Math 200: Calculus I

Spring 2008 (Bueler)

Instructor: Ed Bueler
Office: Chapman 301C.  Hours online.
Phone: 474-7693
eMail: ffelb@uaf.edu
Course Web Site: www.dms.uaf.edu/~bueler/Math200S08.htm
 Class Time:  MWThF 8:00-9:00am, Gruening 208  [plus Tuesday "recitation" time]
Text: Stewart, Calculus edition 6e, Chapters 1--6
WebAssign Access:   http://webassign.net

The Course:   This course covers the basics of single variable calculus.  You will learn the meaning of, and basic manipulations of, the three fundamental operations in calculus: (i) limits, (ii) differentiation, (iii) integration.  The latter two are important cases of the first.

The textbook is Stewart's Calculus (6th edition, Early Transcendentals).  We will cover chapters 1 (functions), 2 (limits and derivatives), 3 (practical differentiation), 4 (applications of differentiation), 5 (integrals), and 6 (first applications of integration).

You are expected to ask questions in class about the lecture or about homework assignments.  Such questions are a great use of the class' time as you are not likely to be the only one with a given question.

"Recitation" sections:   An important part of the structure of Math 200 at UAF, which actually is designed to help as many students as possible succeed at learning the calculus, is an additional hour every week in a small "recitation" section.  This semester the sections are on Tuesday, at one of three times (8-9am, 9:45am-10:45am, 11:30am-12:30pm).  In these sections the only goal is to discuss, with a person other than me, namely a teaching assistant, the homework and those questions which arose in lecture.  I have deliberately put quizzes and midterm exams on Wednesday, the day after your section, to encourage wise use of this fifth hour each week.

Exams, Homework, and Quizzes   60% of your grade will be determined by  four hours of exams:

Midterm Exam I
Midterm Exam II
Final Exam		 Wednesday, Feb. 27 (one hour in class)
Wednesday, April 9 (one hour in class)
Wednesday, May 7  8:00-10:00am (two hours)
The final exam will have two halves.  One half will cover new material.  One half will cover the entire course.  These two halves will each be worth the same number of points as each midterm.  Thus there will be four equally-weighted hour-length exams.  I will drop the lowest of the four so together the remaining exams will be 3 * 20% = 60% of your course grade.

20% of the course grade will be determined by weekly homework assignments on WebAssign.  I will devote an appropriate amount of time in class to how to do these assignments.  Note that you will have several tries to get these problems right, and that such feedback is a benefit of using WebAssign.  See  http://webassign.net.  I will not drop any of your WebAssign homework grades.

20% of the total grade will be determined by approximately 10 quizzes.   These will be 20 minute in-class quizzes every non-midterm Wednesday, starting on 30 January. On the Monday before each quiz or midterm we will discuss in lecture the content of the exam.  On the Tuesday before each quiz or midterm you will have a chance to ask questions of the teaching assistant.  I will drop your lowest quiz score.

I encourage you to "role play" me before each exam or quiz.  That is:  Assume that I am a reasonable person who wants to test whether you comprehend what was lectured on and assigned in the previous week.  Assuming I have the goal of covering the topics and asking questions which represent a reasonable range of difficulty (from easy to hard enough so that not all will succeed).  What questions would I ask?

The Grade:
The course grade will be determined by points on the exams and quizzes, according to the schedule at right  --->

The schedule represents a guarantee.  Note I will use plus/minus grades as illustrated. 		Percent
93 - 100 %
90 - 92 %
87 - 89 %
82 - 86 %
79 - 81 %
76 - 78 %
  71 - 75 %
68 - 70 %
65 - 67 %
  60 - 64 %
57 - 59 %
0 - 56 %
 Grade
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Prerequisites:    The official policy is "MATH 107X and 108 or placement for MATH 200X."  In the latter case, you can be placed in MATH 200 if you have certain scores on exams: 28 on Enhanced ACT Math or 640 on SAT Math or (56 on COMPASS College Algebra and 46 on COMPASS Trigonometry).  As a practical matter you must have taken a precalculus class (like MATH 107 or its equivalent in high school), have covered trigonometry at the precalculus level (through MATH 108 or its equivalent), and you must have done reasonably well (no Cs or lower).  Less than this is, in the absence of further information, a warning sign about success in Calculus.

Policies:   The Department of Mathematics and Statistics has reasonable policies on incompletes, late withdrawals, early final examinations, etc.  See www.dms.uaf.edu/dms/Policies.html .  You are covered by the UAF Student Code of Conduct (www.uaf.edu/catalog/current/academics/regs3.html).  I will work with the Office of Disabilities Services (203 WHIT, 474-7043) to provide reasonable accommodation to student with disabilities.

Makeup exams:  I will create makeup versions of Midterm Exams I and II if necessary, provided you have a convincing reason for me to do so and you let me know at least two class days before the exam.

Resources:  Please take advantage of  the Mathlab in Chapman 305.  This is a free study room and tutoring center which is open long hours, including on weekends.  Precise hours posted on the door of Chapman 305 and at www.dms.uaf.edu/dms/MathLab/MathLab_sched.html.  It is staffed by advanced students who can be quite helpful.  If doing math homework gets lonely, go there to find fellow sufferers.  Individual tutoring is also available through the ASUAF.  Also, the UAF Bookstore has many study guides for calculus.  I especially like How to Ace Calculus : The Streetwise Guide by Colin Adams and others.