Calculus IV Syllabus Spring 1999

Instructor: Ron Smith
Office: 120 Science
Phone: 784-5283 (6473)
Listserve: 28252-l@graceland.edu

• Materials:

  The required text is Multivariabe Calculus, from Graphical, Numerical, and Symbolic points of view, by Ostebee and Zorn. You will be required to use a graphing calculator. I will be using a TI 83 in class and highly recommend a TI 82, 83, 86, or 92.
  
  

• Scope:

  We will cover coordinate systems, vectors, and multivariate calculus, and introduce line integrals. This material is found in chapters 1-5 in the text.
  
  

• General Education Objectives.

  In the Graceland College catalog, you will find a list of nine general education goals. Three of these goals are directly addressed in this course. Here is a list of the goals, and the way that they will formally be assessed in this class.
  • To communicate effectively, both orally and in writing. Mathematics is a powerful communication tool because it gives us a language with which to speak precisely and effectively about quantitative relationships. Each student will be expected to communicate orally with group members and the instructor on a regular basis during the class. Oral answers and written work will be graded on the basis of clarity of communication as well as correctness.
  • To develop thinking skills including problem solving, creative thinking, and analysis both quantitative and qualitative. Both qualitative and quantitative abilities will be assessed by the traditional means of individual exams.
  • To be competent in using current technology for information processing. You are required to use a graphing calculator in class. You may wish to use more sophisticated software packages such as MathCad when doing homework.
  
  
  

• Content Objectives.

  The three main objectives of the course are to
  1. Help the student learn the basic facts and techniques of vector valued functions and multivariate calculus.
  2. Generalize the student's thinking and problem solving skills to problems in three dimensional space
  3. Develop basic skills in working with vector functions, multiple integrals, and line integrals.

• Grades:

  Your grade will be determined be adding all of your points as listed below. Of the total points possible, you will need 87.5% for an A, 75% for a B, 62.5% for a C, and 50% for a D.
  
  

  • Participation:

    (100 points) You are expected to participate with a partner in class sessions. When a question is asked, there will be a few moments to come up with an appropriate response (either a pertinent question or an answer.) A person will be picked to answer by a drawing. Points will be awarded on the following scale: 0-absent or no attempt to answer; 1-Attempt to answer but no communication with partner; 2-Good communication with partner: Question asked, discrepency found, or acceptable answer given. You have 10 slots on your class card for participation points. You may "Pass" up to 3 times, but you must be present to "Pass". After your 10 slots are filled, you may replace any low nonzero mark with a current mark. Your participation grade is the percentage of points obtained.
    
    

  • Homework:

    (500 points) You are responsible for 25 Homework assignments worth 20 points each. You are expected to write from 2 to 4 pages on each homework assignment. The purpose of homework is to let you know whether you understand the concepts, and to exercise and sharpen your math and communication skills. We highly recommend working in groups on homework, but each student individually is responsible for all homework problems two class days following the assignment. Late homework costs 3 points. Homework will not be accepted after the exam over that homework is given. In any case, late homework may not get graded.
    
    

  • Exams:

    (400 points) There will be 3 midterm exams and a final exam. The final is Thursday, May 13 at 10:00 a.m. in 102 Science. The final will be comprehensive, and will contain both a written and an oral component. Exams may be taken late provided arrangements are made prior to the exam. If, in the opinion of the instructor, missing an exam would not be unavoidable, 90% of the exam score will be recorded.
    
    

• Expecations for the student:

  Calculus IV is aimed at students who know how to differentiate and integrate algebraic, trigonometric, logarithmic, and exponential functions. We also assume some familiarity with polar coordinates and conic sections. If these are not familiar topics, you should consider taking Calc I (Fall semester) for the differentiation, Calc II (Spring Semester) for integration, Calc III (Conic sections and polar coordinates) and/or Elementary Functions (Spring semester) for the trig, logs, and exponents. You are expected to participate in all class sessions. You are expected to learn to read the textbook and to work the examples. You are expected to learn to write in a neat, organized fashion. Just "knowing the answer" will not suffice. You must learn to communicate both the process used in finding your answer and your justification for it. Bill Browning, President of Applied Mathematics, Inc. said it well:

  Every year,we buy ten cases of paper at $35 each; and every year we sell them for about $1 million each. Writing well is very important to us.

• Expectations of the Instructor:

  My job is to coach you so that you can learn to read, do, and communicate mathematics. My job is to help connect you to the thoughts of great mathematicians and the ways in which they approach problems. My job is to assess your ability to think mathematically. My job is not to do mathematics for you, nor is it to provide a template for all possible calculus problems that you may encounter. I expect to be prepared to discuss questions you may have in class, during office hours, and at other times. I will feel successful as a teacher when you learn to read math on your own, ask pertinent questions, and thoughtfully discuss problems with me. I am also thrilled to pieces when you pass the exams, and when you discover truth.
  
  

• Class List Serve:

  There is a list-serve for this class called 28252-l. You will receive notification of subscribing to this list-serve automatically. Discussion of the text or homework questions is highly encouraged.

• Disabilities:

  Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make necessary accommodations.
  
  

• Office hours:

  MWF 11 - 12; TTh 9-12. For a 20 minute appointment during these hours, just sign up on the sheet outside my office door or call me. Please be courteous to others and do not sign up for multiple consecutive times. One good way of getting more than one time is to bring a friend and both come in for help. Alternatively, if no one is signed up after you, I will gladly stay with you for as long as you require. If someone is in the office and you are signed up, please make your presence known!

Guidelines for Written Papers.

1. Be neat! Working problems on scratch paper first and recopying is a good strategy for catching mistakes as well as for being neat.
2. Use pencil or a computer.
3. Use 8.5 x 11 loose leaf paper, one side only.
4. Fold papers together lengthwise to hand them in. Do not staple or tear, etc. The blank side of the paper is to be out. (See illustration below.)
5. On the outside at the top, provide the following information.
   i. Names
   ii. Class and Section (Calc IV)
   iii. Assignment Number or Description
   iv. Date that you turn it in
   
6. Clearly mark the section and number of each problem whenever that is appropriate.
7. Include enough information on each problem so that the reader will know, without refering to the book, (a) what the book asked for, and (b) your response.
8. Respect the equal sign "=". Use this sign only when you mean that the expression on one side can be substituted into any statement containing the expression on the other side without changing the truth value of the statement.
9. Avoid "Type" errors. Use the equal sign "=" to connect two expressions only when they stand for the same type of expression, e.g. two numbers, two functions, or two sets. Use implies "=>" to connect two statements when the truth of the first guarantees the truth of the second. Sometimes, you will need to use an explanatory phrase such as "Therefore", "Now we can see", or "From equations (1) and (2)... in order to express the relationship between two statements.
10. Write using complete sentences whenever possible.