Course Information
Calculus I, Math 170 - Section 3
Fall, 2008 - M,T,W,F 1:00-1:50pm, PS 307

Office Hours: M,W 2:00-3:00pm, F 11:00am-1:00pm, and by appointment or e-mail, or feel free to just stop by.  You should use office hours (for all your classes) as the first source of assistance whenever you have questions or difficulties.  Knowing your professor is great motivation and a good way to get advice on courses and other education and career related decisions.

A second source of help is free tutoring available from the Math Center in the Center for Teaching and Learning, Museum 433 in Pocatello from 9am to 7pm M-Th and 9am to 2pm Friday, CHE Room 220 in Idaho Falls from 9am to 4pm M-Th.  More information at www.isu.edu/ctl/math. 

Questions: Suppose a device measures exactly how fast a car is going at every instant in time.  How might you describe the relationship between time and the car's speed using a graph, table, formula, or words?  If the car must first travel half of the distance to its destination, then half of the remaining distance and so on, can it ever reach that destination?  How can you tell how quickly the car is accelerating at a given instant?  How can you find when it was going the fastest?  What would negative acceleration mean?  Can you approximate how far the car traveled over a given time interval just from the information on its speed at every instant?  How could you improve that approximation and could the distance be computed exactly?  Ideas like these are related to the infinite and the infinitesimal, and to discrete and continuous phenomena, and have played a fundamental role throughout the history of mathematics.  Paradoxes of the infinite date back to the Greek mathematician Zeno around 450 B.C. and were not fully resolved until the development of calculus by Newton and Liebniz in the 1600s and Cantor's theory of infinite sets in the mid 1800's.  

Goals: In this course you will learn how mathematicians view discrete and continuous functions as well as how they deal with the infinitely large or small.  You will deepen your ability to work with functions from several perspectives.  You will learn to find instantaneous rates of change (derivatives) and accumulated change (integrals), both of which involve taking limits of functions, and explore the relationship between them as given by the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.  This will involve solving problems related to the concepts and to applications of them in physics, engineering, and economics.  Emphasis will be placed on material, concepts, and skills needed in Math 175, for which this course is a prerequisite

This course will help you:

• Solve problems related to functions and their limits, derivatives, and integrals.
  
• Describe and use the concepts of differentiation, integration, and their relationship.
• Formulate questions, solve problems, and communicate solutions clearly.
• Develop learning and study skills to succeed in this course and beyond.

Prerequisite: Math 147 or Math 143&144 with a grade of C- or better or demonstrated equivalent proficiency in Precalculus is required.  Math 170 assumes and uses most of the ideas from algebra and trigonometry; in particular, the material in Chapter 1 is assumed known - review on your own as needed.

Format and Evaluation
Class time will include a mixture of lectures, problem solving, and cooperative In-Class group work.  Come to each class prepared with questions by having read and thought about the material ahead of time and attempted some problems in the section marked on the calendar for that class.  You are responsible for material covered in all class sessions regardless of whether you have reason to be absent.

Homework will be assigned and some will be collected.  Show all work and include complete, clear explanations.  Organize and present your work neatly.  Papers should be stapled with no ragged edges.
Quizzes will be given for some sections over definitions and problems similar to homework.  Calculators may not be allowed for some quizzes.  Since your lowest quiz and lowest two homework grades will be dropped, I will accept no late homework and give no make-up quizzes.

Understanding and being able to do mathematics requires consistently working on problems yourself.  But in addition to doing so you are encouraged to study together and discuss problems with others since this can be a very effective and rewarding way to learn mathematics.  You must write up solutions yourself and give written credit for ideas obtained from any human, print, or web sources.  Violations of ISU's plagiarism policy will not be tolerated and will be addressed according to ISU policy (see the Student Code of Conduct in the Student Handbook, http://www.isu.edu/studenta/handbook.pdf and the section of the Faculty Staff Handbook referenced there, http://www.isu.edu/fs-handbook/part6/6_9/6_9a.html).

