Welcome to Math 101: Calculus! 

Professor: Amy N. Myers

Email: anmyers@brynmawr.edu

Office: Park Sciences 331

Office Hours: Mondays 2:15 – 4 PM, Wednesdays 2:15 – 3 PM (and usually 3 – 4 PM as well), and Fridays 2:15 – 4 PM

Appointments: Please email me to set up an appointment outside of office hours.

Required Textbook: Calculus, 6^th Edition, by James Stewart

Recommended Supplement: The student solutions manual for this textbook has ISBN 0495012343. Stewart has written several different calculus textbooks, each of which appears in several different editions, so please check the ISBN before making a purchase.

Course Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course, you will:

· Understand how functions model relationships between real-world variables.

· Distinguish among linear, even degree polynomial, odd degree polynomial, root, rational, and trig functions.

· Possess an intuitive notion of limit.

· Interpret the derivative of a function as rate of change.

· Interpret the rate of change of a function as a derivative.

· Compute the derivatives of polynomial functions and trig functions, as well as products, quotients, and compositions of such functions.

· Possess an intuitive notion of what it means for a function to be continuous.

· Possess an intuitive notion of what it means for a function to be differentiable.

· Define the derivative as the limit of a quotient.

· Use the derivative of a continuous function to find its extreme values.

· Know what the first and second derivatives tell you about the graph of a function.

· Possess an intuitive understanding of the proof of the Mean Value Theorem.

· Solve optimization problems.

· Compute antiderivatives.

· Interpret the definite integral of a function f(x) as the addition of the values f(x)dx over an interval.

· Interpret the addition of values over an interval as the definite integral of a function.

· Define the definite integral as a limit of Riemann sums.

· Compute simple integrals.

· Connect differentiation and integration using the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.

· Use Mathematica to do computations related to the above topics and to plot curves.

Grading: Course grades are based on:

• Homework, computer assignments, and in-class assignments (50%)
• Midterm and cumulative final exams (50%)

Homework and in-class assignments: Homework will be graded according to a scoring rubric that varies from assignment to assignment. You can find sample rubrics for selected exercises on the syllabus page of the course website. In-class assignments must be submitted either at the end of the relevant class period, or at the beginning of the following period to receive full credit.

I will assign homework following most class periods, but collect it only once per week. Since it takes daily concentration to learn calculus properly, you should do all assigned exercises prior to the next class meeting, even though it may not be collected then. Because students occasionally have other assignments or commitments that make attention to calculus on a particular day impossible, I feel I cannot fairly collect homework as often as would benefit most students. Weekly homework collection gives you more flexibility in study time, but is not intended limit your study hours to the night before the due date. I strongly encourage you to work on calculus every day, and not save it all until the last minute. I expect students to arrive in class ready to move on to new material, and will assume most are ready to do so. For this reason you should schedule at least two hours of study time for calculus between successive class meetings whenever possible.

Homework consists of both practice problems and assigned exercises. If you want to learn calculus, then you should do all of the practice problems. To satisfy the course requirements, you must submit solutions to the assigned exercises. People learn calculus the same way they learn anything else: by practicing. Nobody becomes a good tennis player by watching the coach. If you want to improve your tennis game, you have to pick up a racket and drill yourself. Similarly students can get a general sense of calculus from watching the professor go through the motions, but to really learn the subject, they need to repeat the thought process for themselves. The practice problems provide an opportunity to do so.

Math 101 serves a wide range of students, from math majors bound for graduate school, to students satisfying Q and Division II requirements only. Some students have seen only pre-calculus, while others have studied AP calculus. Many students will need a lot of practice, while others require considerably less. There’s no way to make one homework assignment work for everybody. The required homework exercises provide examples of the types of problems I expect you to be able to solve. To really learn calculus, you must go beyond the minimal requirements.

