Syllabus. Math 11A .Calculus w/ Applications. ;

[updated Jan 5, 2019] Professor: Richard Montgomery
meets: MWF 8-9:05 Humanities Lecture Hall
Sections :Mandatory ; section coordinates, TAs sections ought to be scheduled by end of 1st week (fingers crossed)

What is calculus? Look here .

COMMUNICATIONS:

Canvas: for class administration, messages, announcements, and communicating with your TA or me. We will not reply to email messages.

Piazza for math questions, questions around doing HW, solving practice exam Qs etc. You can write math in Piazza. Piazza is good for collaborations. The Piazza access code is ``math11a''.

email

office hours : Richard Montgomery: M, W: 9:30-10:30am, W: 5:00-6:00pm , McHenry 4140
If you have questions, or want to talk about mathematics or life, you may come to my office hours.

Homework Assignments

GAMES:

Kahoot is an in-class quiz game that we will play occassionally. Some of the questions may be exam questions or perilously close to exam questions. Mark this page on your phone, please. Each round requires a pin, and for to choose a nickname. Don't use your actual name as a nickname if you do not want it appearing in front of the class. You can use the same nickname for each round.



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Tentative Course Outline
______________________________________________________ REFERENCES:

Primary Text : Biocalculus: Calculus for Life Sciences, by Stewart & Day. Chapters 3 and 4 form the heart of the course.

Alternate Text The OpenStax (on-line) Calculus text covers the same material as the primary text in almost the same order and contains worked exercises. Chapters 3 and 4 form the heart of the course.

Canvas's modules have most of the content as well, and one piece of additional content (May's Nature article ) not present in either text.

My lecture notes spotty; unpolished. some kind of record of the lecture of the day.
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Tentative Course Outline
______________________________________________________ PRE-REQUISITES & WARNING I assume you know 90 percent of the material in chapter 1 of the TEXT. This is junior high school arithmetic,high school algebra and pre-calculus. This same material is found in chapter 1 of OpenStax and the Appendix of the Canvas Modules. For example. you are expected to know everything here cold . If you do not, then memorize it. You are responsible for this material. It will only be cursorily covered.

Grading:

Homework and Classwork (40 + 10%)

Pre-class (0-5%): short assignments or surveys, assigned occassionally via Canvas, often concerning the lecture of the day and to be completed before that lecture (I drop the lowest 3 assignments to allow for abscences.)

In-Class (0 + 10%) I do not take attendance. But I will give pop quizes during class, on average once a week. Less than 10 percent of the quizes taken on any given day will be graded. Quiz scores can only RAISE your grade : these scores are not folded into your total score, but play the role of extra credit points. Thus you can achieve a perfect score in the class and not pass (or take) a single quiz.

In-Section (25-30%): Problem sets are done during section. The last part of section will be set aside for you to write up the solution on paper to one or two of these problems, and this problem solution will be graded. Solutions should follow this format. Problems not following this format, written illegibly, or using improper mathematical or English grammar will not be given full credit. Put equal signs in the right places. (We will drop the lowest 2 problem sets, to allow for necessary abscences. )

Homework (10%) : is here. Approximately five problems per week will be selected (in red) to hand in, in section, the following week. One or two of these will be graded. Follow this format for writing up HWs. Failure to follow the format will result in less than full credit and may result in zero credit for the assignment. (We will drop the lowest 2 homeworks to account for abscences.)

Finally, we learn math by doing math. I recommend you budgeting approximately two hours per day, five days per week, for Homework, studying, and reflection on the calculus material if you are aiming for a B or A. Pause occassionally and ask yourself ``do I understand what am I doing? Why we are doing this? '' If not, dig a bit to see at what point you got lost and back up to there, even if it is all the way to arithmetic, fractions or what a variable is. .

Exams (60%): multiple choice, Scantron graded.

No calculators. No phones on. No airPods in ears. No Apple Watches on. No devices in your ears or elsewhere within or on your body. No talking.


    All material preceding calculus: arithmetic, adding and using fractions, exponents, completing the square, factoring, the quadratic formula, exponentials, logarithms, trigonometry, i.e high school and college level arithmetic and algebra , is fair game within every question, or, as a stand-alone question on the tests.

Midterm(20%)

during scheduled lecture on Jan 31, 2020.
Covers the basics of the derivative: Chapter 3.

Final (40%):

Comprehensive.

Wednesday, March 18 . 12:00-3:00pm.

RESOURCES

Calculus Applets using GeoGebra

Modified Supplemental Instruction (MSI) : MSI provides a weekly meeting times where students have the opportunity to work with their peers and practice material from the course. In MSI, students can expect to acquire effective learning strategies, work with peers to understand difficult course material, and build relationships with their classmates. Sessions are facilitated by trained peer Learning Assistants who utilize collaborative activities to ensure peer-to-peer interaction in small groups. MSI sessions integrate how-to-learn with what-to-learn. Students who attend MSI sessions discover appropriate application of learning strategies as they work to master course content.

