Class and Instructor Information
- Course Name and Number: Math 2413 Calculus I
- Section: 46942 - 016
- Class Time and Place: RVSG 8313 TTh 5:40 - 7:25pm
- Instructor: Aaron Gladish, M.A Mathematics (UT Austin, 1995), Adjunct Professor
- Office Hours: RVSG 9139, TTh 5:00 - 5:30, 9:00 - 9:30pm
- Contacting Aaron: agladish@austincc.edu, or 512.632.5330. Email is best, and it goes to my cell phone. Text is fine. If you call, leave a voice mail if you want me to call you back. In general, voice mail takes the longest for me to respond.
Required Materials
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Textbook
- Calculus: Concepts and Contexts, 4th ed., by James Stewart, Brooks/Cole 2010.
- Earlier editions will not work.
- You must have the book by the second class day. If you order the book online, make sure you have it shipped in such a way that it will arrive by then.
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Graphing Technology:
- You are required to have access to some kind of graphing software that can plot functions and find zeros of functions.
- If you decide to purchase a graphing calculator, I recommend the TI-83 Plus or the TI-84 plus. You may not use a TI-89 or higher.
-
Winplot software is available on all ACC computers. The are
other free online graphing utilities. I like many aspects of
Equation Plotter, which is a Java front end for Mathematica,
and is available here:
http://mathplotter.lawrenceville.org/mathplotter/mathPage/index.htm
There are others out there on the internet and on ACC computers.
Optional Supplements:
- Student Solutions Manual, Single Variable ISBN 0-495560618 by Jeffrey A. Cole
- Study Guide ISBN 0-495560618 by Dan Clegg
- Scientific Notebook software, single version, Doing Calculus with Scientific Notebook, by Daniel W. Hardy, Carol L. Walker.
Course Rationale
- This course is the first course in the traditional calculus sequence for mathematics, science and engineering students. It is part of what could be a four-semester sequence in calculus courses. The approach allows the use of technology and the rule of four (topics are presented geometrically, numerically, algebraically, and verbally) to focus on conceptual understanding. At the same time, it retains the strength of the traditional calculus by exposing the students to the rigor of proofs and the full variety of traditional topics: limits, continuity, derivative, applications of the derivative, and an introduction to the definite integral.
Prerequisites
- MATH 2412 with C or better or equivalent. Another option is an appropriate secondary school course (one year of precalculus or the equivalent, including trigonometry, with a B or better) and a satisfactory entrance score on the ACC Mathematics Assessment Test.
- If haven't had trig, you need to take it before attempting this course. No exceptions.
- If haven't had Math 2412 at ACC within the past year, then you have to complete the pretest, which you can access here.
Course Objectives
- Find limits of functions (graphically, numerically and algebraically)
- Analyze and apply the notions of continuity and differentiability to algebraic and transcendental functions.
- Determine derivatives by a variety of techniques including explicit differentiation, implicit differentiation, and logarithmic differentiation. Use these derivative to study the characteristics of curves. Determine derivatives using implicit differentiation and use to study characteristics of a curve.
- Construct detailed graphs of nontrivial functions using derivatives and limits.
- Use basic techniques of integration to find particular or general antiderivatives.
- Demonstrate the connection between area and the definite integral.
- Apply the Fundamental theorem of calculus to evaluate definite integrals.
- Use differentiation and integration to solve real world problems such as rate of change, optimization, and area problems.
Instructional Methodology
- This course is taught in the classroom primarily as a lecture/discussion course.
Attendance
- Required. If you miss more than three classes, you lose one point off your overall course grade for every class you miss beyond those first three. If you can't keep up with the pace of the class, then it is even more important for you to attend. Reading the textbook before coming to class will help you keep up with the pace of the class.
Withdrawing
- The last day to withdraw is Monday, April 23.
- You can view ACC's withdrawal policy here
- I don't withdraw anybody from this class for any reason. It's up to you to do it.
Tests
- There will be five tests. The first four will be given in the testing center and the fifth test will be in class. The deadlines are shown in the schedule. The tests will be available in the testing center for at least five days, including a weekend. The test deadlines are almost always on Mondays.
