Syllabus - Math 140, Fall 2009

Textbook: Applied Calculus for the Managerial, Life, and Social Sciences, a Brief Approach, by S. T. Tan, 8th edition. We will cover most of the book.

Instructor: Associate Professor Schechter (pronounced "doktur shektur"). Office: Stevenson 1529; that's in the top floor of the Math Bulding. Office hours: MWF 9:15-10:00 am and 12:30-1:00 pm without appointment. Also available at some other times by appointment. More information about instructor at this link.

Lecture classes on MWF:
8:10-9:00 am, sections 7-12 in 5211 Stevenson Center
1:10-2:00 pm, sections 1-6 in 4309 Stevenson Center

Recitation sections and instructors on Tuesdays:
SecTimeinstructorOffice Hours
018:10Ernest Crafton Mon and Fri 12-1 in SC 1214
028:35Emily DowgwilloNoon-1 pm Wed and Fri in SC-1214
0311:10Ernest Crafton Mon and Fri 12-1 in SC 1214
041:10Stephen Watkins 2-3pm on Mon and Wed in SC 6411
052:10Stephen Watkins
063:05Drew ScogginsWed 4:30-5:30 in SC 1214 and Thur 2-3 in SC 1210
078:10Casey Duckwall Thur 10-11 and Sat 12-1 in room SC 1210
088:35George BoghosWed 3:30-4:30 in SC 1214
Thur 4:00-5:00 in SC 1214
0912:15Casey Duckwall Thur 10-11 and Sat 12-1 in room SC 1210
102:10Micah WalkerWed and Thur 4-5 in SC 1214
113:05Joe Crivelli Wed and Fri 12:00-1:00 in SC 1214
124:10Joe Crivelli


Grades will be based on quizzes, tests, and final exam, as follows:
Four 20-minute quizzes on Sept 7, Sept 30, Oct 26, Nov 18each worth 8% of your grade, totalling 32%
Three 50-minute tests on Sept 18, Oct 12, Nov 6 each worth 16% of your grade, totalling 48%
Final examat 9 am on Dec 14 or 15 worth 20% of your grade, 20%
 
Total: 100%

Clarification about the final exam:

No grade will be given for attendance, and homework will not be collected. However, most students will probably fare better on the quizzes, tests, and exam if they attend all of the lectures and if they do lots of homework (i.e., work odd-numbered problems in the book and then compare your answers with those in the back of the textbook). If you have questions about those homework problems, you can ask about them in recitation class.

Grading scale

Answers to graded quizzes and tests: Quiz1, Test1, Quiz 2, Test 2, Quiz 3, Test 3

Additional noteworthy dates:
Mon Sept 7 Labor Day -- NOT a holiday
Wed Oct 14 Mid-semester deficiencies turned in
Th-Fri Oct 22-23 Fall break in A&S
Sun Nov 1 Set clock back 1 hour
Nov 21-29 Thanksgiving break
Thur Dec 10 Classes end in A&S


Free tutored study halls available 5-7 pm Monday through Thursday in Stevenson 1320, and also 7-9 pm Sunday through Thursday in Featheringill 136, for a variety of courses including ours.

Miscellaneous rules: Calculators may be used on quizzes, tests, and final exam. Dr. Schechter will determine whether to excuse a missed quiz or test and permit a makeup: weddings and family reunions are not excused; illness is excused; repeated illness will require a doctor's note; other rulings will be made on a case-by-case basis. Some students may also find it helpful to study the explanations of the most common errors in undergraduate mathematics.

Albert Bartlett (a professor of physics at the University of Colorado) has stated that "The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." He has lectured extensively about what this means for our ecosystem and the survival of our species. Here is a lecture, over an hour long, chopped up into 8 videos. Some other good links about exponentials are Wikipedia's stories , Kurzweil's graph of Moore's law (note the exponential scale along the vertical axis), and a video about Kurzweil