Math 234, Spring 2008, Andrei Caldararu

Lecture Section 3, 2:30-3:45pm TR, B102 VAN VLECK



IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING THE MIDTERMS: If your last name begins with the letters A-M, you should come for the midterm in our standard room, Van Vleck B102. If your last name begins with the letters N-Z, you should go to another room, Van Vleck B130.

Text:  Weir, Hass & Giordano: Thomas' Calculus 11th Edition, Non-ET version, including differential equations.
ISBN: Old style, 0-321-49069-X; New style, 9780321490698.
 

Discussion Section: Attendance in a weekly discussion section is required. The section numbers are 341 -- 353.
 

Office Hours: I will be in my office 605 Van Vleck from 11am to 11:50am TR. These times may change, in which case the new times will be announced on my home page. Other good times to talk are right before or right after the class. It is also possible to ask questions by email, which will be generally answered within 24 hours. The more detailed your email question is, the more detailed the reply message will be. My email is andreic@math.wisc.edu.
 

Examinations and homework: In addition to the final exam, there will be two 75 minute midterm exams. They will be given in class, on Tuesday, February 26 and on Tuesday, April 8. Suggested homework problems are listed in the schedule of lectures below. While homework will not be collected or graded, there will be a one-problem 10 minute quiz in the beginning of each discussion section based on the homework problems.
 

Practice exams from past years: You may find practice exams from past years here.
 

Missed exam/quiz policy: There are no makeups for missed midterm exams or quizzes, regardless of the reason for absence. However, if you can not attend the midterm due to a valid reason, for example a medical emergency, the rest of your scores will be scaled to compensate for the missed test. The same policy applies to the discussion section quizzes. At the end of the semester your three lowest quiz scores will be dropped, which may compensate for some quizzes that were missed without a valid reason.
 

Final Examination: There will be a two-hour final examination given on Tuesday, May 13 at 7:45 am in Van Vleck Hall rooms B102 and B130 (first letter of last name A-M, room B102, N-Z, room B130). The final exam will be cumulative, covering material from the entire semester. You must take the final examination at the time scheduled by the university; no final exams will be given earlier. In particular, examinations will not be rescheduled because of travel arrangements. It is your responsibility to schedule travel appropriately. If you can not take the final exam due to an emergency, you should let me know as soon as possible.
 

Miscellaneous: Calculators and notes will NOT be allowed during the midterms and the final. Calculators/notes policy for the quizzes is at the discretion of the TA.
 

Grading: The course grades will be computed as follows. Each midterm will be graded on a scale from 0 to 100, and the final will be graded on a scale from 0 to 200. You will also receive a curved discussion score in the range from 0 to 100. This discussion score reflects your performance on the quizzes, compared to other students with the same TA. At the end of the semester, all these scores are added to give your total score, in the range from 0 to 500. The grades are given according to the total scores, and the average grade in the class will be somewhere between BC and B. Improvement towards the end of the semester is not reflected in the final grade. Two people with the same total scores will receive the same grade, regardless of who did better at the end of the semester.
 

Help: In the beginning of each class we will discuss some homework problems for the material of the last lecture. Additional help is available if you have trouble with homework or lecture material. My office hours are the first place to start, but if you are unable to attend them, you should go the Math Lab B227 Van Vleck Hall. This room is normally staffed by at least one mathematics professor or graduate student Monday through Thursday in the afternoon and evening, and no appointment is necessary.
 

Schedule of Lectures

Please try to read the relevant textbook sections before the lecture. Be warned that my lectures frequently differ from the book in emphasis and structure. You are responsible for both lecture and book material unless otherwise stated in class. However, lecture material is deemed more important.
 
Week Topics Homework
Jan. 21- Jan. 25 review of vectors, §13.1-13.3 p.900: 17, 21, 31, 43, 61, §13.1: 9, 39, §13.3: 7
Jan. 28-Feb. 1 §13.4, §13.5, §14.1 §13.4: 5, 9, §13.5: 5, 13, §14.1: 3, 7, 13-18, 31, 43
Feb. 4-Feb. 8 §14.2, §14.3 §14.2: 9, 15, 35, 37, 51, §14.3: 25, 35, 43, 57, 67
Feb. 11-Feb. 15 §14.4, §14.5 §14.4: 3, 7, 11, 27, 37, §14.5: 3, 5, 9, 15, 17, 21, 27, 29, 31
Feb. 18-Feb. 22 §14.6, §14.10, review §14.6: 5, 9, 11, 17, 19, 29, §14.10: 1, 3, 7, 9
Feb. 25-Feb. 29 midterm exam 1, review of the midterm, §14.7 Midterm Exam 1, Feb. 26, §14.7: 7, 17, 21, 23, 29
Mar. 3-Mar. 7 §14.7-cont'd, §14.8 §14.7: 31, 35, 37, 39, 41, §14.8: 1, 5, 9, 23, 29
Mar. 10-Mar. 14 §15.1, §15.2 §15.1: 5, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 23, 27, 37, 47, §15.2: 9, 15, 19, 21, 35
Mar. 17-Mar. 21 Spring Break
Mar. 24-Mar. 28 §15.3, §15.4, §15.5 §15.3: 5, 9, 11, 15, 17, §15.4: 13, 21, 27, 29, 41, §15.5: 5, 7, 9, 11, 13
Mar. 31-Apr. 4 §15.6, review §15.6: 11, 15, 49, 59, 65
Apr. 7-Apr. 11 midterm exam 2, review of the midterm, §16.1, §16.2 Midterm Exam 2, Apr. 8, §16.1: 1-8, 11, 13, 15, 23, §16.2: 3, 5, 7, 17, 21
Apr. 14-Apr. 18 §16.3, §16.4 §16.3: 1, 9, 15, 25, 31, §16.4: 1, 3, 5, 11, 15, 17, 19, 27, 29, 33
Apr. 21-Apr. 25 §16.5, §16.6 §16.5: 1, 5, 21, 23, 39, §16.6: 1, 3, 13, 33, 41
Apr.28-May. 2 §16.7, §16.8 §16.7: 1, 3, 7, 9, 11, 15, 19, 21, 23, 25, §16.8: 1, 5, 9, 11, 15, 17
Apr. 5-May 9 §16.8-cont'd, review §16.8: 19, 21, 23, 27
7:45 am, Tuesday May 13   Final Examination