Instructor: Dave Rusin (rusin@math.utexas.edu)
Office hrs: Tuesdays 3:30-5pm and Wednesdays 11am-3pm
Feel free to drop in during those hours to my office, PMA 9.140.
I can also arrange additional times to meet; send me email if
you'd like to meet with me.
I am teaching two sections of this course this term. They should run in
parallel, so if you have to miss your class one day, you can *probably*
make it up by attending the other class. But please be aware that the
classes are organic things, and I will probably adjust the exams for
YOUR section to match what happened when YOUR section was meeting.
So as a rule, stick to your assigned times. They are:
Unique IDs 54915 and 54920: meet me at 11am in GSB 2.126
Unique IDs 54975 and 54980: meet me at 2pm in CPE 2.214
Those classes meet every Tuesday and Thursday. Classes run 75 minutes.
In addition, you will meet every Monday and Wednesday for an hour with
a Teaching Assistant. Again, please attend at the time that corresponds
to your registered section only:
54915 10am UTC 3.102
54920 1pm CPE 2.210
54975 11am CPE 2.206
54980 5pm PMA 5.104
Teaching asst: TBA
TA Office hrs and location: TBA
Text: Calculus (9th Edition, "Early Transcendentals" version) by
James Stewart et al. There is an electronic version of the text
available (see below). (This is the first semester we will be using the
9th edition of the text. Because of minor variations from the previous
editions, we may discover some scheduling wrinkles. The content of the
course has not changed however, and if you happen to have an older
edition already, that should probably suffice.)
Course webpage: http://www.ma.utexas.edu/~rusin/408C-23b/
Course description: M408C is the standard first-semester calculus course. It is directed at students in the natural sciences and engineering. The emphasis in this course is on problem-solving, not the theory of analysis. There should be some understanding of analysis, but the majority of the proofs in the text should not be covered in class. The syllabus for M408C includes most of the basic topics in the theory of functions of a real variable: algebraic, trigonometric, logarithmic and exponential functions and their limits, continuity, derivatives, maxima and minima, integration, area under a curve, and volumes of revolution.
Only one of the following may be counted: Mathematics 403C, 408K, 408N.
There is a cycle of activity that we follow for each section of the book (typically one class meeting per section).
Our "lecture" meeting times together go by very quickly so we must make the most of them. Come to class daily, with all the materials you need to take notes and work problems.
During each of these regular sessions I will answer any questions that you may have from the Learning Module, and then present some more examples or some sample applications. I would like to have you work on problems in groups during the class.
Your semester grade will be based on a number of components:
Learning modules: Quest will assign you a grade for these and at the end of the semester it will provide me your average score (0 to 100). I will adjust this a bit by dropping your lowest two learning module scores. Note: Doing the Learning Modules well is your easiest route to improving your semester grade!
Homeworks: There will be questions for you to answer on Quest after each class. This will enable you to get constant feedback on how well you are understanding the material. Note that Quest will subtract points for wrong answers, so think carefully before you answer or you could end up with a negative score! (Why?) I will drop the two lowest homework grades and average the rest to give you a "Homework Score" of up to 100 points for the semester.
Exams: There will be 3 mid-term exams, to be held during the usual class period, and a comprehensive final exam. The exams will be a mix of multiple-choice and free-response questions. The midterms will have about a dozen questions for you to answer in the 75 minutes; the final is a bit longer but you have 2 hours for it. The Final exam will be held in the usual classroom. It is scheduled for:
54915/20: GSB 2.126 MONDAY DECEMBER 11 8-10 AM 54975/80: CPE 2.214 THURSDAY DECEMBER 07 8-10 AM
Because my exams tend to be hard, I have a way to "curve" the exam scores. I will compute both your raw score and your curved score and whichever is higher for you will be the score I use when computing semester grades. The curving method is simple: I compute the mean, mu, and the standard deviation, sigma, of the class's raw scores, and then a person with a raw score of X will get a curved score of
85 + 10 (X-mu) / sigma(with a maximum curved score of 105). This way the mean curved score will be 85 and the standard deviation of the curved scores will be 10. In effect, the average grade is a "B" and being off by one standard deviation raises or lowers your grade by one letter grade.
Letter Grades: Your final semester grade is simply the average of the components: learning module, homework, and exam grades count equally (1/6 each). This number is converted to a letter grade according to the following scale: https://xkcd.com/2329/ Just kidding. I use a pretty standard conversion formula:
| 97.0-100 | A+ |
| 93.0-96.9 | A |
| 90.0-92.9 | A- |
| 87.0-89.9 | B+ |
| 83.0-86.9 | B |
| 80.0-82.9 | B- |
| 77.0-79.9 | C+ |
| 73.0-76.9 | C |
| 70.0-72.9 | C- |
| 67.0-69.9 | D+ |
| 63.0-66.9 | D |
| 60.0-62.9 | D- |
| 0-59.9 | F |
Your primary sources of human help this semester should should be your instructor and your teaching assistant, either in class or in office hours. But there are two other ways to get help here at UT:
CalcLab: The Mathematics Department offers assistance to all students taking Calculus courses in our new Calc Lab. Here's the department's web page about this: https://www.ma.utexas.edu/academics/undergraduate/calclab/ The Calculus Lab is in PMA 8.136 and is staffed most weekday afternoons. (This semester's schedule will appear on the preceding web page.) If you go there during those hours you will typically find two graduate Teaching Assistants and some undergraduate Learning Assistants whose job it is to help you learn the material, perhaps clarifying some point from our class or the textbook, perhaps giving hints on homework. Please take advantage of their help!