Drop-in tutoring run by the Learning Student Services

Academic Excellence (ACE) ACE is an academic support program dedicated to increasing the diversity of UCSC students earning bachelors' degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It is a community of scholars who strive for and commit to academic excellence.

DRC Accommodations : UC Santa Cruz is committed to creating an academic environment that supports its diverse student body. If you are a student with a disability who requires accommodations to achieve equal access in this course, please submit your Accommodation Authorization Letter from the Disability Resource Center (DRC) to me privately during my office hours or by appointment, preferably within the first two weeks of the quarter. At that time, I would also like us to discuss ways we can ensure your full participation in the course. I encourage all students who may benefit from learning more about DRC services to contact DRC by phone at 831-459-2089 or by email at drc@ucsc.edu.

private tutors -a list maintained by the math department. I can supply you with names of other tutors. Come by my office.

Course Goals

1. Learn the idea and use of the derivative operator and the relation between a function and its derivatives.
2. Become more familiar with the exponential map.
3. Learn how to apply the derivative to solve or set up problems.
4. Understand a few models in population biology and epidemiology.
5. Improve your confidence and facility with mathematics and mathematical problem solving

FAQ

  • Is the book required for the class?

    Yes & No. HW will be assigned from the text. Some test questions will be taken directly, or almost directly, from the text. The book is an good source , as a reference, as motivation, to clarify concepts and to practice problems. But it is not required.

  • I completed the first one/two/three Homeworks in a different section of Math11A. Now that I have changed sections, those scores are zeros. Can you recover those scores and put them in my new section?

    No. Since you added the course late, those Homeworks were not finished by the due date in your current course. Therefore they are late, and will be zeros.

  • I am going to miss a day of class. What should I do?

    Get the notes from someone in class. You can also see what are we going to do that day by looking at the lecture schedule.

  • Can I do HW with a friend?

    We recommend that you work with your fellow students.

  • Can I copy HW from a friend? Can I use calculators on the Homeworks? Can I use Wolfram alpha? Can I use google?

    Sure. No one's stopping you. Use anything you like. But remember the goal of HW is for YOU to practice and to learn the math. Think of the HW as practice for the final. Remember you cannot use phones or calculators or internet connections in the exam, so it is best to learn how to do HW problems without such aids

  • Can I use a calculator for the Exams?

    No.

  • Can I copy from my friend or neighbor on the Exam?

    No.

  • Can I consult Google or make a call during the Exam?

    No.

  • Why can't I use a calculator? The HW problem is impossible to do without a calculator. What should I do if it's on the Exam?

    Generally speaking, if you need a calculator to do a HW problem, you are doing that problem the wrong way. No problems on the exam require a calculator. If you are tempted to use one, then you are almost certainly headed down the wrong path to a solution.

  • I have class all the way over on the other side of campus before your class. Can I come in a few minutes late?

    Yes, just be courteous to your classmates and be as quiet as possible when you come in.

  • What can I do to improve my grade?

    Study. Do Homework. Do not wait until the end of the quarter. Math is learned by doing. Spend two hours per day on HW and studying. Come to class and hope you hit the jackpot and your quiz is graded to add up to 10 percent to your grade.

  • Do you drop any grades?

    Go back and read the grade description.

  • I added this class late and missed the first one/two/three Homeworks. Can you accept them late?

    No. We do not accept late Homework for any reason. Your two lowest Homework scores are dropped for such eventualities.

  • What scores will I need to pass the course?

    Absolute cut-offs for passing are usually between 45 and 60 percent and applied to both the final, and your total scores. Example: if you get 80 percent overall but 40 percent on the final exam then you will most likely fail. Example: You got 70 percent on the final and 70 percent on the midterm and 65 percent on all the other stuff. Then you will very likely pass.

  • What do I have to make on the final to get an A/B/C in the course?

    We use the regular grading system: roughly: 65 to 80 percent C, 80 to 90 : B, 90 to 100: A.

  • I emailed a math question to my instructor and I didn't get a response. Why?

    Use Piazza for math questions.

  • Do we have to bring our textbooks to class everyday?

    No.

  • I have a doctor's appointment after class today. Can I leave a few minutes early?

    Yes, just be courteous to your classmates and be as quiet as possible when you leave.

  • Do you give extra credit?

    Only the occasional in-class quizes.

  • What is going to be on the exam?

    The materials of chapter 3 and 4 and the math they rely on. So: everything done in class and section may be covered.

  • Why you don’t reply my emails?

    Use Canvas or Piazza to communicate with me.

  • I need a C to keep my scholarship, what can I do?

    Study. Do Homework. Do not wait until the end of the quarter.