MATH 131: Calculus I

Spring 2009

Abducted by an alien circus company, Prof. Doyle is forced to teach calculus in center ring. (source: unknown)

Description and goals: This is the first part of a two-semester sequence intended to introduce the fundamental ideas and techniques of differential calculus to non-science students. Special emphasis is given to examples in business and economics. The course is not proof-oriented but students are expected to gain a good intuitive understanding of the basic concepts of differential calculus.

Syllabus

Homework

TI-83 frequently asked questions

Announcements:

• 5/30: Check out your COURSE GRADE.

• 5/11: Information about the final exam, including a review sheet with practice problems has been posted here.

• 4/14: Check out your grades as of today.

• 4/7: Check out second midterm solutions. I'll post the grades here in a few days. Enjoy the spring break!

• 3/29: There will be no quiz on Tuesday 3/31. The next quiz will be on 4/23, as indicated in the syllabus.

• 3/29: Information about the second midterm, including a review sheet with practice problems has been posted here.

• 3/12: As I announced twice in lecture, the next quiz will be on Tuesday 3/17.

• 3/11: Please note that Tuesday, March 24 is the deadline for undergraduate students to withdraw from a course without evaluation.

• 3/10: Check out your grades as of today.

• 3/5: Check out first midterm solutions. I'll post the grades here in a few days.

• 2/27: Information about the first midterm, including a review sheet with practice problems has been posted here.

• 2/3: Here are the day and evening schedules of the Math Lab; feel free to go there for extra help:
  Day tutoring (in Kiely 331, starting Feb. 2): Mon-Thu 9am to 4pm, Fri 9am to 2pm
  Evening tutoring (in Kiely 508, starting Feb. 9): Mon-Thu 5pm to 8pm

• 1/29: Prof. Maller of the Math Department will be running two TI-83 tutorial lectures on Monday 2/9 and Wednesday 2/25 during the free hour 12:15-1:05, both in Kiely 270. These lectures are sequential. No previous knowledge of the calculator is assumed.

• 1/27: Welcome!

General Information and Ground Rules:

• The class lecture meetings are Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:40-2:55 in Kiely 277.

• Homework is an absolutely essential part of this course. You cannot really understand the course material without solving many problems consistently throughout the semester, let alone being able to master them. To help you choose the right problems, every Tuesday I will post a number of core problems on this webpage. You are encouraged to work in groups and discuss these problems with each other. The assigned homework will not be collected (see however the next item).

• Quizzes will be given roughly every Thursday during the last 15 minutes of the lecture (see the course syllabus for the exact dates). The question(s) will be based on the most recently assigned homework. You are expected to take all the quizzes since it will directly affect your course grade. At the end of the semester, your lowest quiz grade will be dropped.

• Course grade will be based on the following scheme:
  
  

  Quizzes	Two Midterms	Final Exam
  20%	20% each	40%

• Exams are scheduled as follows:
  
  

  Midterm 1	Midterm 2	Final
  Thursday March 5 (in class)	Tuesday April 7 (in class)	Tuesday May 19, 11:00am to 1:30pm, in Kiely 258

• The prerequisite of this course is MATH 122 or placement by departmental exam. If you do not have either of these, you should not be enrolled in this class. The course is not open to students who are taking or who have passed MATH 131 or MATH 151. For further information, please go to the Math Department office (Kiely 237) and seek advice.

• If a midterm exam is missed because of a documented illness or valid emergency, the course grade will be determined on the basis of the other work done during the semester. Exams missed for other reasons will count as failures.

• At the end of the semester, everyone who has not withdrawn from the class will receive a grade. Incompletes will not be given to avoid F's.

Saeed Zakeri