- The tests must be taken in the Riverside Testing Center. Tests will not be available on other campuses. The location, hours, and policies of the testing center can be found here:
- Tests 1, 2, 3, and 5 are not specifically cumulative, although math by nature is. Test 4 is comprehensive over chapters 1 through 4.
- You will need a scientific calculator on the test. A graphing calculator is recommended but is not required. The testing center has TI-83 graphing calculators you can borrow. You may not use the calculator on your cell phone on any exam.
- No notes of any kind are permitted on any of the tests. There will be a lot of formulas and equations that you will have to memorize. If you memorize as you go and don't try to cram it all in right before you take the test, then you will be fine. Memorize before you do the homework and use the homework to test and stress your ability to recall what you need.
Homework
- There are thirteen homework assignments worth five points each, and are graded mostly on punctuality and completeness. I may look at one or two problems for correctness at one point each, but mostly I just look for the effort.
- Homework is due at the beginning of class on the days specified in the schedule.
- Staple all pages from each assignment together and make sure your name and the homework assignment number is on the front page.
- Avoid stapling multiple assignments together. However, if an assignment covers multiple sections, the pages for all those sections should be stapled into one bundle.
- Avoid turning in part of an assignment one day and part of it later. Your grade will be based on what you turn in the first time.
- Feel free to use both sides of the paper.
- I think all math should be done in pencil, but feel free to use whatever makes you comfortable.
- I will work some homework problems in class as part of the lecture; however, the only days where you will be able to ask specific questions over the homework will be the Q & A days right before the tests. If there is time at the end of the lecture, I can take questions then.
- If your homework is not on my desk when class starts, it is late. You lose one point per class day that your homework is late. In general, there are no excuses for late homework, but if you want to take a shot, I will hear you out.
- You may turn any assignment in early in the mail room.
-
I accept homework via email as long as you meet all of these
conditions:
- (1) Your homework must be contained in a single file of type PDF whose name consists of the course name followed by your last name and the assignment number. For example, homework 1 for me would be a file named Math2413Gladish01.pdf. You may use _ as a field separator if you wish; for example, Math2413_Gladish_01.pdf
- (2) The pages must be of high enough resolution that I can read them easily. If it's too faint for me to read, then the problem is not there.
- (3) Your email must arrive in my ACC Gmail account by the beginning of class on the day it is due, or it is subject to the same late penalties as homework collected during class.
- I do not accept homework via fax.
Grading
- The average of all of your homework grades count 10% of your course grade. Tests 1, 2, and 3 count 15% each. Test 4 counts 25% and test 5 counts 20%. You will receive a letter grade based on the standard scale where A is 90-100%, B is 80-89%, and so on.
- Curve. If a curve is necessary, it happens at the end to the overall course grades. Individual grades are not curved.
-
Incompletes. ACC's policy is that a grade of
incomplete can be given only in the following circumstances:
- (1) You have completed all the work in the course except the last test, you are passing, you missed the last testfinal for a good reason, you contacted me and we made arrangements for you to take the last test, and that date isn't until after the grades are due.
- (2) I suspect you of cheating but I don't want to give you an F until I've had a chance to talk to you, and I haven't been able to do this before the grades are due.
How to Succeed
- Students who actively participate in obtaining their own education do better than those who do not. You have to go after your own education. Don't just let the information come to you. Be proactive.
- There are two aspects to learning math: understanding the concepts and developing mathematical skill. If you focus solely on the skills probably you will be frustrated in this class. Focus on the concepts and the skills will follow.
- Study the book and class notes before you attempt the homework! This is true for any college math class, but it is especially true in this course. It's best to read the book and the class notes before coming to class. If you can't do that, at least do it before attempting the homework.
- Plan on spending at least 15 hours per week of quality time outside of the classroom in this course. It's almost impossible to get 15 quality hours in two days, so expect to spend at least three hours working on this course on non-class days.
- Aggressively avoid procrastinating and develop excellent schedule-management skills.