A shorter homework assignment doesn’t provide students with the practice they need to become proficient at calculus, but it does allow them to concentrate on writing up solutions in a way that convinces the paper grader they understand the concepts involved. This process takes more time than simply sketching solutions. I recommend sketching solutions to all homework problems (practice and assigned) in a notebook designated for that purpose, then rewriting careful step-by-step explanations to the assigned exercises to turn in.

Solving problems and communicating results are two important skills that can be learned by studying calculus, and I would like you to obtain both. Problem solving skills develop by working the practice and assigned problems, while communication skills improve through careful write-ups of selected solutions.

Computer Assignments: In this course you will learn to use Mathematica through the regular completion of computer-based assignments. Grading for these assignments consists of one point per correct answer. The software is available on college computers throughout campus, and can be downloaded for use on personal computers via the Bryn Mawr College Computing Services webpage. A link to this page appears on the main page of the website for this course. Math majors will be available in the Mathematics Computer Lab (Park Sciences 354) at the following times to assist you with assignments.

• Sundays 3 – 5 and 6 – 7 PM
• Mondays 5 – 7 PM
• Tuesdays 3 – 4 and 6 – 7 PM
• Wednesdays 7 – 8 PM
• Thursdays 6 – 7 PM

Late Work: Homework and computer assignments that are submitted before the grader collects them are eligible for full credit. Work submitted after the grader has collected assignments, but before they have been returned, is eligible for half credit. Work submitted after the assignments have been returned is not eligible for credit.

List of Grievances and Special Requests: All students should keep a List of Grievances and Special Requests concerning homework. If you feel you should receive credit for a late assignment because you joined the class late, had a family emergency, experienced personal heath problems, forgot to hand your paper in, overslept, or some other reason, please keep a record this special request. If you feel the grader misinterpreted your work, misread the rubric, added points incorrectly, or for some other reason gave you fewer points than you deserve, please also record this grievance. At the end of the term you can compute your homework score according to the formula given on the Course Information link on the course website. If the points you feel you deserve turn out to make the difference between a particular letter grade and a higher grade, then I will ask you to bring the List together with the relevant assignments to my office sometime during the last two weeks of the semester (November 27 through December 11) for evaluation. To claim points for late or unfairly graded homework, you must first determine how many you deserve. To do this, bring your assignment(s) to my office and check them using the scoring rubric and the solutions manual. At the end of the term, when I review your List, I will look for specific requests for numbers of points and reasons why they are deserved.

Exams: The best way to study for calculus exams is to do as many practice problems as possible. Consider those listed on the syllabus, and others in the textbook (including those in the review sections at the end of each chapter). Exams include exercises that are either copied directly from the textbook, or are very similar to problems appearing there. They also include problems similar to those found on in-class assignments and in the “Concept Check” section at the end of each chapter. Exam dates appear below.

· Midterm 1: October 24

· Midterm 2: November 24

· Final Exam: Self-scheduled

Letter Grades: At any point in the semester you may estimate your current letter grade using the following formula:

· H = (points received on homework, in-class, and computer assignments) / (total points possible for homework, in-class, and computer assignments)

· E = (points received on exams) / (total points possible for exams)

· P = 50×H + 50×E

P	Grade
90 ≤ P ≤ 100	A
85 ≤ P < 90	A–
80 ≤ P < 85	B+
70 ≤ P < 80	B
65 ≤ P < 70	B–
60 ≤ P < 65	C+
50 ≤ P < 60	C
45 ≤ P < 50	C–

Study Groups: Numerous studies have shown that working with others is generally the best way to learn calculus, and I strongly encourage you to do so. What you turn in, however, must be your own work written in your own words.

Homework Help: A math major (Amy Rives) will run problem sessions at the following times to answer questions concerning homework. When you go to the sessions, please bring the relevant homework grading rubrics (linked to the syllabus page of the course website) with you. The problem session leader can tell you how to do the assigned exercises, but she won’t grade them. The homework graders use a rubric which is either exactly the same as, or quite similar to the one provided on the course website. Using the rubrics to write up your homework will save you the headache of not receiving credit for work you did in your head but didn’t record.