In order to earn a grade of C- or better in Math 170, you must pass a Mastery Quiz.  This will consist of 8 straightforward differentiation exercises and will be given in class on October 10.  In order to pass you must work at least 7 of the 8 problems perfectly.  You may repeat the quiz as often as necessary (a different version will be given each time).  Repeat quizzes will be given by arrangement with me at a time outside of class mutually convenient to as many students who have not passed the test as possible.  If you have not passed the Mastery Test by December 12, the highest grade you can earn in the course is a D+, regardless of your other scores.

Exams will be closed book with graphing calculators allowed.  Each will include some questions that involve applying familiar concepts in new situations. Exams can only be made up in cases of documented emergencies or exceptional circumstances and you must notify me as soon as possible and no later than the next class meeting.  The final date is firm, so please mark it down now.

Grades of A, B, C, D will be guaranteed by earning overall percentages of 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%.  Cutoffs for +/- will be these values +/- 3 percentage points.  The grades and comments on individual assignments and exams are intended to provide you with feedback and to help you assess your current state of learning.   The final course grade will reflect to what extent you have accomplished the first three goals above on what you should be able to do at the end of the course.

Philosophy: All of you have the potential to succeed in this course and hard work helps dramatically.  I continue to learn by expanding my knowledge of mathematics and its connections with other subjects, by doing original mathematical research, by understanding more about learning and teaching, and by working to teach in ever more effective ways.  I expect that you will also deepen your knowledge of mathematics and its applications, will learn to formulate questions that lead you to construct your own understanding of mathematics, and will know more about the process of learning and solving problems after you complete this course.  The most important skill you can gain in college is the ability to learn independently.

Accommodations: If you have a disability or think you have a disability (physical, learning disability, hearing, vision, psychiatric) which may need a reasonable accommodation, please contact the ADA Disabilities & Resource Center located in Graveley Hall, Room 123, 282-3599 as early as possible.

How to Succeed:  You will need to work hard and learn a great deal both during class and outside of class.  Expect to spend 2-3 hours outside of class for every hour spent in class.  College differs from high school in that the pace is faster (perhaps two to three times as fast) and the understanding expected is deeper (beyond working template problems).  Some habits that will help you learn actively (both in and outside of class) and succeed in this course are:

• Read the section before we discuss it in class.  Do not expect to understand everything the first time.  But reading the material ahead of time and trying some problems will help you

(1) be familiar with the basic ideas so you can participate and understand more in class, and
(2) identify what you do not understand so you can ask questions in class or office hours.
 
• Read productively so you will understand and retain the material better.  As you read, write down all questions you have, observations you make, and examples or computations you work out.  Take notes, make outlines, summaries, and lists of results in your own words.  Read when you are alert.


• Re-read.  Almost everyone (including me) finds it necessary to read mathematics several times to fully understand it.  You will understand the material more deeply when you re-read it.
  
  
• Focus on definitions, conclusions, and methods. Mathematics is a language and it is absolutely necessary to understand the precise definitions of key terms.  Methods for solving problems and general results and conclusions are also crucial.
  
  
• Form study teams and discuss what you read and learn with others.  Talking to someone about the material will strengthen your knowledge and make studying more fun, even if that person is not in the class.  Working together you can get further than you can separately.
 

• Formulate, record, and ask questions.  If you work hard on a problem yourself and become stuck or do not understand an idea, seek out help from me, the Math Center, or fellow students.  Attempt assigned homework early so you have time to ask questions about it.


• Participate actively in group work and discussion during class.  Attend every class session on time.
 

• Take thorough notes in class, using your own shorthand and abbreviations in order to keep up.
  
  
• Learn from mistakes of your own and others (including me) made on homework or in class.
 

• Be organized, clear, and accurate.


• Work productively by developing efficient and effective study and problem solving skills.  Work 12 hours per week (on average) on the course outside of class time.  Doing this by spending 1-2 hours on reading, doing problems, and reviewing old material every day is more productive than putting in all of the time once or twice a week.  Keep a time log of how you spend each half hour of the day for a couple weeks to become more aware of your use of time.

I look forward to a successful and rewarding semester of learning together!