CALCULUS I-22M:025, Lecture H, discussion sections H15-H16

FALL SEMESTER 2004


SYLLABUS

Meeting times: 10:30-11:20 MWF

Meeting place: 214 MLH

Prerequisites: 22M:002 and 22M:005, or 22M:009, or 3.5 years of high school mathematics including analytic geometry and trigonometry. Approved for GE: Quantitative or Formal Reasoning.

Instructor: Laurent O. Jay

Office: 225L MLH

Office hours: Monday 2:30-4:30 and Friday 2:30-3:30. I will also be available at other times. Just drop by my office or send me an e-mail to make an appointment.

Telephone: (319) 335-0898

Fax: (319) 335-0627

E-mail address: ljay@math.uiowa.edu

Mailbox: in Mailroom 15 MLH

Course web page: Assignments and other information about the course will be given in http://www.math.uiowa.edu/~ljay/m25_04.html. Students are responsible for checking regularly this course web page.

Goals and objectives of the course: This is a standard first semester calculus course. Some of the most fundamental concepts in mathematics will be covered. This course will give you a thorough knowledge of basic elements of differential and integral calculus and of some of their applications. Without a good knowledge of these building blocks, you cannot really pursue any good science in physics, chemistry, social sciences, economics, engineering, mathematics, biology, computer/computational science, robotics, genetics, statistics, neuroscience, etc.

Your goal has to be more than just reproducing what is told to you in the classroom. We also want to inculcate upon you confidence and self reliance in problem solving and calculation. The pace may be higher than what you are used to, but the sooner, the better. We are not in kindergarten here! It is your responsability to read and learn the material, you cannot be taught everything during the classes, and most of this learning will take place outside the classroom. The instructor's job is to guide you in the learning process.

Everything valuable in life is not necessarily purely pleasurable, you may have some reticences at first with the material, but if you are willing to make the effort that we expect from you then by mastering the material you will probably even enjoy it. It is like learning to play basketball, piano, tennis, guitar, soccer, a foreign language, etc., only after long hours of practice you can fully enjoy it at a competitive and/or pleasurable level. The nice thing with mathematics is that once you have really understood a concept, you generally do not need to learn it by heart, because it has become second nature. It is like speaking in English, though you may not remember it, it was difficult when you were a child, but these days you can certainly communicate efficiently without much effort, because you have created the good connexions in your brain. Learning something new and understanding it is excellent for self-esteem and will actually also boost your spirit and moral. Challenge yourself!

We also acknowledge that not everybody (hopefully and thankfully?!) will make a career in science and that calculus is not going to be the center of his/her life. Society as a whole need people with different abilities. Neverteless, we will try to make the journey as satisfactory as possible, so that you can at least understand what the inside of the science and technology of the 18th century was! Whereas for the science and technology of the 20th and 21st century you need more than just Calculus I. Calculus must be an inherent and fundamental part of the culture of any college student. Calculus was one the greatest adventure of the second millennium with its heroes, drama, successes, and secrets, like any other part of the human culture.

Textbook: textbook page: Single Variable Calculus, Early Transcendentals, Fifth Edition, by J. Stewart, US$112.00!!! There is also a student companion site for this textbook. Book chapters to be covered:

1. Functions and models.
2. Limits and derivatives.
3. Differentiation rules.
4. Applications of differentiation.
5. Integrals.
6. Applications of integration.
7. Techniques of integration.
8. Further applications of integration.

Course outline: Topics include fundamental concepts, methods, and techniques of integral and differential calculus of a single variable. We will cover roughly speaking the following topics: functions, graphs, tangents, limits, continuity, differentiation, integration, areas, volumes, transcendental functions. This course plan may be modified during the semester. Such modifications will be announced in advance during class periods and on the course web page; the student is responsible for keeping abreast of such changes.

Class procedures: The majority of each class period will be lecture oriented. It is strongly advised to read the material to be discussed before coming to class. Therefore, if there is a difficult point, you will know beforehand where it arises, so that you can benefit from the lecture more effectively. If the point remains unclear you can always ask questions.

Homework: Will be assigned weekly. Presentation of your results is very important. Scratch paper will not be accepted. Do not expect good grades if your solution to a problem is poorly communicated. Like for everything, if you cannot explain something in great details, you certainly have not fully understood it. The importance of doing homework cannot be overemphasized, most of human people learn by doing, not only by watching and/or listening.

Grading procedures: The final grade will be based on tests, quizzes, homework, and final examination as follows:

  1. There will be two tests during the semester, with each test to account for 15% of the course grade.
  2. Quizzes and homework assignments will account for 40% of the course grade. The best 75% of the total quizzes and homework given will be considered. If less than 75% is available, a grade F will be given by default for the remaining percentage. Usually, only a portion of each homework assignment will be graded, based on the availability of assistance from a grader for the course.
  3. The final examination will account for 30% of the course grade and this test will be comprehensive.
In assigning grades, plus/minus grading will be used. NO calculator will be allowed during the tests!

Discussion sections:

Teaching assistant: Yanzheng Duan, 225C MLH, e-mail: yduan@math.uiowa.edu.

Mathematics Tutorial Laboratory: Located on the third floor of MacLean Hall. Check the homepage of the Math Tutorial Lab for FREE tutorial services with the course material. Participation is optional, but strongly recommended if you experience difficulties. It offers personalized assistance and supplementary help.

Final examination: To be held on Wednesday, December 15, 2004, 9:45-11:45 A.M. in room 214 MLH. Only under exceptional circumstances will a student be permitted to shift the time of this examination.

Attendance: Strongly advised. Random checks will be made during the semester. Since we are not in the army here, once again it is your responsability as free adults to come to class. However, it is also useless to sit in class just like a couch potato with your brain frozen like an iceberg, your participation should be active, we recommend you to listen and to ask relevant questions. The best students are 99% of the time those who ask questions and really want to understand. Classes are intended to have interaction, so be proactive. Moreover, however talented you may be if you do not work regularly on an almost a daily basis, chances are great that you will not get good grade.

Some recommended reading before starting this class: The last section of the article "Teaching at the University Level", by Steven Zucker.

Notes to student: The Department of Mathematics has offices in 14 MLH. To make an appointment to speak with the Chair of the Department, call 335-0714 or contact the Departmental Secretary in 14 MLH.

Cell phones and pagers must be on silent mode during lecture. CELL PHONES AND PAGERS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN CLASS DURING EXAMS. If you do bring a cell phone or pager to an exam, you may leave it in the front of the class during the exam. If a student is found to have a cell phone or pager during an exam, the cell phone or pager will be taken from the student and procedures for cheating may be followed.

Please let your instructor know if you have a disability that requires special arrangements.

This course is given by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. This means that class policies on matters such as requirements, grading, and sanctions for academic dishonesty are governed by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Students wishing to add or drop this course after the official deadline must receive the approval of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Details of the University policy of cross enrollments may be found at: http://www.uiowa.edu/~provost/deos/crossenroll.doc.