MATH 225 Calculus with Pre-calculus I
Section 002, Fall 2005
| Instructor: Kevin McLeod
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| Office: EMS E481
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| Office hours: TR 10:00-10:50
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| (or by appointment)
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| Phone: 229-5269
|
e-mail:
kevinm@uwm.edu
|
|
| Pre-calculus text: Barnett et.al., College Algebra
with Trigonometry (7th ed)
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| Calculus text: Stewart, Calculus (5th ed)
|
|
| Class meeting time: TR 11:00-12:50, EMS E208
|
|
Course description
Calculus has been described as "algebra plus limits". The intent
of this course is to provide you with the background in algebra
(including trigonometry) that you will need to be sucessful in
calculus, and then to give you an introduction to the limit concept
and calculus. This is an unusual combination of material for a
single semester, which explains the use of two textbooks.
We will cover large parts of chapters 3-9 of the algebra text, and
chapters 2 and 3 of Stewart's Calculus. This is a lot of
material, so be prepared to be working at full speed from day 1!
We will concentrate on really
understanding pre-calculus and calculus concepts,
and not just on doing enormous numbers of problems. Problems are
important, of course, but not for their own sake: they are important
because doing problems is one of the best ways to
build up your intuition and
understanding of the basic concepts.
When appropriate, I will use another tool for
building up intuition: the computer program Maple.
Maple is a computer algebra system: a program
that does mathematics symbolically, just as humans do. Like
any computer program, it can be frustrating at times, but if
you get comfortable with it, it is amazingly powerful.
You will not be expected to use Maple yourself
during this course, but I may use it for classroom demonstrations,
and I will post worksheets on the class website,
http://www.uwm.edu/~kevinm/teaching/225/frames.htm,
for you to explore.
I will post other things on the class website, too: this syllabus,
homework assignments, class announcements, useful links, etc.
You are responsible for any information posted on the website,
so please check it frequently.
Evaluation
To explain the grading policy for the course, it is necessary to
start with a description of the Department's gateway exams.
There are 4 of these exams for MATH 225; at the appropriate time
you can find the link to sample tests on the
Announcements page. The policies for
and implications of these gateway exams are as follows:
- Each gateway exam is first given once in class. The
exam is 30 minutes, no calculators, no partial credit.
You must score 80% to pass.
- If you do not pass a gateway on the first attempt,
you may re-take the exam in the gateway lab (EMS W401) at
most twice a week for the three weeks following the
in-class exam. You will need to obtain a permission slip
from me for each retake. Note that the last gateway may
not allow for the full three-week window, as it may occur
near the end of the semester.
- If you do not pass (80% or higher) all four gateways,
you cannot receive a grade higher than C- for the course.
- If you do pass (80% or higher) all four gateways,
you will not receive a grade lower than D- for the course.
- Any changes to these policies can only be made in
truly exceptional circumstances. Documentation and
approval by the course co-ordinator will be required.
Assuming you pass the gateway tests, your grade 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
mostly be problems from the textbooks, but may occasionally
consist of more significant projects that you will be
expected to complete in groups of 2 (3 if necessary).
30%
- Midterms There will be 2 in-class midterms during the
semester. In contrast to the gateway tests, these quizzes will
concentrate on more sophisticated problems: applications, or
problems which rely on you being able to combine ideas from more
than one section of the text. 15% each.
- Final Exam The final exam will be comprehensive,
and will take place from 10:00-12:00 noon on Tuesday, December 20.
30%.
- 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
09/01/2005