MS 201 - Calculus I

Professor: Erich Friedman

About the course:

We will meet every MWF 11:00 - 11:50 and T 11:30 - 12:20 in Elizabeth 209. This course will essentially cover 4 chapters of the text Calculus: Concepts and Contexts by Stewart. In this course, we will study Written, Algebraic, Numerical, and Graphical (WANG) representations of functions and their rates of change. To do this, we will develop the main ideas of calculus: the derivative and the integral. We will learn what a derivative is, how to find them quickly, how to use them to solve applications from many different sciences, and how to undo them. You will be expected to understand why calculus works, as well as how to do the calculations involved. The development of calculus some 300 years ago was the greatest mathematical achievement in history. I hope you enjoy discovering it with me.

About me:

My e-mail address is efriedma@stetson.edu. My extension is x7552. My web page can be found at http://www.stetson.edu/~efriedma/. My office is Elizabeth 214-2. My office hours this semester are:

This means I am always in my office during these times, and you do not need an appointment. If you cannot make my regularly scheduled hours, let me know and we can set up another time to talk. You can always e-mail me, but I don't read my e-mail in the evenings. Please come by if you need help, or if you just want to chat. You will soon see that my lecture style is informal. I will be calling you by your first names (or a nickname if you prefer), so please call me Erich.

About you:

You should have passed MS 101, passed the precalculus exemption test, or have credit for precalculus through AP, IB, transfer credit, or dual enrollment. You should be comfortable with exponents, simplifying, factoring, and solving equations and inequalities. You should understand the concept of a function, and be comfortable with linear, quadratic, exponential, and logarithm functions. If you need to review this material, do it during the first week of class, as there will be no time for it later. The more you know about trig functions the better, but we will spend a few days reviewing this material. Attendance in this class is not manditory, but do not expect me to help you if you do not help yourself. Please be respectful of both me and your classmates. This means coming to class on time and not socializing in class.

About Cell Phones:

I hate them. If one goes off in class, for any reason, it's mine for the rest of the day.

About the Math Department:

I am usually available to answer your questions, in and out of class, but the math department offers several additional ways to get help. Much of the day, a free math tutor can be found in the math office, Elizabeth 211. Also, the math secretary has a list of paid tutors available at other times. There is also a math clinic which runs every MTWR afternoons and evenings in Elizabeth 209. Please seek help as soon as you fall behind.

About calculators:

Use of a graphing calculator is encouraged in this course. You will need a calculator for the tests, and you are not allowed to share. I will be using a TI-83 in class, but you can use any calculator as long as you know how to use it and it doesn't do calculus for you. You are responsible for knowing how your calculator works, and I do not offer calculator help the day of a quiz or test.

About the Honor Code:

Stetson has recently adopted an honor code. You are not only expected to do your own work, but to tell me if another student is not. The punishment for cheating is an F in the course.

About your grade:

Homework will not be collected, but I will answer some questions in class as time permits. Only odd numbered homework problems are assigned, and the answers are in the back of the book so you can check your work. These problems are designed to help you prepare for the tests, though the tests will not be exact copies of the homework. I encourage you to work together on the homework problems. You should do as much or as little homework as you need, but the leading cause of doing poorly in this course is not doing enough homework.

Quizzes in this course are of the "Gateway" variety. That means you may take a quiz up to 3 times, but you must do well for it to count. The first attempt on a quiz will be given in class on the date announced on the syllabus. Further attempts on quizzes can be made Tuesdays during office hours. Each of the 4 quizzes is worth 50 points if you pass it on the first attempt, 40 points if you pass it on the second attempt, and 30 if you pass it on the third attempt. If you have not passed a quiz by the time we have a test on that topic, you will earn a 0 for that quiz. Each quiz will be one page, and will cover recent material.

Tests will be given on the 4 dates shown on the syllabus. Please check your schedule now to see that there are no conflicts. If you are going to miss a quiz or test, please arrange something with me beforehand. If you miss a quiz or test without telling me beforehand, you will lose 10% of your grade per day, no exceptions. On the quizzes and tests, you will be expected to show your work and explain your answers. Each test is worth 100 points.

The Final Exam is comprehensive and is worth 200 points. There are 800 points total. There is no extra credit available.