MCS-121 Calculus I

Fall 2000

Announcement

There will be no 10:30 Wednesday office hours on Oct. 11, Nov. 8, Dec. 6.

Catalog description: Introduction to the basic ideas of differential and integral calculus and formal development of differentiation and integration. (1 course)

Prerequisite: Two years of high school mathematics beyond plane geometry, including trigonometry, or MCS-120.

MCS-121 meets the Curriculum I QUANT (quantitative reasoning) area D requirement.

Calculus I is a general education course in quantitative reasoning that introduces calculus, the branch of mathematics dealing with "limits." The fundamental concepts treated in this course are: function, limit, continuity, derivative, definite integral, and differential equation. The goals of the course are to give the student (1) knowledge of the topics in the syllabus, (2) skill in carrying out the operations and algorithms of calculus, (3) practice in mathematical modeling and problem solving, (4) understanding and appreciation of the axiomatic and logical structure of calculus, and (5) appreciation of the role of calculus in the history of ideas and its impact on the natural and social sciences.

Instructor (Section 3): John Holte

holte@gac.edu

http://www.gac.edu/~holte

Class meetings

10:30-11:20 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday in OHS 321
Regular attendance is expected. Class time will be used for a variety of activities--lectures, discussions, problem solving, and presentation of solutions. You should come to each class prepared for the day's work; read the text before (as well as after) the class, and do the "prep" problems.
If you have a disability that requires accommodation, please see me privately as soon as possible.

Textbook

Calculus: Alternate Version by Hughes-Hallett, Gleason, et al. ( John Wiley & Sons, New York, Second Edition, 2000). This text is written specifically to aid you in understanding the concepts of calculus, and our questions and problems will require you to invoke your understanding rather than to mimic template problems worked in the text, so you should read this text, both before and after each class.

Calculator

You should have a graphing calculator to use in class and on exams. If you are buying a new one, the department recommends the TI-83 or TI-86. You may use other calculators (especially other TI's, Casios, HP or Sharp) as long as you are able to enter a simple program into your calculator and you are comfortable with basic graphing features. A couple of calculators are on reserve in the library.

Course Information/Online Syllabus

The MCS-121 homepage is at http://www.gac.edu/~mcs121/2000F.
Note particularly the link to the assignment page, which includes the assigned readings, prep problems, and homework.
The web page at http://www.gac.edu/~mcs121/2000F/mcs121f00info.html provides a detailed description of the features common to all Calculus I sections. It may be accessed from the Calculus I homepage.
The web page at http://www.gac.edu/~mcs121/2000F/mcs121f00schedule.html gives the schedule. It also may be accessed from the Calculus I homepage.

Tests

We will have two in-class skills tests and two evening examinations during the semester and a two-hour final examination at the end. They are scheduled as follows:

Skills test 1	Tuesday, September 19	10:30-11:20
Exam 1	Monday, October 9	5:30-7:25 or 7:30-9:30
Skills test 2	Friday, October 27	10:30-11:20
Exam 2	Tuesday, November 14	5:30-7:25 or 7:30-9:30
Final exam	Monday, December 18	3:30-5:30

Homework

Homework assignments will be collected about once a week, but you are advised to do the problems from each section right after the class meeting on that section. A selection of the problems turned in will be graded. You are allowed and encouraged to discuss homework and prep problems with others, but (see the College Academic Honesty policy) ultimately you must work the problems and write up the assignment entirely by yourself. As a general rule, you must justify your answers: Explain, or show your work. Occasional extra credit problems will be assigned. These will be especially challenging and should be done without consulting anyone else. Typically one extra credit problem will be worth as much as 1/2 of a week's regular homework.

Homework rules

Acknowledge your sources (people and texts).
In nontrivial problems, show how you get your answers.
Turn in neat, well-written solutions, not messy first drafts. Trim "fringes."
Do not copy collaborative solutions; write up solutions in your own words.
Turn in homework on time. Each class day late reduces the possible points by 25%.

Prep Problems, Participation, and Performance

Prep problems, when assigned, will be due each day at the beginning of class. These problems are designed to prepare you for the day's class. They will be graded 0, 1, or 2 primarily on effort.

The following factors contribute to participation and performance.

Positives	Negatives
Faithful attendance This counts a lot!	Missing classes, tardiness
Being prepared	Being unprepared
Paying attention in class	Not paying attention, sleeping, doing something else, talking while the prof is talking
Contributing to class discussions	Disruptive behavior
Asking relevant questions-- I am impressed when I am asked more often about points of mathematics than points of grading.
Answering questions in class, whether asked aloud or on a quiz	Not knowing the answers
Curiosity, appreciation, cheerfulness	Apathy, resentment, sullenness
Turning work in on time	Turning work in late
Neat, well-written work	Messy work
Working hard	Hardly working
Improvement during the term, overcoming setbacks	Going downhill
Attendance the day before and the day after a break	Skipping class the day before or the day after a break

Grading

Percent	Work	Notes
70%	Tests	You will have two skills tests, two unit exams, and one final exam. The final exam will count as two unit tests. This yields six test scores. The best five will be counted at 14% each.
20%	Weekly homework	The lowest assignment score will be discarded.
10%	Participation & performance	Attendance, prep problems, etc.

Academic honesty

Gustavus Adolphus College Academic Bulletin

Gustavus Guide

Make-up policy

not

Homework rules