about the rules and procedures of this course, please read through this handout to see if the answer is written here.  I tried hard to include in this document information that you are likely to be asking; please use it.

 

*This course makes use of the web-based Quest content delivery and homework server system maintained by the College of Natural Sciences.  This homework service will require a $22 charge per student for its use, which goes toward the maintenance and operation of the resource.  After the 12th day of class, when you log into Quest you will be asked to pay via credit card on a secure payment site. You have the option to wait up to 30 days to pay while still continuing to use Quest for your assignments. If you are taking more than one course using Quest, you will not be charged more than $50/semester. Quest provides mandatory instructional material for this course, just as is your textbook, etc.  For payment questions, email quest.fees@cns.utexas.edu.