Prof. Luc Rey-Bellet, LGRT 1423J, 545-6020, luc@math.umass.edu. The best way to contact me is by email.
This course is part of a 3-semester sequence (131-132-233), covering standard material on differential and integral calculus at an intermediate level: more sophisticated (and much faster moving) than high school calculus, but with less emphasis on theoretical rigor than in advanced courses such as Math 523. Instead the emphasis is on basic concepts, methods, and applications suitable for students majoring in engineering, natural sciences, computer science, and mathematics.
Stewart, Calculus, Early Transcendentals, Fifth Edition, Thomson (Brooks/Cole), 2003. Make sure you have the correct edition of the textbook. Homework problems will be taken from the fifth edition.
Each student will be expected to have and use a programmable graphics calculator, preferably Texas Instruments TI-85 or TI-86 (the only models with which your instructor and TA are likely to be familiar).
www.math.umass.edu/~lr7q/m131-spring2005/131main.html
Instructors, TA's, meeting times, and classrooms will be listed here, along with links to their web pages when available.
The grading of the course will be as follows. There will be a final
exam worth 25%, two exams during the semester worth 20% each, and a
"derivatives" exam worth 15%. The final 20% of each student's grade will be
determined by his or her section instructor ("Instructors 20%").
Scales for letter grades
The final will be cumulative, with some emphasis placed on topics covered after the second exam. A calculator will be required for this exam, and you are allowed to bring in one (single-side only) page of notes.
The date and time of the final exam will be scheduled by the university. The final will only be given at that time, and not at any other time for any reason. In particular, adjust your travel plans accordingly; planning to leave for vacation before the final exam is a bad idea.
The dates of the exams during the semester are the following:
Please be aware of these dates and write them down in your datebook. Exams will not be given at any other time. Sections covered on an exam will be announced before the exam date. As with the final exam, your calculator will be required, and you may bring in one (single-side only) page of notes.
Makeup exams will only be given for reasons described here.
The derivatives exam will be given on the following date:
This exam only covers the computation of derivatives. Unlike the final and other two examinations, you will not be allowed to use a calculator or a page of notes.
Makeup exams will only be given for reasons described here.
Each instructor will determine 20% of a student's course grade, based on the student's performance in such areas as homework, quizzes, projects, attendance, etc. How this portion of the grade is computed is solely up to the discretion of your instructor. In particular, different instructors may compute this portion differently.
A list of suggested homework problems can be found here. Your instructor may require you to complete these problems for the Instructor's 20%. In any case, it is important that you complete these problems for several reasons: