MATH 211 Survey of Calculus and Analytic Geometry
Section 117, Summer 2006
| Instructor: Kevin McLeod
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| Office: EMS E481
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| Office hours: By appointment
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| Phone: 229-5269
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| E-mail:
kevinm@uwm.edu
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| Home page: www.uwm.edu/~kevinm
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| Class meeting time: MTWR, 1:30-4:30, MATC West, Room 231
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Text: Asma Harcharras & Dorina Mitrea,
Calculus Connections
Course description
In its usual incarnation, MATH 211 is a one-semester survey of calculus,
intended primarily for pre-business majors. Our version of the course
will be quite different. The fundamental ideas will obviously be the
same, but we will try to build a deeper understanding of why
calculus works the way it does, and to connect calculus ideas to the
middle-grades curriculum. (The chosen textbook is, in fact, written
specifically for middle-grades teachers.) At the same time, we will
set our sights high: one of my aims for this semester is to
use calculus to understand planetary motion.
Calculus has a reputation as a hard course. I hope to show you that
this is not necessarily the case: calculus ideas are all around us,
and if you can understand algebra you can be successful in calculus.
On the other hand, calculus is a serious subject, and one that you
have probably not seen before (unlike algebra), so you will need to
devote yourself to serious study over the next five weeks. Remember:
2-3 hours of work outside class for every hour of class time!
Calculus also builds on algebra, so you should seize every spare
moment during the first week to review the algebra material we
covered last semester, especially rates of change, linear functions,
exponential functions, and the binomial theorem.
You will be expected to take an active role in class,
participating in activities and discussions. For this reason,
attendance is particularly important: you will not be able to
make up a missed class just by reading the textbook.
There is a class website at
http://www.uwm.edu/~kevinm/teaching/211/frames.htm.
Any relevant information about the class, such as exam dates
or other announcements, will be posted at the site, so you should
get into the habit of checking it on a regular basis. Homework
will also be posted there, so if you do have to miss a class you
can still be prepared for the next one. If I find useful and
relevant links during the semester, they will also be posted;
if you find some yourself, please let me know.
You are responsible for any information posted on the website,
so please check it frequently.
Evaluation
Your grade for the course will be based on
the following factors:
- Homework You will be assigned homework after each
class period. The homework may be given out in class, but
will always be posted on the class website. Homework will
usually consist of exercises from the textbook, or
additional exercises, a small number of which
will be collected and graded. (Due to the speed of the class, it
is not really practical for me to grade a large amount of
homework.) You may also be asked to write
short reflections or papers on material covered in class.
15%
- Midterms There will be 3 in-class midterms.
The first of these will probably be given on Monday, July 3,
though I do reserve the right to change that date;
the second and third will follow at roughly one-week intervals.
(Exact dates will depend on how fast we cover the
material, and will be announced at least a couple of
days in advance.)
20% each.
- Final Paper In lieu of a final exam,
you will be asked to write a paper on one of the topics covered in
the course. (If all goes according to plan, the topic will be
planetary motion.) The paper will be due on Monday, July 24.
15%.
- Class participation 10%.
You can have a make-up for any one of the midterms, no questions
asked. The make-up must be taken within one week of the original
quiz, and will be an oral exam.
Students with disabilities
If you feel you are a student with a disability, please feel free
to contact me early in the semester for any help or accommodation
you may need.
Kevin Mcleod
06/18/2006