Saint Michael's College

Calculus 109 C

Fall 2006

 Instructor: Joanna Ellis-Monaghan (please call me Jo)

Office: STE 217A

E-Mail: jellis-monaghan@smcvt.edu

Phone: 654-2660

Office Hours: Office Hours: For course questions--11:20-11:45 in STE 106.  For other matters, e.g. advising, by appointment.

Text: Calculus, Early Transcendentals, 5th Edition, by Stewart., chapters 1-5. One of the major goals of this course is learning to read mathematics, i.e. to be able to understand and apply the definitions and theorems presented.  Read your text repeatedly and in detail!  There are on-line student resources for the text available at  http://www.brookscole.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&discipline_number=1&product_isbn_issn=0534393217 

Class Web Page/e-college:  The 'point of entry' for this class is eCollege at www.smcvtonline.org. I will post class communications here (a copy of this handout for example). There are also links to the in-class demonstrations, as well as your Maple labs. I will also use this page to notify you in the case of class cancellation, homework hints, answers to frequently asked project questions, or grade postings. You need to check it regularly.  You can also find direct links to the class material from my home page at http://academics.smcvt.edu/jellis-monaghan/ (click on 'Courses').  I also archive past courses here, and these can be a valuable resource. 

Calculator: Since we will be using Maple, you do not need a fancy calculator for this class.  Depending on the technology available, you will either be able to use Maple on tests, or a very simple, non-graphing, calculator, i.e. one with  trig functions, e, p, ln, log, and exponents, but nothing fancier. No graphing or symbolic calculators may be used on tests. If you bring one, you will be asked to leave the room until you have an acceptable one.  You are likely to need the instruction manual that comes with your calculator--don't throw it out!

Study groups: You may form your own study group (2-4 people) or wait for me to assign you to one. You are encouraged to study/work together—prepare for exams, discuss homework and Maple labs, but each person must turn in individual work.  There are also Help Sessions for calculus on MTWTh nights.

Homework: Study problems are graded collectively and are due the class period after the material is covered. You will be allowed to drop the your 4 lowest grades on the study problem sets.  Most of the study problems are representative of the kinds of questions you can expect to be asked on an hour test. You should practice them until you can do such problems without looking at the book or your notes. There is a study guide on reserve at the library. There are a few more challenging  are in-depth problems designed to stretch and deepen your understanding of the material. You are encouraged to work on these in your study groups.

Homework must conform to the following:

  1. Your name in the upper right hand corner of each page.
  2. Stapled (not folded or paper-clipped) in the upper left hand corner.
  3. Problems and sections in order, with answers checked.
  4. Problems neatly done, no scratch-outs, with all work shown! No credit for answers only.
  5. Writing on one side of the paper only.

Maple: Maple is a Computer Algebra System (CAS) and an indispensable computational and visualization tool.  You will use it in almost every math course at St. Mike's, and will find it useful in other disciplines as well. There will be several comprehensive Maple labs throughout this course.

Notebook: You should keep a careful notebook containing class and text notes, formula lists, sample problems, homework, corrected tests, etc. A complete, well-organized notebook is vital as you will be able to use your notebook to compile a single sheet of notes to use on each hour test, and four sheets for the final.

Hour tests: There will be hour tests on the following Tuesdays: 9/26, 10/24,  and  11/14.

Midterm Project:  We will grow some organism either in class or in collaboration with a biology class.  The data from this experiment will form the basis for a midterm project on population growth in the lab and in the world. This is a major project designed to simulate how you would apply the concepts from this class in other courses and especially in a real-world (i.e. real job) context. This midterm project will be due TBA. CLASS WILL NOT MEET on 10/11 and 10/13 to provide extra time for this project.

Final Exam: The exam will be Friday, December 15, 9:00-11:30 a.m.  The final will be cumulative.

Grading: Regular homework --15%, Challenge problems --10%, Maple labs --15%, Midterm project--15%, hour test average --25%, final exam--20%.

 

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