Math 126, Spring 2013

This syllabus is subject to minor revision throughout the quarter; changes will be announced on the course webpage or in class.

Professor:Max Lieblich
Office: Padelford C-529
Office hours: M/W 1:30-2:30 PM or by appointment. This is subject to change at any time.

Course Materials: The primary repository of information for the course will be on my webpage. Quizzes, surveys, and the GoPost discussion group will be on Catalyst or Canvas.

Text: Multivariable Calculus by James Stewart.

Course Content:   Vectors and vector functions, polar coordinates, calculus on vector functions, dot products and cross products, lines and planes, curvature, multi-variable functions, partial derivatives, optimization, tangent planes, double integrals, Taylor polynomials and Taylor series. You're going to love it!

Course Organization: Each week is outlined on the course website. There will be three lectures per week given by your instructor. In addition, you will meet in smaller sections on Tuesdays and Thursdays to work in groups on problems, discuss the homework, and get answers to your questions about the material.

You are responsible for the sections of the book indicated in the course outline, even if we do not get to discuss them in detail in lecture. Important note: we will not be able to cover all of the material in lecture and section. This means that you get to have fun thinking about it on your own! It is recommended that you try to read the material before it is discussed in class. If there is anything that you do not understand or would like to have explained in more detail, do not hesitate to ask. Remember that mathematics is learned mostly by working on problems. We will do our best to help you, but it is your participation that will make all the difference.

Work/exams/fun: All homework will be done through webassign. Dr. Taggart has also written a description of how to use it.

• The biweekly homework assignments will be due on Tuesdays and Thursdays, through webassign. Late homework will not be accepted. The two lowest homework scores will be dropped when calculating your final grade.
• You will keep a weekly calculus journal online. Each week, you will write an entry describing how the material you are learning about appears in your lives. For example, you might make a toy model of the terrain between your room/apartment and class and try to estimate the total number of meters you actually walk (accounting for elevation changes) to get here. Etc.
• Occasional quizzes will be very short multiple choice quizzes that are meant to help you keep up with the course. They will happen sporadically, if at all.
• The two midterm tests will take place on
  • Thursday, April 25
  • Tuesday, May 21
  in your section. No make-up exams will be given. You may bring one formula sheet to the exams; this is a single 8.5 by 11 inch piece of paper, with writing permitted on both sides.
• The final exam will contain questions from all the topics covered in the course, and will be held on June 8 from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM. There will be a make-up final on a day during finals period to be announced soon. You may bring one formula sheet to the exam; this is a single 8.5 by 11 inch piece of paper, with writing permitted on both sides.

Grading: If you think that this kind of thing means anything, assume that your final grade for Math 126 might be computed as follows:

• Homework: 25-40%
• Midterm 1: 20-25%
• Midterm 2: 20-25%
• Final: 20-25%

We will discuss this more in class.

Calculators: Only simple scientific calculators will be allowed on the midterms and the final exam. Any calculator that can replace your brain (or mine!) is not permitted.

Math Study Center:   You are encouraged to visit the Math Study Center for help with the course. It is located in Communications B-014. The hours are

• M - Th: 9:30 AM to 9:30 PM
• Fri: 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM
• Sun: 2 PM to 6 PM