Home, 5/16 (last message)
The course is over and the final grades are in! The final exam turned out unexpectedly poorly - did no one look over the five exams we had this year? Two students did manage to improve their grade, however, but the others were too far with their overall score from the next higher grade.
It was a pleasure teaching this class! Thanks to everyone - literally - for willingly going to the board to do homework problems. It certainly makes my job easier, and I hope it benefitted you as well!
Have a great summer!
Home, 5/7
Exam 5 turned out well, especially for the material which we covered hastily.
The final exam will be scheduled according to responses on the emailed form: watch your email! It will have six pages and consist of problems like the ones on the exams during the semester. Therefore, to start preparing for it, make sure you can do all the problems on the five exams we have had. The word problems have a habit of repeating themselves on the final exam! Solutions to all of our exams are available. Also, check out the sample final exam on the "scores and docs" page and see the MOTHERLODE for additional final exams. No one should have any problem finishing the exam, since it is 50% longer than a usual exam, but you get twice the time.
If you opt to take the final exam, turn in any missing homework from section 4.5 onward to improve your overall scores.
Office hours will appear here as soon as I have a schedule for the final exam.
Office hours schedule next few days:
Tuesday on Zoom only 10:00-3:00 (email me to get the session started)
Wednesday 9:30-10:30, 12:30-2:30
Thursday on Zoom only 10:00-2:45
Friday 9:30-10:30
Home, 5/3
Exam 4 turned out semi-decently, although the statistics aren't that strong (taking out the two scores at or below 30 brings up the average to 70, however.)
Because we could not use up one class on an exam this week, Exam 5, covering sections 4.7, appendix B and 5.1-5.3, is scheduled for Monday. You will be taking it with my other classes' final exams. If you are taking it at 10:30, come to room 108, and if you are taking it at 1:30, come to room 310 (all in Faculty Hall). We will meet on Zoom for a review session at 2:30 on Sunday (click the lectures Zoom link on Canvas).
Homework for sections 5.1-5.3 is due by the time you take the final exam, also 4.7 and appendix B if you have not yet turned it in. Because section 5.5 is needed for anyone taking Calculus 2, it would be good if you did it, too. I am not making it mandatory, but a bonus: it can improve your homework grade if you submit it. Chapter 5 lectures have been completed and deposited on Canvas, if you would like to read about section 5.5 or the one problem in 5.3 that we did not get to do.
By Monday evening, I will grade exam 5 and report your overall grade. If you are happy with it, you don't have to take the final exam. If you would like a chance to improve it, take the final exam, whose score will replace your two weakest exam scores, but only if it is better. It will probably be too soon to take the final exam on Tuesday at our regularly scheduled time (8:00), so we can arrangements for Wednesday or Thursday.
Good luck on finals!
Office hours schedule next week:
Monday 9:30-10:30 and 12:30-1:30
Other days not yet scheduled, because I don't know when some students will be taking the final,
but will be updated here.
Home, 4/26
With exam 4 out of the way, take a breather if your other classes will allow you. Homework for section 4.5 (alone) is due on Monday.
On Monday, we will lecture on sections 4.7 and Appendix B.
Next week, we have a fair amount to cover and will be limited in homework discussion, but generally students find chapter 5 material a little less demanding than chapter 4. As a result of this, we will not be able to spend an hour of regular class time on exam 5. Options under consideration are to have exam 5 on Friday at a separate time from the class, or on Monday, or to have it during the regularly scheduled final exam time (in this case, people who wish to take the optional final exam could come at some other time after Tuesday). We will discuss this on Monday.
Home, 4/19
Exam 4, covering sections 4.1-4.5 is scheduled for Friday. Check out sample exam 4 for some representative problems. This exam is probably the hardest for the students, because pretty much everything we learned this semester is used on it: derivatives, limits, algebra, etc. This is why it is important to get a lot of practice on the types of problems we are working on.
On Monday, we will wrap up discussion of homework for section 4.3 and go on to lectures over 4.5. I recommend that, on your own, everyone redo the problems from section 4.4 that we did in class today and compare your solutions to the board pictures. The concepts are simple - derivatives and checking their signs, but many students seem to have a hard time with it. Do this before attempting the write-up homework problems.
If you are having trouble with any of this, make sure you see me for office hours next week.
Home, 4/12
Exam 3 did not turn out well for quite a few people, giving us a low average. Exponential and logarithmic functions, along with L'Hospital's rule is a witch's brew, eh? Let's not get discouraged, there are still two exams and a final left with which you can improve your grade.
On Monday, we will wrap up discussion of homework for section 4.1 and go on to lectures over 4.2.
Home, 4/6
Exam 3, covering sections 2.8, 3.1-3.3, 3.5 and 3.7 is scheduled for Thursday. Check out sample exam 3 for some representative problems.
Homework for sections 3.3 and 3.5 was due yesterday.
On Monday, we will go over homework in section 3.7, which will be due (just that one section) on Tuesday so that you can get it back before the exam. We will cover new material in section 4.1 on Tuesday and review for the exam on Wednesday.
Also on Monday, the solar eclipse is scheduled. Try to see it, as there won't be another one in 20 years! Because I intend to drive to a place where totality will occur, I will not be available after 11:00 AM.
Home, 3/29
On Monday, we will finish lectures on 3.3 and start homework discussion. This homework will be due later in the week, along with 3.5.
Home, 3/15
Exam 2 turned out pretty well. The average paints a somewhat distorted picture, because two scores under 30 pulled it down. You can see the class scores and solutions to the exam on the "scores and docs" page. Also, your overall scores have been updated on Canvas.
On Monday after break, we will finish section 3.2 and start homework discussion of sections 3.1 and 3.2, due on Wednesday.
Have a good spring break!
Home, 3/8
Exam 2 has been postponed to Monday. See notes from previous week regarding what it will cover and suggestions on what to practice. On Monday, we will review for the exam by doing some typical problems.
On Wednesday, we will discuss homework from section 2.8 and trigonometry review material from appendix A. Section 2.8 and appendix A homeworks will be due on Friday.
Home, 3/1
Exam 2, covering sections 2.1-2.7, is planned for Friday. Check out sample exam 2 on the "scores and docs" page, and find additional exams on the MOTHERLODE for more practice. As you can see on the sample exam, the main skill being tested is finding derivatives of various function. Please make sure to practice derivatives as much as you can — for example, do the odd problems on the homework list — so you are as proficient in a derivative as you are with the table of multiplication.
On Monday, we will finish homework discussion for section 2.6. Sections 2.5 and 2.6 will be due on Tuesday and you will receive it back before the exam.
Home, 2/23
On Monday, we will discuss homework from section 2.4. Sections 2.3 and 2.4 will be due on Tuesday.
Home, 2/16
Exam 1 turned out well. You can see the grade statistics and get the solutions to the exam on the "scores and docs" page. If you did not do as well as you hoped, plan to practice on more problems in the future. As before, I recommend doing the odd-numbered problems from the problem list — those that are not submitted.
On Monday, we will continue with discussion of homework from section 2.2. Sections 2.1 and 2.2 will be due on Tuesday.
Home, 2/9
Exam 1, covering sections 1.3-1.6 is scheduled for Tuesday. Check out sample exam 1 on the "scores and docs" page - it is representative of the kinds of problems the exam will have. Calculators are allowed on exam 1, but will not be on future exams. For added practice, I recommend looking at some more exams on the Motherlode, or, especially in the case of limit problems, the problems on the homework set that were not turned in (typically odd-numbered).
On Monday, we will take any questions you may have ahead of the exam.
Home, 2/2
On Monday, we will start discussion of homework from sections 1.5 and 1.6, likely due on Thursday.
Exam 1, covering sections 1.3-1.6 is planned for Tuesday (2/13) during the week after next.
On Wednesday, all classrooms on the 3rd floor will be occupied by Math Day, a mathematics event. Therefore, we will have to have class remotely on that day, and I will start with lectures on chapter 2.
Free tutoring information has been updated with schedules for this semester.
Home, 1/26
On Monday, we will continue discussion of homework from section 1.2 (some review material). The due date for sections 1.2 and 1.4 is Wednesday.
As we move into harder material, I see that many students are having a harder time. Because our course builds on itself, poor understanding of first sections will make future ones harder. Therefore, if you are having trouble with some material, make sure to stop by office hours and get some help. If you cannot come to the listed office hours, there is a good chance that I can meet you at some other time.
Some students are starting to miss multiple classes. There is no better way to ruin your grade than this, not because I punish nonattendance, but because it results in not following where the class is, and when test time comes, there is too much to learn in too little time. Poor test scores follow.
Home, 1/19
On Monday, we will discuss homework from section 1.1 (some review material). I anticipate that homework for sections 1.1 and 1.3 will be due on Tuesday.
After we finish with homework discussion of 1.1, we will continue with lectures on section 1.4.
Home, 1/15
Welcome to the course! Look around to familiarize yourself with the layout of these webpages. To get to other pages, click on the links in the menu (or drop-down, if viewing on a smartphone). The most often-used pages are in the first line of the menu (or the first several choices of the drop-down). "Scores and docs," for example, has all the documents for the course.
Your first exercise is to find the syllabus on these pages and read it. The items there that are typically of greatest interest to students are from "Homework" to "Make-ups."
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. For now, here is some information on Canvas and lecture notes.
Canvas: Canvas will only be the repository of class notes and your grades. Information about the course and weekly messages will be posted to this website (also accessible from Canvas). (Why bother with the website outside of Canvas? Two reasons: it's easier to make updates to it, and it stays public. I value this, and you may grow to as well, as a service to future students of this same course.)
Lecture notes: Have these with you so that you can follow the lectures in class without having to copy a lot. I will distribute the printed notes. The filled-in notes written in class are on Canvas.