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MATH 1451: Accelerated Calculus

Spring 2018

  

the course is finished - congratulations! Enjoy your summer break!

Practice    Exams    Calendar



“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.

Lecture place/time

Section 18804: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:00am-11:00am in AH 301

Contact

Dr. Anna Vershynina
anna@math.uh.edu
please include “MATH 1451” in the subject so that your email won't be regarded as spam

Office hours

Monday 12:00pm-1:00pm; Friday 2:30pm-3:30pm in my office PGH 634 or by appointment.
You do not need to make an appointment or inform me about attending office hours, just come in to my office with any questions that you have during the time indicated above.

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.

Recitation class: 18805

Place/Time: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 11:00am-12:00pm in SEC 203
Teaching Assistant: Neil Jerome Egarguin
Email: njae@math.uh.edu
Office hours: Tuesday 3:00pm-4:00pm in PGH 347

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, any announcements made in class, and any tests that were given in class. Absence during quizzes and exams for reasons other than discussed in section Extraordinary Circumstances below, will result in a zero grade for that test. 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 15-18 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 12-16, which include the following topics:
-Functions of several variables
-Partial derivatives, chain rule
-Directional derivatives, gradient
-Maximum, minimum values, Lagrange multipliers
-Multiple integrals
-Line integrals, Green's theorem, curl and divergence
-Surface integrals, Stroke's theorem

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:

• Quizzes: 15% (one lowest grade will be dropped)
• Midterm 1: 25%
• Midterm 2: 25%
• Final: 35%

Quizzes

Almost every Wednesday there will be a 10-minute quiz in the beginning of a recitation class. If not otherwise noted, assume that there will be a quiz on Wednesday. Do not be late for the class, or you will loose quiz time. Most of the time quiz will cover material from previous week, but it may cover any previous material.

One lowest grade among all quizzes will be dropped. There will be no make-up quizzes. Excused absences are discussed below in section Extraordinary Circumstances.

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. It is expected that by the next Wednesday you will know how to solve all problems posted for the previous week.
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 lecture. Exams will start at the beginning of the class and will be 50 minutes long. 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 will take place during the lecture on February 28. Please do not be late, the exam will start at 10:00am sharp and will finish at 10:50am sharp. The exam will cover everything that was covered up to date, in other words the following chapters: 11.8-11.10, 12.1-12.5, 13.1-13.3, 14.1-14.5. The exam will also rely on material from previous semester.

Practice Midterm 1.1    Practice Midterm 1.2

Solutions to practice midterms will be discussed in recitation classes on Feb 23 and Feb 26.

Midterm 2 will take place during the lecture on April 6. Please do not be late, the exam will start at 10:00am sharp and will finish at 10:50am sharp. The exam may cover everything that was covered up to date, with the main focus on the following chapters: 14.6-14.8, 15.1-15.8.

Practice Midterm 2

Solutions to practice midterm will be discussed in recitation class on April 4.

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. Final will be held on May 4, 11am-1pm in the classroom  AH 301.
The final will cover all material from this semester. Half of it will be devoted to material covered by midterms, and another half by material covered from the second midterm. In other words, half will cover chapters: 11.8-15.8 (with the proper ommisions, see section Midterm for precise chapters), and another half of the final will cover chapter 15.9, 16.1-16.9.

Practice Final

Extraordinary Circumstances

An excuse from a quiz, midterm, or the final will be granted for the following reasons only:
-Serious illness, with a doctor's note that clearly states that due to a medical condition you were not able to attend the class on a specified day
-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.


IMPORTANT
Retain all class material until you see your a final grade in the system. Do NOT throw away your graded quizzes or exams until the final grade is posted in the university system.

Class Calendar


Week
 Monday
 Wednesday
 Friday
1
Jan 17
Cancelled
 Jan 19
Intro+Review:11.2-11.7
2
 Jan 22
11.8-11.9
 Jan 24 - Quiz 1
11.10
 Jan 26
11.10
3
 Jan 29
12.1-12.2
 Jan 31 - Quiz 2
12.3
 Feb 2
12.4
4
 Feb 5
12.5
 Feb 7 - Quiz 3
13.1-13.2
 Feb 9
13.3
5
 Feb 12
14.1-14.2
 Feb 14 - Quiz 4
14.3
 Feb 16
14.4
6
 Feb 19
14.5
 Feb 21 - Quiz 5
14.6
 Feb 23
Review
7
 Feb 26
Review
 Feb 28 - (no quiz)
Midterm 1
 Mar 2
14.6
8
 Mar 5
two lectures:
14.7+14.8
 Mar 7 - Quiz 6
15.1-15.2
 Mar 9
two recitation classes


March 12-16 Spring Break
9
 Mar 19
15.3
 Mar 21 - Quiz 7
15.4
 Mar 23
15.5
10
 Mar 26
15.6
 Mar 28 - Quiz 8
15.7
 Mar 30
15.8
11
 Apr 2
two lectures:
15.9+Review
 Apr 4 - Quiz 9
two recitation classes
 Apr 6
Midterm 2
12
 Apr 9
16.1-16.2
 Apr 11 - (no quiz)
16.3
 Apr 13
16.3
13
 Apr 16
16.4
 Apr 18 - Quiz 10
16.5
 Apr 20
16.6
14
 Apr 23
two lectures
16.7+16.8
 Apr 25 - Quiz 11
two recitation classes
 Apr 27
16.9
15
 Apr 30
Review
Final
May 4, 11am-1pm


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.