The main website for Math 112 can be found through here. Click on "Math 112 Fall 09" and log in with your UW-NetID. This page has all the information you will need on a day-to-day basis, including the syllabus, daily schedule, noteshells, and links to the homework assignments (which you will complete online through WeBWorK). You should bookmark this page.
This website (the one you are reading now) has extra information that is specific to the two sections that I am teaching, Sections 4 and 10. You should read both websites very carefully. If you have any questions about policy, or have a conflict with one of the exam dates, please come and talk to me during the first two weeks of the semester (before Sept. 11 for exam conflicts).
Section 4 meets MWF 8:50 – 9:40 in room B135 Van Vleck
Section 10 meets MWF 11:00 – 11:50 in room B113 Van Vleck
Office Hours: 9:50 – 10:45, and by appointment. (in 418 Van Vleck)
We will be using noteshells during class. These are "fill-in-the-blank" notes that you can bring to class. I will have an identical set on the overhead projector and we will fill them in together. The noteshells are on the main Math 112 website. You can print each section as you need it, or you can also go to Bob's Copy Shop and buy the complete set at the start of the semester.
There are many examples in the noteshells, but I will not do all of them during class. The extra examples are an excellent way for you to get more practice with the ideas that we discuss in lecture. I STRONGLY recommend doing the extra examples - you never know when they might show up on a quiz! There will be a filled in version of the noteshells outside of my office after each class. If you want to see the correct work for one of the "extra" examples, you can find them there. Also if you miss class for any reason, you can just come by and copy down the notes.
There will be a lot of homework in this class. I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to do all of the homework and to put effort into it. You cannot pass this class by just memorizing a bunch of formulas and equations. You need to first understand the ideas and then get a feel for the processes that are used to solve problems. This "feel" is only acquired to doing lots and lots of problems, i.e. the homework. If you successfully complete and understand all of the homework, you will do very well in this course.
Homework will be assigned, completed, and graded via WeBWorK. You can find links directly to the individual assignments on the main Math 112 website. This is a online service where you will login to see your homework, submit your answers, and see immediately if they are correct or incorrect. You will have 5 chances to submit answers for most problems, so if your answer is incorrect, you can try again with no penalty. Additionally, after the assignment is due, you will have access to all of the correct answers. For more information, see the WeBWorK section below.
We will have short weekly quizzes in class on Wednesdays. They will cover the material that was presented in class the week before. The goal of the quizzes is not to punish you if you do not understand the material yet. Instead, they have two purposes. First, they indicate to both you and me, how well you understand the material. It is one thing to solve homework problems while you have your text and notes available, and quite a different thing to be able to solve a test problem with no resources. The quizzes serve as an "in between" so that you can see where you are weak before the test comes along.
The second purpose is learn how to write down the solution to a problem in a neat, orderly, readable, and logical way. You will be expected to do this on the exams! However, since you only need to submit your answers for the homework, we cannot check if you are doing it there.
There will be three midterm exams, in addition to the final exam. The midterms are evening exams. Please mark the following dates on your calendar so that you do not schedule something else that conflicts.
Exam 1: Tuesday, September 29, 5:30-7:00 PM
Exam 2: Tuesday, October 27, 5:30-7:00 PM
Exam 3: Tuesday, November 24, 5:30-7:00 PM
Final Exam: Thursday, December 17, 12:25 – 2:25 PM
It is guaranteed that 80% of exam problems are slight modifications of homework problems. But remember that you will need to give your solutions in a neat, orderly, readable, and logical way to get full credit!
Your numerical grade will be calculated as follows:
Midterm Exams: 15% each
Final Exam: 30%
Homework: 15%
Quizzes: 10%
There will be no make-up quizzes in this class. Some number of your homework and quiz grades will be dropped at the end of the semester. I have not decided on these numbers yet. A good guess would be that I will drop your lowest 5 homework scores, and your lowest 2 quiz scores.
Your final letter grade (A, AB, B, etc.) will be assigned based on a curve that is determined AFTER the final exam has been graded. If you ask me in the middle of the semester what your grade is "so far", I will NOT be able to tell you because I won't know what the curve is yet. However, we will assign "approximate" curves after each midterm. This will give you a rough idea of where you stand in the class.
Some things to note about using WeBWorK: