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MATH 1450: Accelerated Calculus

Fall 2017

   vacation

the course is finished - enjoy your break!




Homework    Practice    Exams    Motivational Problems



“If I had an hour to solve a problem, I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.”
Albert Einstein

All information on the website is subject to change if circumstances require it. I will communicate any changes during the lecture. Check back for the most up-to-date information.

If you haven’t found here what you were looking for, please contact me using the contact information below, or let me know in person. All your inputs are highly valued and appreciated.

During lectures I will have a stack of cards available, where you are welcome can leave any feedback, comment, request, complaint,... anonymously. I encourage you to use the cards at least once in a while, and as often as you like.


Announcements


Lecture place/time

Section 17957: Tuesday, Thursday 11:30am-1:00pm in CV N115

Contact

Dr. Anna Vershynina
anna@math.uh.edu
please include “MATH 1450” in the subject so that your email won’t be regarded as spam

Office hours

Tuesday 2:00pm-3:00pm; Friday 3:00pm-4:00pm in my office PGH 634

Syllabus

Course syllabus can be found here

Text

We will mostly follow “Calculus. Early Transcendentals” by James Stewart 6th edition (2008) ISBN 0-495-01166-5. Lecture may also cover other material.
Make sure the ISBN number matches before purchasing a book, there are different books with similar titles. I have requested the textbook on the campus bookstore, but you are encouraged to look online for the copy.

Recitation classes

There are two recitation classes.  It is mandatory to be signed up for one recitation class.

Class number 17948
Place/Time: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:00am-11:00am in C102
Teaching Assistant: Sergey Sarkisov
Email: sarkisov@math.uh.edu
Office hours: Monday 11am-12pm in his office PGH 626

Class number 23313
Place/Time: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 11:00am-12:00am in CBB 120
Teaching Assistant: Nickos Karantzas
Email: nickos@math.uh.edu
Office hours: Wednesday 1-2pm in his office PGH 680

Attendance

Attendance for both, lecture and recitation class, is strongly advised, but not mandatory. If you miss class, for whatever reason, you are responsible for all material covered and any announcements made in class. Absence during exams for reasons other than discussed in section Extraordinary Circumstances below will result in a zero grade. If you have to miss classes for a prolonged period due to a serious illness, you should contact me as soon as possible.

Reading

This is a very fast-paced course. For a normal calculus class you would expect to study about four hours outside of class for every hour of lecture. Since this an accelerated calculus, you should expect to study about 5-6 hours outside of class for every hour of lecture. For this class that’s up to 20-24 hours a week outside of classroom. This time does not include time spent preparing for exams.

Course overview

During the course we aim to mostly cover Chapters 3-7, and 11, which include the following topics:
-Derivatives: 2.7-2.8; 3.1-3.9; 4.4
-Applications of Derivatives: 4.1-4.3, 4.9
-Integration: 5.1-5.5
-Techniques of Integration: 7.1-7.4, 7.8
-Application of Integration: 6.1-6.5, 8.1
-Infinite series and sequences: 11.1-11.10

This list is subject to change depending on time constrains etc. Check the calendar below for the most up-to-date information.

Grading policy

Your final grade will break down as follows:

• Homework: 15% (two lowest grades will be dropped)
• Midterm 1: 25%
• Midterm 2: 25%
• Final: 35%

Extra Credit
• Motivational Problems: 1% for each set

Start working on your grade from the first day of classes. As semester progresses, the number of opportunities to improve your grade will diminish.

Homework

There will be weekly homework assignments, posted here. Two lowest grades will be dropped. You will need to turn in the assignment at the beginning of the recitation class on the due day listed, or earlier. No late homework will be accepted. Only some set of problems will be graded among those assigned.

Practice problems

Suggested practice problems for each section are posted here. You do not need to turn them in, they are for your practice only. I suggest you work on all these problems and check you answers with solution keys at the end of the book. Besides solving these problems, spend as much time as you can solving un-assigned problems from each section, review exercises, problems plus, etc.. 

Midterm

There will be two midterms held during the class. Exams will start at the beginning of the class and will be 80 minutes long.

First Midterm will take place on Sep 28.

No books, notes, calculators, cell phones, any electronic devices, or any other help is permitted on the test. Bring your student ID cards to midterms.

There will be no make-up midterms. Excused absences are discussed below in section Extraordinary Circumstances.

Midterm 1: covers chapters 3-4 - Derivatives, and Applications               
                  Midterm 1    

Midterm 2: covers chapters 5-8 - Integration, Techniques, and Applications                   
                  Midterm 2     

Final

No books, notes, calculators, cell phones, any electronic devices, or any other help is permitted on the test. Bring your student ID cards to the final. There will be no make-up final.

The final will be held on Dec 07, 2017 from 11:30am-12:50pm in our classroom CV N115

Final:  covers chapters 3-8, 11 excluding sections not covered in class plus one problem from previous midterms. See calendar below for a precise list of sections.
         

Extraordinary Circumstances

An excuse from a midterm or final will be granted for the following reasons only:
-Serious illness, with a doctor's note
-Major religious observation, with a note from a religious leader
-Family emergency, with an appropriate documentation
-Active military service, with appropriate approvals

If you happen to find yourself in any of the above circumstances, contact me as soon as possible. If your absence is foreseen, you must contact me before the exam takes place. Bring the appropriate documentation in a timely manner. You grading policy will be adjusted accordingly.

Hurricane Harvey

If you have being affected by a hurricane Harvey and are unable to attend several classes or adhere to the course deadlines, please notify me as soon as possible, so we can make arrangements for you to keep up-to-date with the class progress.


Motivational Problems (optional)

At the beginning of each topic I will distribute a set of Motivational Problems, which will also be posted below. You may hand-in the solutions to these problems to me before or on a due date listed on the sheet. Since this assignment is optional, no late solutions will be accepted.
Only full credit will be given for each assignment, no partial credits. A total score of no less than 75% will receive a full credit. All problems on all sets are of equal value.

Motivational Problems for each topic can be found by clicking a link below.

Derivatives – Due date: Sep 14, 2017
Applications of Derivatives – Due date: Sep 26, 2017
Integration and its Applications - Due date: Oct 26, 2017


IMPORTANT
Retain all class material until you see your a final grade in the system. Do NOT throw away your graded homework, exams, problems sets,… until the final grade is posted in the university system.

Class Calendar


Aug 22
Intro+2.7-2.8, 3.1-3.2
 Aug 24
3.3-3.4
 Aug 29
class is canceled due to storm Harvey
 Aug 31
class is canceled due to storm Harvey
Sep 5
3.5-3.6
 Sep 7
3.9, 4.4
 Sep 12
3.8, 4.1
 Sep 14
4.2, 4.3
Sep 19
4.5, 4.7
 Sep 21
Review
 Sep 26
Midterm prep
 Sep 28
Midterm 1
Oct 3
4.9, 5.1-5.2
 Oct 5
5.3-5.5
 Oct 10
7.1, 6.1
 Oct 12
6.2-6.3
Oct 17
6.5, 8.1
 Oct 19
7.8
 Oct 24
7.2-7.3
 Oct 26
7.4
Oct 31
7.4
 Nov 2
App H
 Nov 7
Review
 Nov 9
Midterm 2
Nov 14
11.1
 Nov 16
11.2-11.3
 Nov 21
11.4-11.5
 Nov 23
Thanksgiving - no class
Nov 28
11.6
 Nov 30
Review
Dec 07
Final


UH CAPS Statement

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) can help students who are having difficulties managing stress, adjusting to college, or feeling sad and hopeless. You can reach CAPS (www.uh.edu/caps) by calling 713-743-5454 during and after business hours for routine appointments or if you or someone you know is in crisis. No appointment is necessary for the "Let's Talk" program, a drop-in consultation service at convenient locations and hours around campus. http://www.uh.edu/caps/outreach/lets_talk.html

Tips for the class


- Find at least two, three students from this class with whom you can regularly study, practice problems and prepare for exams.

- Spend at least 3 hours on Calculus every day. Doing some Calculus every day considerably advances your skills and makes it easier for you to put new concepts into context.

- Use all resources available to you, including practice problems, your classmates, T.A. office hours, my office hours, UH resources, internet resources, etc.

- Start reviewing all material for the exam at least a two weeks before the exam.

- Prepare for exams by working on new problems: the ones not discussed in recitation class, review exercises, practice exams. Find problems that look most scary and challenging for you in the appropriate chapters, and work on it.

- Supported by numerous evidence, e.g. Brandeis University, all-nighters are highly ineffective. Sleep deprivation makes it harder for you to remember everything you studied, and your ability to reason will be diminished the next day. Having enough sleep is vital for converting short-term memory into a long-term one.  Pulling all-nighter before exam significantly reduces your chances for success.

- Don’t drink too much coffee. Too much caffeine might hurt your ability to concentrate.

Helpful resources

Great collection of worked out calculus problems from an exceptional lecturer Duane Kouba from the UC Davis.

Information for undergraduate students by Dr. Mark Tomforde from the UH. The site contains variety of helpful information that's unique to your university experience.

Tips on doing well in Calculus from an exceptional lecturer Duane Kouba from the UC Davis. 
 
Very good calculus interactive notes from Paul Dawkins, math professor at Lamar University

Videos on Calculus topics by Selwyn Hollis, math professor at Armstrong State University

Fantastic interactive demonstrations on calculus (and other) topics by David Little, math lecturer at Penn State University.

Academic Support and Tutoring at UH

CASA - Center for Academic Support and Assessment at UH

Entertaining light reading about Calculus in everyday lives: “Everyday Calculus: Discovering the Hidden Math All around Us” by O. Fernandez. The book is available on amazon. You can preview the book in my office (from the end of September)

Hilarious and useful way to supplement your calculus book - “How to Ace Calculus: The Streetwise Guide” by C. Adams, J. Haas, A. Thompson. Excerpts from this book are available on their website.

A big selection of worked out problems in “The Humongous Book of Calculus Problems” by W. M. Kelley. Solutions to problems are presented in lots of details, and a great deal of explanations are provided.