Math 105: Syllabus

Calculus I Fall 2007
Math 105 Taught by Dr. Meredith L. Greer
Section A: MWF 8:00-9:20a.m. Office and Phone: 213 Hathorn Hall, 786-6283
                     Hathorn 303 Email: mgreer@abacus.bates.edu
Section B: MWF 9:30-10:50a.m. http://abacus.bates.edu/~mgreer/math105/math105.html
                     Hathorn 104 Office Hours: M 1-2, W 2-3, Th 1-2
Description           Materials           Policies           Grading           Suggestions and Resources

Description

Calculus is the study of change. The ideas that led to Calculus existed in ancient Greece over 2000 years ago. Our class will study two major concepts of Calculus that were first developed in the late 1600s and have since become essential tools for understanding our world. These concepts, the derivative and the integral, are perhaps most used in the study of physics, economics, and biology. Their broader impact on technology, architecture, sports science, and other facets of many people's lives, and the deep history behind them, make having a basic understanding of the derivative and the integral an important part of a liberal arts education.

Calculus 1 covers most of chapters 1-5 in our textbook; the calendar sections of the class webpage give day-to-day details. We will largely discuss the derivative, and will develop the integral near the end of the semester. (Calculus 2 spends much more time on the integral.) I will teach with the assumption that students have not studied Calculus before. A note to students who do have previous exposure to Calculus: do not assume your background will make this class easy.

Ideally, you should begin this class with a strong background in algebra, trigonometry, logarithms, exponentials, and graphing. You may, however, find you have missed or forgotten bits of this material. You can still do well in this class, but should use the Math Workshop to help fill in gaps as needed.

Materials

Text: Calculus from Graphical, Numerical, and Symbolic Points of View (single variable; second edition) by Ostebee and Zorn. Published by Houghton Mifflin in 2002.
 
Calculator: Your calculator should be able to graph equations, find decimal approximations of roots of equations, and compute integrals numerically. The math department recommends a TI-83.

Policies

Class Attendance:
  • I expect you to attend all classes, but acknowledge that illness or unavoidable conflicts can occur in a semester.
  • You may miss three classes without penalty.
  • If you miss more than three classes, your class attendance grade directly corresponds to the percentage of classes you attend.
  • Arriving late, or leaving early, counts as one third of an absence.
  • Absences excused by the Dean of Students Office will not count for or against your attendance grade.
Homework:
  • You may work in groups, unless otherwise stated.
  • Homework is not graded directly. Instead, I draw many quiz questions directly from homework.
Quizzes:
  • We have quizzes approximately every second class day.
  • There are no makeup quizzes after class. If you know in advance that you will miss a quiz, you may make arrangements to take an alternate quiz ahead of time.
  • Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped, in computing final grades. If you miss a quiz, it will become your dropped grade.
Grading Questions:
  • I often award partial credit. You can help by showing all work clearly.
  • Please allow at least 24 hours for a response to grading questions.
Lab Attendance:
  • There are five labs this semester. You are expected to attend them all.
  • Labs take place in the weeks of September 17, October 1, October 22, November 5, and November 26. During the first week of class, you will sign up for a specific lab time.
  • Labs are in Hathorn 209.
  • Eric Towne, the math department's Assistant in Instruction, organizes and runs the labs. Please contact him (etowne@bates.edu) with any questions.
Review:
  • Eric also offers review sessions before each exam. You are invited to attend any or all of these, but they are not required. Dates and times are listed in the online class calendars.
Exams:
  • We have two in-class exams, plus the Final Exam.
  • We use the last class before exam day for catch up as needed, and review.
  • If you have a conflict, notify me at least ONE WEEK before the exam. We will arrange an alternate BEFORE the rest of the students take the in-class exam.
  • You may not take an exam late except in cases of emergency, with appropriate documentation.
Extenuating Circumstances:
  • If there are any circumstances that may affect your classroom performance, attendance, or ability to hand in assignments on time, please let me know as soon as possible.
  • Some examples are: documented learning differences; extended illness; or participation in official Bates activities that require you to miss class on a regular basis.

Grading

Assignments Percent of Final Grade

Class Attendance and Participation

10%

Lab Attendance

5%

Quizzes (drop lowest)

20%

Exam 1 - October 5

20%

Exam 2 - November 9

20%

Final Exam - Thursday,
   December 13, 3:45p.m.

25%
Percent Grade

97%-100%

A

+

93%-96.9%

A

 

90%-92.9%

A

-

87%-89.9%

B

+

83%-86.9%

B

 

80%-82.9%

B

-

   
Percent Grade

77%-79.9%

C

+

73%-76.9%

C

 

70%-72.9%

C

-

67%-69.9%

D

+

63%-66.9%

D

 

60%-62.9%

D

-

0%-59.9%

F

 

Suggestions and Resources

Come see me: Talk to me about questions or comments on the class. I'm available in my office, in the classroom, or by email.

Read the textbook: Read each section before we talk about it in class, then re-read as you do homework and study for quizzes and exams. In-class lectures and our textbook each have their own insights, information, and examples.

Try homework twice: If you have trouble with a homework problem take a break... then try again. Often your brain works it out while you're doing other things.

Go to Eric's Math Resources Web Page: You can find pre-exam review sheets, old exams and quizzes, computer programs, and many other resources at http://abacus.bates.edu/~etowne/mathresources.html.

The Mathematics and Statistics Workshop:

*The above is subject to change, as the semester progresses.*


Math 105 Home | Syllabus | Calendar, Block 1 | Calendar, Block 2 | Calendar, Block 3
Eric's Math Resources Page | Math and Stat Workshop | Meredith's Schedule | Meredith's Home Page
 
All content above relates to Math 105, Calculus I, sections A and B, offered in the Fall 2007 semester at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. Page last updated 8/21/2007.