Text: A (free on-line?) version of CALCULUS (several variables) (or CALCULUS (one and several variables), 9th edition, by Salas, Hille, Etgen; John Wiley & Sons, Publisher, available from CASA Connect to CourseWare (to access your textbook , discussion board, etc.)
Time and Place: MWF 10-11am in 102 SW.
Course Homepage : here
Instructor: Dr. David Blecher (Email: dblecher@math.uh.edu)
Office Hours: MWF 11-12 am in 622 PGH (or call 713-743-3451 for appointment).
Prerequisites: Math 1432. You will need to be quite good at algebra and trigonometry, and integration and differentiation techniques. So review these well.
TA's: Natasha Sharma (nsharma@math.uh.edu), Sneh Lata (snehlata@math.uh.edu), Aanchal Aggarwal (aanchal@math.uh.edu), Suraizou Sogome (ssogome@math.uh.edu) and (to be announced). See TA for her/his office/mathlab hours.
Final exam: 11-2 Friday Dec 12. There will be no make-up final.
Last day to drop the class and get a full refund. After that date there are no refunds. : September 8, at 5pm.
Last day to drop a class or withdraw: November 4, at 5pm.
Thanksgiving holiday : Nov 26-29.
Last day of class : Dec 5.
In this course we study vector calculus---calculus in two and three dimensions. Calculus is basically a collection of recipes for solving a certain stock of problems. In Calculus III we also need to get used to thinking, visualizing, and sketching in 3-D; and learning the language, notation, and geometry of 3 dimensions. This will become easier with time and practice. I find Calculus III much more cohesive and enjoyable than Calculus II. The syllabus is quite long. We need to move fast through the first few chapters so that we get enough time to spend on the more difficult material at the end. It is important to keep up to date.
Download and study carefully the webpages describing the course syllabus, calendar, and homework assignments from here
Attendance is mandatory. Roll will be taken in class and in lab; students with bad attendance patterns tend to lose their grip on the course, and plummet or drop out. Students who miss more than four classes in the semester without excuse will be penalized at a rate of up to 1 % of their grade for each unexcused absence after the fourth absence. The syllabus is quite long. We will need to move fast through the first few chapters so that we get enough time to spend on the more difficult material at the end. It is important to keep up to date.
COURSE GRADES: course grade is approximately based on a total score of 700 points consisting of quizzes (100 points), homework (100 points), three semester tests (100 points each), and a final exam (200 points). The instructor may change this at his discretion if doing so will benefit the class as a whole. No WebCT for Calculus III, I believe.
TESTS AND EXAM: The tests and exam will be based on the notes given in class, and on the homework, but will also require you to think on your own (that is, some questions on the tests will not be quite like the homeworks. They will be easy, but do require you to have absorbed concepts and ideas that were in the lectures/notes, and to use some basic deductive reasoning). Therefore it is not sufficient merely to read the text---it is essential to have good class notes so that you know what to concentrate on for the tests. If you know that you will have to miss a test, let me know by email as soon as you know. I will need an excuse (doctors note, etc) for my records. There will be mock exams and review sessions given before each test and exam. The final exam is comprehensive. You may avoid taking the final if you get great grades on all 3 semester tests.
ONE THING THAT IS QUITE DIFFERENT FROM CALC 1 and 2 AND WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU: The instructor (thats me) makes up the tests and exam, they are no longer `common exams'. That means that I have total control over the course content. That is, the tests and exams reflect what I teach and what I consider important, what I emphasize in class. What that means for you is 1) you can't rely as much on the textbook as you may have done in Calc 1 and 2; you will need to rely more on my class notes, and what you pick up from me in class. That is another reason why attendance is important; 2) you can pay less attention to things I don't focus on; 3) you should study my mock exams carefully to see my style of test, and to see what I emphasize.
HOMEWORKS: A portion of these will be collected and graded, every week starting the second week of classes. A list of problems will be posted on the course homepage by the previous Wednesday along with a pdf file for completing the homework. Generally in any week, you should turn in the homework for sections finished completely the previous week, unless I or the TA tells you otherwise. You must print off this file and provide your work and answers on the sheets. Staple them in the upper left hand corner, and make sure that all information (name, etc.) is provided. Any deviation from these instructions will result in a homework grade of ZERO for that assignment. We will select 2-3 problems at random to grade. Nonetheless, you should attempt ALL assigned homework problems (except perhaps occasionally for some the more difficult ones right at the end of the section). They are there to help you learn and INTERNALIZE the material. Remember that Math is always easy when you look back on it, AFTER you have spent the time wrestling with the new concepts and doing plenty of exercises. No pain, no gain. You are encouraged to work with others, form study groups, and so on. However you should not simply copy homework: copied homework is an infringement of academic honesty and will be penalized severely.
So, a recipe for success is: 1) Do as many problems as possible, 2) Clear up confusions (ask for help if you are lost - we want to help you get found!), 3) Learn from your mistakes - for example, check carefully through your graded work, 4) Give sufficient time to study (particularly for tests).
COMPLAINTS AND SUGGESTIONS: Please bring comments or complaints to my attention as soon as possible. Don't wait until the end of the semester to bring up a matter which we could deal with and solve early on.
INCOMPLETES: only given to students with at least a C average who are unable to take the Final for unforseeable, unpreventable, documented circumstances.
RECITATION CLASS/LAB: You will be given at least 20 minutes to ask any questions you may have. In addition to the CourseWare quizzes you will take online, there will be a weekly quiz of NO MORE than 10 minutes in duration, they should pretty much be standard questions from the homework set - so that anyone who has been doing the homework properly should have already solved these problems and be able to answer them easily. There are no make-up quizzes, but the lowest few of these grades will be dropped. You will be quizzed on sections that have been covered the previous week. Thus if Friday's lecture ends in the middle of 12.5, the quiz the next week will be on up to and including 12.4.
TUTORING/HELP: Help is available at several levels. The easiest place to get help is your recitation session. Here the TA's will answer questions and go over homework problems. Your instructor and your TA will have office hours and help is available there as well. There are two free tutoring services. Mathlab ( (MathLab), located in 222 Garrison. MathLab has student tutors who, on a walk-in basis, offer help with individual problems. MathLab also sponsors test-preparation workshops prior to each of the examinations in the course.) You can get online help at any time http://online.math.uh.edu. There is also a tutoring service in the Social Work building. Also there are videos available covering all the prerequisite classes. You have already paid for these through your fees so use them. They're also a good `hang-out' place.
ADVICE FOR STUDYING FOR TESTS: 1) Put in the time. 2) Read thru the classnotes several times making sure you understand everything, and how everything fits together. Memorize the definitions, statements of main facts/theorems, etc. 3) Make a list of things you don't understand and ask me or your TA. 4) Go carefully thru old tests and quizzes, and the keys, making sure you learn from your mistakes. 5) Go thru the homeworks, and do plenty more. 6) Do the mock exams, but keep one to do under test conditions as a reality check. 7) Keep checking my website for new postings if any.