MATH 1510 Calculus I Syllabus Fall 2009

Instructor: Dr. Ron Smith
Office: 116 Resch
Phone (Office): 784-5283
Phone (Home):784-6473

Office hours:

MWF 1:00-2:30 and TTh 9:30-12. For a 20 minute appointment, just sign up on the sheet outside my office door or call me. You do not need to sign up in advance, but if you will please sign when you come, the time will be reserved for you. Also, if someone is in the office and you are signed up, please make your presence known!

Materials:

The required text is Essential Calculus: Early Transcendentals, by James Stewart. Each student is required to have a graphing calculator, and to become proficient at its use. I will be using a TI 83 in class and highly recommend it to students. Students are welcome to use a symbolic algebra system such as Mathematica when doing homework.

Scope:

We will cover functions, differentiation, and integration up through the fundamental theorem of calculus. Calculus I is aimed at students who have had two years of high school algebra, and who have been exposed to trigonometry, logs and exponents. If these are not familiar topics, you should consider taking Algebraic Techniques (Fall semester) for the algebra skills, and/or Elementary Functions (Spring semester) for the trig, logs, and exponents.

Expecations for the student:

A calculus student will ...

Schedule at least 1 to 2 hours outside of class each day for studying calculus.
Read each section and work each example with paper and pencil.
Look at problems besides those assigned to discover why the author asked the question.
Prepare homework to hand in before class starts, including putting the name, class, homework number, and date on the outside.
Come to class on time every day and stay the entire period,
Have paper and pencil out on the desk at the beginning of class ready to work.
Sit beside a partner with whom you will discuss calculus during class.
Turn off electronic communication during class.
Rest and eat before or after, but not during, class.
Check all homework answers with the book and others, but write them up without copying.

Expectations of the Professor:

I will do my best to ...

Start and end class within 3 minutes of the scheduled time.
Be prepared for class every day.
Grade and return homework and exams within 2 class days.
Treat every student with respect.
Learn each student's name.
Answer every question in a respectful, truthful manner.
Post homework assignments with clear due dates.
Be available in my office during office hours, and give priority to anyone signed up.
Grade all exams myself, completely, equitably, and clearly. Daily homework will be graded by an assistant. Not every homework problem turned in will be graded.
Make every minute of every class a learning experience.

Grades:

You will need 87.5% for an A, 75% for a B, 62.5% for a C, and 50% for a D. Grades will be based on homework, exams, and extra credit. Your final grade is the percentage of the total possible, provided that you have passed the gateway exam at the mastery level.

Homework (~400) Approximately 22 homework assignments will be given at 20 points each. The lowest 2 homework scores will be discarded. Homework assignments will typically be due at the beginning of class the day after we have discussed the appropriate section. Late homework will result in 10% reduction of the score, and will be accepted up to one week after it is due, or on the last day of class, whichever comes first. Papers will be returned in the labeled rack beside my office door. After two weeks, unclaimed papers may be discarded.
Exams (400) Two midterm exams (@ 100) a gateway exam (100) and a comprehensive final (100)
- The gateway exam is a test over the symbolic derivatives of elementary functions. You are required to pass the gateway exams at a mastery level (90%) in order to pass the course with an A or B. You may take the gateway exam up to 4 times.
- Exams may be taken late provided arrangements are made prior to the exam. If, in the opinion of the instructor, missing an exam would not be unavoidable, 90% of the exam score will be recorded.
- The final exam is on Monday, December 15. You may choose to take it either at 8:00 am in room 100 Briggs, or 3:00 pm in room 107 Briggs, but not both. Please do not ask to take it at any other time.
Extra Credit (up to 50 points): Extra credit points will be added to your total before the percentage is figured. If you pass the gateway exam at the mastery level on the first try, you will be given ten (10) points. If you have a study group that meets at least weekly (not counting time with a paid tutor) and everyone in your study group passes the gateway exam at the mastery level on the first try, you will be awarded another ten (10) points each. Extra credit may also be given for successful participation in the weekly math contest (5), math club (5), etc.

Food:

If I bring food to the classroom, I will bring enough for everyone. I expect the same courtesy from students. Please do not eat personal snacks/meals in the classroom. If you have a medical condition requiring food, please make arrangements with me.

