Honors Calculus and Analytic
Geometry I
MAC 2311, Fall 2007
Instructor: Dr.
Stephanie Fitchett
Office: HC
164 (it is kind of hidden down a hallway near the biology lab)
Phone: 6-8613
or 799-8613 from off campus
Office Hours: MW
I am
usually around on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and you are welcome to drop by.
email:
Text. Calculus,
Single Variable, 4th edition, Hughes-Hallett,
Gleason, McCallum et al, published by Wiley, 2005.
Calculator. The TI-83, TI-83Plus, TI-85, or TI-86 is
recommended, with the TI-83Plus preferred.
The TI-89 and TI-92 (and similar symbolic calculators) are fine, but may
not be allowed during the quizzes, tests, and final.
Overview. Inspired by problems in astronomy, Isaac
Newton and Wilhelm Gottfried Leibnitz developed the
ideas of calculus roughly 300 years ago.
Since then, calculus has provided the foundation for advances in many
other fields, even those which seem far removed from mathematics. You will find applications in chemistry,
physics, economics, biology, medicine, business, psychology, and of course
mathematics. Calculus is so important
that it is often considered the gateway to many of the disciplines in which it
is used.
The power of calculus lies in its power to reduce
complicated problems to simple rules and procedures. While these procedures can be (and often are)
taught with little regard to the underlying mathematical concepts or their practical
uses, our emphasis will be on understanding all of these: concepts, procedures and uses. We will engage in the full mathematics
process, which includes searching for patterns, order and reason; creating models
of real world situations to clarify and predict better what happens around us;
understanding and explaining ideas clearly; and applying the mathematics we
know to solve unfamiliar problems.
Participation in this variety of mathematical activities is challenging,
and for many students, the experience will be vastly different from experiences
in more traditional mathematics course.
So what is
calculus? Very briefly, calculus is the
study of changing quantities. It has
two main themes: differentiation, which
studies rates of change and is the focus of this course; and integration, which
we will mostly save until next semester.
Goals. Some specific goals of the course are for you
to:
Attendance. There may be topics covered in class that are
not in the text. You are responsible for
all material covered. I don't take attendance, but there is a strong
correlation between attendance and final grades. Missing class more than once or twice during
the semester is likely to affect your grade, either directly or indirectly. Thus, attendance is strongly
encouraged. If you do miss class, you
should get notes and/or handouts from your classmates and/or see me in office
hours. If you miss class for any reason other than a
documented emergency, and you do not notify me in advance, you cannot
make-up the work missed in that class (no make-up quizzes, for instance). Coming to class late is disruptive and rude,
so please be on time.
Homework and Quizzes. You
should read the section to be covered before
the lesson and do the homework exercises before the class day following the
lesson. Homework assignments should be
written on loose-leaf paper, and be kept neatly arranged (ideally in a 3-ring
notebook) as they provide excellent study guides for exams. Answers for most odd numbered problems appear
in the text. Except during weeks in
which a test is scheduled, we will have quizzes each Wednesday to help ensure
that you stay on top of the material. Your
lowest quiz score will be dropped for the purposes of determining your quiz
grade.
The key to success in
this course is doing the homework and asking questions when you have them!!! We will discuss homework problems in class,
but there will often not be enough time to discuss all of them. Please come to
office hours or visit the math tutors if you have additional questions about
the homework.
Tests. We will have four in-class exams, and a comprehensive final exam. Make-up exams are rarely given and are always more difficult than the scheduled exams. I will give make-up exams only if you are ill, if there is a documented emergency, or if you make arrangements with me at least one class period before; if you are ill, I expect a letter from a physician verifying this. Otherwise, if you miss am exam you will receive a 0. If it helps your final grade, I will replace one midterm test score with your final exam percentage in determining your final grade.
Project Reports and Other Activities. You will complete two or three written projects over the course of the semester. Project work and the associated reports will generally be done in teams. Reports will be graded not only for correct mathematical "answers,'' but also for the clarity of your write-up. Reports should be typed and should follow the Guidelines distributed in class and available from the course website. When a team's work is turned in, all partners who participated must sign the report. Your signature is your pledge that you were a full participant in the work being submitted. We will also have some worksheets and other activities that I may collect and grade. Work is due at the beginning of class on the announced due date. I will accept late work, for reduced credit, until I have graded an assignment or project. After I have graded the pile, I will no longer accept late work and you will receive a 0. I generally grade materials within a couple days of collecting them, and sometimes grade them the same day they are collected. Expect to lose approximately 10% for each day an assignment is late.
Gateway Test. The Gateway test is
not included in your final average, however, failing to pass the
gateway test will result in the lowering of your final grade by one full letter
grade. The Gateway test is on
differentiation, and you may take it as many times as needed until you pass. It must be completed by
Collaboration and the Honor Code. I expect you to abide by the Honors College
Academic Honor Code. It is available at http://www.fau.edu/divdept/honcol/academics_honor_code.htm. I assume that you're here to learn. If
you talk to each other, you will learn from each other, perhaps more than you
will learn from me. I encourage you to
form study groups. Try the homework
yourself, and then get together with a study group to go over questions, and to
study for quizzes and tests. You will
learn a great deal from articulating your questions and explaining material to
your peers. Collaboration on homework and in class worksheets is encouraged, but you
must be sure you understand and can complete problems on your own, as
collaboration on tests, quizzes and the final exam is forbidden.
Workload and Assistance. You should expect to spend 10 to 12 hours each week, outside of
class, on the course material. This
includes reading, homework, and studying for quizzes and exams. Some weeks (those in which an exam is
scheduled, for instance) may require slightly more of your time, other weeks
may require slightly less, but on average,
budget 10 to 12 hours each week. Please
ask questions and seek assistance as needed.
Free, walk-in tutoring will be available, probably starting in the
second week of classes. You may email me
at any time, and I encourage you to make use of my office hours.
Students with Disabilities. In compliance with the Americans with
Disabilities Act, students who require special accommodations due to a
disability to properly execute coursework must register with the Office for
Students with Disabilities (OSD) and follow all procedures. The OSD is a part of Diversity Student Services
on the MacArthur Campus in Jupiter and is located in
the Student Resource building in SR 117.
The phone number is 799-8585 (TTY 799-8565).
Grading.
|
|
Percentage |
|
Quizzes (lowest dropped) |
10 % |
|
Projects & Activities |
15 % |
|
Four midterms (lowest replaced by final, if beneficial) |
50 % |
|
Final Exam |
25 % |
Class web page. The class web page will be available at:
http://www.fau.edu/~sfitchet/teaching/mac2311/index.htm