- Come to every class and arrive on time. However, it's better to come late than not at all. If you miss a class, expect to spend twice as much time catching up.
- Strive for perfection on the homework. Test grades are always lower than homework grades, so if you want an A in the course, you will need to achieve perfection on the homework.
-
Always try to figure hard problems out by yourself, but set a time
limit. If you get stuck, try taking stock of what you know that is
relevant. Something will usually suggest itself. Make sure you
undestand the concept; a picture usually helps with this.
If you are still stuck after your time limit expires, leave the
problem and come back to it later. If you are still experiencing
difficulty, try these resources, in order:
- (1) Someone else in the class
- (2) Me
- (3) The Internet (there is a list of sites off my ACC page)
- (4) A professional tutor, preferably one who has had some graduate experience in math. Professional tutors can develop into a crutch if you use them too much. Ultimately, you have to get this stuff into your own brain; no one else can do that for you.
- Working with others: The most successful math students frequently have study buddies. I encourage you to find other people in the class to work with. However, the work you turn in must be your own. If you copy down someone else's solution and submit that work as your own, that's cheating.
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The Learning Labs. The locations, contact
information, and hours of availability of the Learning Labs are
posted at:
http://www.austincc.edu/tutor Not everyone who works at the Learning Lab is qualified to help with Calculus. If you find someone who is effective helping you, please share than information with the rest of the class.
Student Resources
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The student handbook is here:
http://www.austincc.edu/handbook/
The three most important links (on the left side of the page) are Campus Resources You Need to Succeed, which has links to information about the testing centers and the learning labs, Other Student Support Services, and Academic Guidelines.
- The link for student services is
-
Students with Disabilities. Each ACC campus offers
support services for students with documented physical or
psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request
reasonable accommodations through the Office of Students with
Disabilities (OSD) on the campus where they expect to take the
majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to do this three
weeks before the start of the semester. The web page for the OSD is
currently
http://www.austincc.edu/osd/index.html - Students who are requesting accommodation must provide the instructor with a letter of accommodation from the OSD at the beginning of the semester. Accommodations can only be made after the instructor receives the letter of accommodation from OSD.
Classroom Behavior
- What follows is ACC's official statement concerning classroom behavior. Classroom behavior should support and enhance learning. Behavior that disrupts the learning process will be dealt with appropriately, which may include having the student leave class for the rest of that day. In serious cases, disruptive behavior may lead to a student being withdrawn from the class. ACC's policy on student discipline can be found in the Student Handbook under Policies and Procedures. http://www.austincc.edu/handbook
- I hate to have to make an official statement regarding cell phone use but past experience has forced me to do it. No texting in class. If you are having an emergency with your baby-sitter, then slip out of the room and take care of your business there. Try to remember to silence your phone before class. Nobody else cares if you are sexy and you know it. If you are using your phone to access Paul's Online Calculus Notes, then by all means knock yourself out.
Scholastic Dishonesty
- What follows is ACC's official statement concerning cheating.
- Acts prohibited by the college for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to, cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work. Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, work, research or self-expression. Academic work is defined as, but not limited to, tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations; and homework.
- Students who violate the rules concerning scholastic dishonesty will be assessed an academic penalty that the instructor determines is in keeping with the seriousness of the offense. This academic penalty may range from a grade penalty on the particular assignment to an overall grade penalty in the course, including possibly an F in the course. ACC's policy can be found in the Student Handbook under Policies and Procedures or on the web at: http://www.austincc.edu/handbook
Academic Freedom
- What follows is ACC's official statement concerning academic freedom.
- Institutions of higher education are conducted for the common good. The common good depends upon a search for truth and upon free expression. In this course the professor and students shall strive to protect free inquiry and the open exchange of facts, ideas, and opinions. Students are free to take exception to views offered in this course and to reserve judgment about debatable issues. Grades will not be affected by personal views. With this freedom comes the responsibility of civility and a respect for a diversity of ideas and opinions. This means that students must take turns speaking, listen to others speak without interruption, and refrain from name-calling or other personal attacks.
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