Electronics:

Cell phones, pagers, or other electronic devices capable of communication between students must not be used during lectures or exams.

Incompletes:

Incompletes for the course require signing a contract for making up work, and must be initiated by the student.

Academic Integrity:

Honesty is a prerequisite for being a competent person. If you copy solutions to problems from any source, you are required to acknowledge the source. This includes copying from friends or old homework/test files. Working together for inspiration and asking for hints is allowed on everything but exams. However, writeups must be your own. For more on this subject, see the college policy printed in the handbook.

Disabilities:

Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make necessary accommodations.

Tentative Course Outline

Day	Date	Topic
1	9/3/08	Introduction
2	9/5/08	1.1 Functions
3	9/8/08	1.2 A Catalogue of Essential Functions
4	9/10/08	1.3 The Limit of a Function
5	9/12/08	1.4 Calculating Limits
6	9/15/08	1.5 Continuity
7	9/17/08	1.6 Limits Involving Infinity
8	9/19/08	Review
9	9/22/08	Exam 1
10	9/24/08	2.1 Derivatives and Rates of Change
11	9/26/08	2.2 The Derivative as a Function
12	9/29/08	2.3 Basic Differentiation Formulas
13	10/1/08	2.4 The Product and Quotient Rules
14	10/3/08	2.5 The Chain Rule
15	10/6/08	2.6 Implicit Differentiation
16	10/8/08	2.7 Related Rates
17	10/10/08	2.8 Linear Approximations and Differentials
18	10/13/08	Review
19	10/15/08	Exam 2
20	10/17/08	3.1 Exponential Functions
21	10/22/08	3.2 Inverse functions and Logarithms
22	10/24/08	3.3 Derivatives of Log and Exp functions
23	10/27/08	3.3 Con't
24	10/29/08	3.4 Exponential growth and decay
25	10/31/08	3.5 Inverse Trig functions
26	11/3/08	3.5 Con't.
27	11/5/08	Derivative Bee
28	11/7/08	Gateway Exam
29	11/10/08	4.1 Maximum and Minimum Values
30	11/12/08	4.2 The Mean Value Theorem
31	11/14/08	4.3 Derivatives and the shapes of curves
32	11/17/08	4.4 Curve Sketching
33	11/19/08	4.5 Optimization
34	11/21/08	4.5 Con't
35	11/24/08	5.1 Areas and Distances
36	12/1/08	5.2 The Definite integral
37	12/3/08	5.3 Evaluating Definite integrals
38	12/5/08	5.4 The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
39	12/8/08	5.4 FTC con't
40	12/10/08	Conclusion
41	12/12/08	Review
	12/15/08	8:00 Section 0 Final Exam OR 3:00 Section 1 Final Exam

Guidelines for Written Papers.

Be neat!
- Use 8.5 x 11 loose leaf paper, one side only.
- Use pencil or a computer.
- Working problems on scratch paper first and recopying is a good strategy for catching mistakes as well as for being neat.
Fold papers together lengthwise to hand them in. Do not staple or tear, etc. The blank side of the paper is to be out. (See illustration below.)
On the outside at the top, provide the following information as shown in the illustration.
1. Name
2. Class (Calc I 8:00 or Calc I 3:00)
3. Homework Number
4. Date that you turn it in
Clearly mark the section and number of each problem from the book.
Include enough information on each problem so that the reader will know, without refering to the book, (a) what the book asked for, and (b) your response.
Respect the equal sign "=". Use this sign only when you mean that the expression on one side can be substituted into any statement containing the expression on the other side without changing the truth value of the statement.
Avoid "Type" errors. Use the equal sign "=" to connect two expressions only when they stand for the same type of expression, e.g. two numbers, two functions, or two sets. Use implies "=>" to connect two statements when the truth of the first guarantees the truth of the second. Sometimes, you will need to use an explanatory phrase such as "Therefore", "Now we can see", or "From equations (1) and (2)... in order to express the relationship between two statements.
Write using complete sentences whenever possible.

Last Update: September 1, 2008
Ronald K. Smith
Graceland University
Lamoni, IA 50140
rsmith@graceland.edu