Home,12/15 (last message)
The course is over and the grades are in! You can view the statistics on all the exams and the final grades on the usual page. Keep in mind that final exam statistics usually exhibit significantly lower scores, because the students who have an A based on performance during the semester are not taking it.

Thanks to everyone who participated in class discussion - and there were quite a few - you make my job a more fun and a easier!

Have a wonderful winter break!
(scroll down for previous messages)

Home,12/6
You can get your final grade, as well as exam 4 and joysheet 10 grades by sending me an email from your murraystate account (so I know it's you). I will have them done by sometime on Saturday.

The final exam is on Monday at 1:30PM in our usual classroom. It will cover all the semester's material (6 pages, about 1.5 regular exams). The best way to prepare for the final exam is to make sure you can do all the problems on the regular exams. (Solutions to those will be posted soon, and you can practice on the blank exams provided).
Office hours for finals week (starting tomorrow):
Friday, 12:00-4:00
Monday, 9:30-10:30 & 12:45-1:30 & 3:45-4:30
Wednesday, 2:00-4:00
Thursday, 9:30-1:30

Good luck on finals!


 Home,12/2
Exam 4 over 5.1-5.5 is scheduled for Thursday. Check out sample exam 4 for some representative problems.

I will have your course grades on Saturday. Since it is impossible to meet before the final exam to retrieve your course grades, which you would need in order to make a decision whether to come to the final exam, send me an email from your murraystate account (so I know it's you) to find out your grade.

Joysheet 9 was distributed last week and is due on Monday. You can find it among the complete joysheets if you did not get a copy.


 Home,11/20
Exam 3 was so-so, at least the average was the best so far. See scores and solutions in the usual place.

After the exam, you may relax a little, but keep in mind exam 4 is just around the corner, during the last week of class.

We finished 5.1 today: homework is assigned over it for Tuesday (that is, once the newest assignment is posted, which ought to happen by Sunday).

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!


 Home,11/9
Exam 3 has been scheduled for Thursday. It will cover sections 3.1-3.5, 4.1, 4.2. For some representative problems, check out sample exam 1, problems 7 and 8,  sample exam 2, problems 3, 4b, 5 and 9, and sample exam 3, problems 3 and bonus.

Joysheet 8 was handed out yesterday: it is due on Tuesday. If you didn't get it, you can download it from the "complete joysheets" file.


 Home,11/2
The homework assignment for chapters 3 and 4 has been posted.

On Monday we will wrap up section 3.3 and move on to section 3.4. No assignment is given for discussion until Wednesday.


 Home,10/26
Since many people would not be able to come on Thursday (yesterday), exam 2 was moved to Tuesday of next week. See the message below for what it covers and the problems on sample exams to look at.

I am sorry that you did not get joysheets 5 and 6 back this week. A lot of work prevented me from grading them in a timely fashion. However, you will get them on Monday, so will have some feedback before the exam, however short the time may be.

The homework assignment for the next chapter is coming in a few days - check the homework file.


 Home,10/20
Exam 2 is scheduled for Thursday. It will cover sections 1.3-1.6 and 2.1-2.5. Some sample problems are again scattered across sample exams. Check out sample exam 1, problems 9 and 10, sample exam 2, problems 1, 2, 4a, 8, and sample exam 3, problems 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, Bonus.

Two joysheets were handed out last week. Joysheet 5 is due on Monday and Joysheet 6 is due on Tuesday. I plan to return them to you before the exam. You can find the joysheets on the "scores and docs" page.
Let's try to be better prepared for this exam than the last one, people! Don't think that it will all sink in just from exposure to problems in class and the joysheets - you need to do a bunch of homework problems to get some proficiency.


 Home,10/15
Homework in sections 2.2 and 2.3 is assigned for Tuesday.

Next week, we'll have exam 2, most likely on Wednesday. The exam will cover sections 1.3-1.6 and 2.1-2.5. Before then, expect two more joysheets.


 Home,10/3
Homework in section 1.6 was assigned for Tuesday after the break.

Have a nice fall break!


 Home,10/1
Exam 1 did not turn out well - half the class scored below 60% (but there were quite a few good scores). It's hard for me to cite any other cause for this than poor preparation of students, as problems were very similar to those on the sample exams.

In mathematics, many times an idea or a method of solution cannot be absorbed by doing just one problem, but needs to be practiced many times. Again, just doing joysheets affords you only one-time exposure to the material, which is not enough. The homework problems are there for the purpose of practicing them more - do as many of them as you can to gain proficiency (and don't forget to check your answers with the back of the book to see you are doing things correctly).

Joysheet 3 was distributed on Thursday and is due on Tuesday. You can find it on the "scores and docs" page.


 Home, 9/21
After our exam, there is no assignment, so you may relax this weekend.


 Home, 9/14
Exam 1 has been scheduled for Thursday, 9/20. It will cover sections R.1-R.7, 1.1 and 1.2.

You can take a look at sample exams on the "scores and docs" page. Unfortunately, this semester we are using a different book than the one in fall of 2010. Since it approaches the material in a different order, problems of interest are scattered over several exams: for exam 1, consider problems 1-6 and 8a from sample exam 1, problems 5a, 7, and 8 from sample exam 2, and problem 2 from sample exam 3.

Homework for chapter 1 has now been posted.


 Home, 9/7
No homework has been assigned for the weekend. Enjoy!

I anticipate our first exam to come week after next. Stay tuned for details. Sample exams have now been posted on the "scores and docs" page.


 Home, 8/30
Joysheet 1 was handed out in class today - it is due on Wednesday. If you did not receive yours, you can get it before Tuesday by downloading it from the "scores and docs" page (complete joysheets at the bottom).

Section R.5 was assigned, to be discussed on Wednesday.

Have a good Labor Day weekend!


 Home, 8/25
Sections R.1-R.3 have been assigned for homework. Work the problems in those sections in order to be prepared for Monday, when we will work on some of them.
Information on free tutoring was updated to show this semester's schedule.


 Home, 8/21
Welcome to the course!  Look around to familiarize yourself with the layout of these webpages.  Note that the most important links at right are highlighted.  All documents (homework assignment, solutions to exams, etc.) can be found at the "scores and documents" page.

 These pages will get more content as information becomes available.  Check back often: useful information is provided in the "home" section (which you are reading), typically updated weekly.  Homework assignments will be updated when we start a new chapter.