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Course Content: | This is serious course for serious students. It will cover the
same topics as the ordinary Math 151 (see their
schedule),
but at a distinctly higher level
without review, and with an emphasis on rigor.
These topics are vectors, functions, limits, derivatives, inverse functions, Mean Value
Theorem, applications of derivatives, integrals, and the Fundamental Theorem
of Calculus.
Because of this, the primary source material for the course are my lectures; the
book is supplementary, but well-worth reading, especially for its examples.
There will also weekly MATLAB work. Octave is supposed to be an open-source MATLAB clone. |
Special Note: | You are the best of the best. I hope to make this course
intellectually interesting and challenging. There is no
predetermined grade distribution; your GPA will not be penalized for
taking this course. Good performance will be rewarded with good grades.
(Extra credit to the first student who explains properly to me what is
wrong with the common use of the word `curve' with respect to grades.)
Your goal in this course, as in every course that you ever take, should be a complete mastery of the material. Anything less is aspiring to mediocrity and doing yourself a disservice. There are several things that I will expect from you. You should read the relevant sections of the text before we meet (if possible). Come to class ready to ask questions about what you do not yet know. After class, re-read the text and your notes, and do some exercises to complete your mastery of the material. A guide, and only a guide, to exercises for this purpose may be found here. Finally, ask questions in class, lots of them. |
Calculator: |
There will be no use of calculators on exams. Those needing electronic
aids for routine calculations are in the wrong section.
We'll save the machines for more serious work in the lab portion of the course. |
Course webpage: |
(Sottile's home page)/teaching/08.2/151H.html
Departmental page for Math 151 |
Grading You will be expected to attend all class meetings; I do keep track of such matters, but allow a few absences before penalties begin. There will be three in-term exams (each worth 15% toward your final grade) and the final exam will be worth 30%. The remaining 25% will be Homework, attendance and class participation, the MATLAB Labs, and the Greek alphabet quiz. |
First exam: | Tuesday, 23 September. |
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Second exam: | Thursday, 23 October. | |
Third exam: | Tuesday, 25 November. | |
Final Exam: | Wednesday 10 December, 8:00 - 10:00 AM |
Homework will be collected at least once a week and assigned daily, in class.
Late homeworks are not accepted.
While it may not be possible to mark all problems assigned,
you should hand in all the assigned problems as
a random selection of the problems will be corrected, graded,
and recorded for your homework score.
The two lowest homework scores will be dropped before
computing your grade.
Homework is due on Thursdays.
Initial Assignment : Read this web
page, and send me a text-only email that you have
read and understood the course descriptions and policies.
Please also answer the following questions:
(1) Why are you taking this course?
(2) What do you hope to get out of this course?
(3) Is there anything else that you want to tell me about yourself (that
may be relevant to the course)?
The following ADA Policy Statement (part of the Policy on Individual Disabling Conditions) was submitted to the University Curriculum Committee by the Department of Student Life. The policy statement was forwarded to the Faculty Senate for information.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Department of Student Life, Services for Students with Disabilities, in Room 126 of the Koldus Building or call 845-1637.Academic Integrity Statement "An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do." For more, see the Honor Council Rules and Procedures.