MAT 130 A -- Spring 2009
Calculus I

Tue-Thu
8:30-9:45 AM, Chambers 3234

Course Description

Instructor:
Stephen L. Davis; click here for my weekly schedule.

Text & Tools:
H. Anton, I. Bivens, & S. Davis, Calculus, Early Transcendentals (8e), John Wiley & Sons, 2005.
TI-89 graphics calculator, Texas Instruments

Instructor comments:
Mathematics 130 is a "standard" first semester calculus course. A plan for our progress through the topics of this course is shown in the table below. You should enter this course with a solid foundation in precalculus: algebra, general function topics (e.g., composition, graphs), and knowledge of particular function types: trigonometric, exponential, and logarithmic. Our goal is to develop your capacity for reading, writing, and speaking mathematics. The venue for this effort is calculus. You should complete this course with the background to be a successful student in the succeeding course, Calculus II.

There will be two evening reviews and and three take-home writs as indicated below. Reviews are scheduled on Thursday evenings, 8-10 pm, in Chambers TBA. If a Thursday evening review presents a particular burden for your schedule, see me and we will negotiate an alternative time (preferably on Thursday afternoon). Writs will be due at the start of the next class.

Collaboration on homework is encouraged, though anything you present or turn in should represent your understanding of the material. Although homework is not a formal part of your evaluation, a record is kept of your participation in this necessary ingredient of a successful mathematical experience. Homework will be collected on Mondays (by 12:30 pm) and on Thursdays (in class). (A fuller statement on homework evaluation is in a web-based memo.)

Attendance:
Come to every class meeting and come on time. Missing class deprives both you of a first-hand class experience, and your classmates of your particular perspectives. I monitor attendance; missing 20% of class meetings can trigger action to encourage more faithful attendance. In any event, you are responsible for all material discussed in class, whether you are present or absent.

Evaluation:
The major components of your grade are 3 writs, 2 reviews, the final examination, and 2 or 3 "extended assignments." An "extended assignment" may be a more substantial and carefully presented problem set, perhaps around a theme, or may be a short paper. With a "writ" being the unit of measure, extended assignments will accumulate to the equivalent of 1 writ, reviews will be worth about 2 writs each, and the Final Examination will carry the weight of approximately 3 writs. Other considerations (e.g., participation and effort on homework assignments) may provide extra seasoning in this mix. Thus, the recipe for your grade in this course is distributed as roughly (An explanation of my grading system is available in a web-based memo.)

Schedule Guesstimate: (volatile!)
Class Dates Section Discussed Event  Chapter Topic
Jan 13, 15   intro, 1.6   2.3, 2.1    2: Limits and Continuity
Jan 20, 22 2.2, 2.4 2.5    
Jan 27, 29 1.5, 2.6 3.1 End-of-Week Writ #1  3: The Derivative
Feb 3, 5 3.2, 3.3 3.4    
Feb 10, 12 3.5, 3.6 3.7    
Feb 17, 19 4.1 prepare  Thursday Review #1  4: Exp, Log, & Inv Trig Functions
Feb 24, 26 4.2, 4.3 4.4    
Mar 3, 5 no class no class Spring Break
Mar 10, 12 5.1, 5.2 5.3, 5.4    5: The Derivative in Graphing & Applications
Mar 17, 19 5.5 5.8 Mid-Week Writ #2  
Mar 24, 26 5.6 5.7    
Mar 31, Apr 2 6.1, 6.4   prepare    Thursday Review #2  6: Integration
Apr 7, 9 6.5 6.6    
Apr 14, 16 no class 6.2, 6.3 Easter Break  
Apr 21, 23 6.8 6.7 Mid-Week Writ #3  
Apr 28, 30 6.9 7.1    7: Applications of the Definite Integral
May 5, 7 debrief Reading Day     
May 8--13 Final Examination