Syllabus for "Analytic Geometry and Calculus II"

Ma241-006 Spring 2006

When ? Where ?
MTWTHF 11:20am – 12:10pm HA 307

 

Prerequisites : You must have completed MA 141 (or its equivalent somewhere) with grade of C or better to take this class. The reason for this is simple - you'll need it! If you need a review of MA 141, please consider working through some materials at ma141.

Overview : This is the second in a 3-semester course on Calculus. The methods and concepts presented in this course are fundamental to most if not all technical disciplines. It is important that you master the techniques of MA 241. I look forward to helping you toward that goal, but ultimately the responsibility is yours. The ability to think in mathematics comes from practice (for most of us anyway), so make sure you set aside plenty of time thoughout the week to work out the subject for yourself. It is my sincere desire that each one of you come to a deep and lasting understanding of the calculus.

Course Essentials :
  • Lecture Notes posted online. Cost to you - zero dollars modulo printing.
  • Required Text is: Calculus Concepts and Contexts, 3rd NC State University edition, by James Stewart, Brooks/Cole, 2005.
    • Note: If you don't have the NC state edition, meaning you're missing 7.7,7.8 and 7.9 then you may borrow mine during office hours
  • No calculator is required for this course. Maple can do much more than even the best graphing calculator.
    Note: I will allow scientific calculators ( TI-34 for example) during tests, but no graphing calculators. You should not need them anyway! (for my tests)


    • Information about your instructor :
    Instructor: Mr. James Cook
    Office: Hillsborough Building 201 (don't go there - I'm not there usually)
    "Office" Hours: Wed. 10-11am in Ha 215, Thurs. 1:30-2:30pm in Ha 215
    I am also available in the tutorial center (HA 244) on mondays 9-11am.
    Email: testbetter@yahoo.com

    Grading :
    45% Tests (there will be 4 tests, I'll drop the lowest)
    25% Quizzes(22pts), Maple(8pts), Class Participation(5pts): [35pts available, 25pts max towards final grade]
    30% Final Exam

    Letter Grades will follow:
    98+ --->A+
    93-97--->A
    90-92--->A-
    87-89--->B+
    83-86--->B
    80-82--->B-
    77-79--->C+
    73-76--->C
    70-72--->C-
    67-69--->D+
    63-66--->D
    60-62--->D-
    <59 --->F

    Credit Only will be graded "U" if your grade is lower than 60, and "S" otherwise.
    I do not curve grades. What grade you earn on the test is the genuine grade that counts towards your overall score. Usually I give a bonus project sometime during the semester, and there are various opportunities for bonus points - just keep an eye out for them as you study.

    Quizzes, Homework and Maple

    Quizzes will be homework problems due before the quiz day( click here for the homework list and schedule). The quizzes will be open notes, so if you have done your homework, it will be a simple matter of copying your work neatly. It is my intention that every hard-working student should get a perfect quiz score.

    You should use Maple to do homework problems that you cannot figure out by the due date ( I reserve the option to remove this freedom if it gets out of control...) Very rarely do I assign homework for which you should need Maple, but I want you to learn to use Maple to fill the gap (if there is one). Personally, I avoid using Maple at all costs. But I love to derive things by hand - do you? I will allow you to print out Maple sheets to hand in as work for quizzes, provided you have it done before the quiz (and have it physically with you). Likewise, you can use a TI-89 or other suitably advanced calculator to aid your homework. However, you may not use such calculators during the quiz. The point here is that I want you to do your homework by or before the due date. (To be clear, you should have the homework completed before the lecture on the due date. For example, if the due date is Feb. 17, then it is possible that I may quiz on that homework on Feb. 17). The quizzes will be open notes/open text and will almost always be exactly a homework problem that was due by the day of the quiz.

    Maple assignments can be used to replace quizzes that you miss, or perform unsatisfactorily on. Maple is divided into six assignments. They can be found at www.math.ncsu.edu/calculus . Maple no longer has a lab. It is self-taught and automatically graded by the "egrader". Most students do not need help with Maple because the assignments are self-explanatory for the most part. However, just in case there are several help sessions offered every week in G-108 under Harrelson Hall starting the second week of the semester (check the maple page for details).

    Some Advice : It is true that I have posted the notes online, and it is true that I will follow those notes very closely. However, I will sometimes skip certain examples and emphasize others. The easiest way to know what is going on is to come to class. Additionally because we meet 5 times a week, there will be ample time for homework questions. My responses to those questions will not appear online generally. Needless to say, missing quizzes will not help your performance in this course. These silly comments aside, please make a habit of taking notes in my course if you usually do. If you are like me, then you can probably learn something just from writing the material down. The point of the notes being online is to supplement traditional notes, not to replace them. If you'd rather just read along, that's also fine. One last bit of advice: take a safety course this semester if you know that math is a problem for you. For example, if you got a C in ma 141, I would guess that the odds of you failing this course are fairly high (40%), so allow yourself room to drop this course without going under 12 hours.

    Attendance and Class Participation : Attendance is required - it goes towards your class participation grade. We will have in-class exercises which will be graded very leniently - essentially these serve to take attendance. The rest of your participation grade comes from "good" and "bad" participation.What is bad participation? Basically anything which distracts your fellow students from learning. Just to be clear from the start, let me make a list of common problems:
    1. Talking out of turn
    2. Talking and or audibly whispering to your neighbor (especially about homework)
    3. Leaving Early
    4. Coming Late
    5. Using a Laptop to surf the web, play games exc... (reading course notes is ok)
    6. Complaining (remember that this class is governed by a benevolent dictator - don't poke the bear.)
    If you make a habit of any of the above you will lose points from class participation. Sorry for all the rules but they're for your protection. What is good participation? Basically anything which encourages and/or helps your classmates to learn, for example:
    1. Pointing out typos on the board
    2. Asking questions (often you're not the only one who doesn't understand)
    3. Noticing errors on the course web page
    I don't require you to ask a question, but if you have one, please raise your hand. I'd rather not make these comments but experience has taught me otherwise. The last three semesters I have not needed to deduct any student's participation points. I trust you will help me to continue that trend.

    Absences & Excused Tests : If you miss a quiz or in-class exercise you can make them up by doing maple assignments (see the grading scheme above - there are 10 extra points available). IF YOU HAVE A UNIVERSITY APPROVED ABSENCE, then you may make up a test on the final exam.
    This means, for example, if you missed 1 test, then the final exam could be weighted 45%, instead of 30%.
    Attendance for tests is required, please note the test dates and plan accordingly:

  • Test I : Febuary 1
  • Test II : Febuary 27
  • Test III : March 29
  • Test IV : April 21
  • Final Exam : May 8, 8-11am


    • Disabilities : If you have any special needs, please contact me as early as possible to make arrangements.
    Please do not wait until the test. It's your responsibility to tell me now so I can help you. Thanks.
    "Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with verifiable disabilities. In order to take advantage of available accomodations, students must register with Disability Services for Students at 1900 Student Health Center, Campus Box 7509, 515-7653. For more information on NC State's policy on working with students with disabilities, please see the Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Regulation (REG02.20.1)"

    Disclaimer : While I have attempted to completely specify the content of this course, I reserve the right to change this syllabus if necessary.

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