• Sundays 6 – 8 PM in Park 336.

Extra Practice: Learning calculus is like learning to speak Italian, drive a car, or play the piano. If you want to become proficient, you have to practice. These skills seem difficult and awkward at first, but become second nature when you make a concentrated effort. Like Italian, driving, and the piano, calculus comes more naturally to some people and less naturally to others; but with committed determination anyone can become proficient at calculus. For this reason I encourage you to attend Peer-led Instruction. A math major (Amy Veprauskas) in charge. She will answer questions on course material, re-explain important concepts, and help you practice problems not assigned as homework at the following times.

• Tuesdays 8 – 9 PM in Park 328

Helpful Advice: The following italicized paragraphs are quoted from page xxiii of the textbook. I wish I had received (and followed) such advice when I was learning calculus in college! The process our textbook author describes for learning mathematics is the one I use now. I would have had much less trouble learning calculus if I had tried it as a student.

“Reading a calculus textbook is different from reading a newspaper or a novel, or even a physics book. Don’t be discouraged if you have to read a passage more than once in order to understand it. You should have pencil and paper and calculator at hand to sketch a diagram or make a calculation.

Some students start by trying their homework problems and read the text only if they get stuck on an exercise. I suggest that a far better plan is to read and understand a section of the text before attempting the exercises. In particular, you should look at the definitions to see the exact meanings of the terms. And before you read each example, I suggest that you cover up the solution and try solving the problem yourself. You’ll get a lot more from looking at the solution if you do so.”

Differences Between College and High School Math Courses: For many students the degree to which independent study is required for success in college-level mathematics courses comes as a surprise. Here’s what you need to know to make the transition smoothly:

• The professor uses class time to introduce, explain, and motivate the concepts and formulas you will practice later on your own.
• You should not expect to completely understand every detail of what happens in class. You should feel like you can follow the discussion in a very general way. You should also feel like the details will make sense when you take the time to go over them slowly on your own.
• We typically do not have time to practice calculus in class in the way you did in high school. The main learning in a college course happens on your own outside of class time.
• We also do not typically have time to discuss assigned homework exercises in class. To make sure you have the right answers, you should check your work with the problem session leader (Amy Rives) or another student in the course.
• When you have trouble completing an assigned homework exercise, try to solve a similar exercise for which the answer is provided.
• As a full-time student you should expect to put in full-time work into learning: 40 hours per week for 4 courses means 12 hours of class time and 28 hours of study time. This amounts to 28/4 = 7 hours per week per class--1 hour per day. If you miss one day, then it’s two hours the next day. These are minimal expectations for students who want to learn the basics. If you want to excel, you need to do more.
• All students need to beyond simply attending class and doing the assigned homework problems. You need to go reread your notes, understand the textbook, and practice doing exercises until you feel comfortable with the topics.
• When you run into a snag you can’t untangle on your own, you need to come to my office hours, or talk to our peer instructor (Amy Veprauskas).

Calculators: Mathematics department policy does not allow students to use calculators on calculus exams. We know your calculator knows how to do calculus---we want to make sure you do. You should, however, feel free to use calculators, or Mathematica, on homework assignments. In addition calculators will often be helpful in class.

Email: Please email me with questions and concerns! There is typically not enough time before or after class to adequately address the individual concerns of all students in the room. I do want to answer questions, but I don’t want to take away time from our class or the class that follows us. Please come to my office hours, make an appointment, or email me anything you would ask before or after class.

Extra Credit: You can recover lost homework, computer, and in-class assignment points by attending various math-related events throughout the term. Such events will be announced on the course website.

Accommodations: If you think you may need accommodation in this course because of the impact of a disability, please contact Stephanie Bell, Coordinator of Accessibility Services in Canwyll House at 610 526 7351 or sbell@brynmawr.edu, as soon as possible, to verify your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. Early contact will help to avoid unnecessary inconvenience and delays.