In addition to visiting the instructor or the teaching assistant during office hours, you might want to make use the services of the Sanger Learning and Career Center. The Sanger Center offers several forms of tutoring to students throughout the semester (for students in select math courses, including M408C).
Exam conditions: Textbooks, notes, and electronic devices (including phones and calculators) are not permitted during exams.
No late work: It is in general not possible to make up missing assignments or exams after the due date. If you believe you will have to miss a graded event, please notify me in advance; I will try to arrange for you to complete the work early.
Late course entry: If you enroll within the first four class days of the semester, and have missed any graded material, I will adjust the weighting of your graded sections accordingly so that you are not penalized. No such accommodation is made for students who enroll on the 5th day or later. (Such students must enroll through the MPAA advising center in PMA, and ordinarily I do not admit students who ask to enroll then if they have missed any graded activities).
Course drop dates:
Textbook: The materials for this class are available through the Longhorn Textbook Access (LTA) program, a new initiative between UT Austin, The University Co-op and textbook publishers to significantly reduce the cost of digital course materials for students. You are automatically opted into the program but can easily opt-out (and back in) via Canvas through the 12th class day. If you remain opted-in at the end of the 12th class day you will receive a bill through your "What I Owe" page and have until the end of the 18th class day to pay and retain access. If you do not pay by the 18th class day, you will lose access to the materials after the 20th class day and your charge will be removed. More information about the LTA program is available at https://www.universitycoop.com/longhorn-textbook-access
Quest: This course makes use of the web-based Quest content delivery and homework server system maintained by the College of Natural Sciences. This homework service will require a $30 charge per student per class for its use, with no student being charged more than $60 a semester. This goes toward the maintenance and operation of the resource. Please go to http://quest.cns.utexas.edu to log in to the Quest system for this class. After the 12th day of class, when you log into Quest you will be asked to pay via credit card on a secure payment site. Quest provides instructional material for this coursei which is mandatory, just as is your textbook, etc. For payment questions, email quest.billing@cns.utexas.edu.
Academic Integrity: Please read the message about Academic Integrity from the Dean of Students Office. I very much prefer to treat you as professionals whose honesty is beyond question; but if my trust is violated I will follow the procedures available to me to see that dishonesty is exposed and punished. In case you are unfamiliar with the UT Honor code, please allow a governor, a first lady, and Mr. "Alright alright alright!" to remind you: UT Honor Code
Students with disabilities: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-4641 TTY.
Campus safety: Please familiarize yourself with the Emergency Preparedness instructions provided by the university's Campus Safety and Security office. In the event of severe weather or a security threat, we will immediately suspend class and follow the instructions given. You may wish to sign up with the campus alert programs.
Counseling: Students often encounter non-academic difficulties during the semester, including stresses from family, health issues, and lifestyle choices. I am not trained to help you with these but do encourage you to take advantage of the Counselling and Mental Health Center, Student Services Bldg (SSB), 5th Floor, open M-F 8am-5pm. (512 471 3515, or www.cmhc.utexas.edu
Religious holidays: If you are unable to participate in a required class activity (such as an exam) because it conflicts with your religious traditions, please notify me IN ADVANCE and I will make accommodations for you. Typically I will ask you to complete the required work before the religious observance begins.
Sharing of Course Materials is Prohibited: No materials used in this class, including, but not limited to, lecture hand-outs, videos, assessments (quizzes, exams, papers, projects, homework assignments), in-class materials, review sheets, and additional problem sets, may be shared online or with anyone outside of the class unless you have my explicit, written permission. Unauthorized sharing of materials promotes cheating. It is a violation of the University's Student Honor Code and an act of academic dishonesty. I am well aware of the sites used for sharing materials, and any materials found online that are associated with you, or any suspected unauthorized sharing of materials, will be reported to Student Conduct and Academic Integrity in the Office of the Dean of Students. These reports can result in sanctions, including failure in the course.
Transcript flags: This course carries the Quantitative Reasoning flag. Quantitative Reasoning courses are designed to equip you with skills that are necessary for understanding the types of quantitative arguments you will regularly encounter in your adult and professional life. You should expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from your use of quantitative skills to analyze real-world problems. This course may be used to fulfill the math component of the university core curriculum and addresses the following three core objectives established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board: communication skills, critical thinking skills, and empirical and quantitative skills.
This course is designed to help you learn to:
Aug 22,24 1.4, 1.5, 2.1 (Aug 21: no meeting with TA) Aug 29,31 2.2-2.6 Sep 5, 7 2.7-2.8 (Sep 4 is the Labor Day holiday; no meeting with TA) Sep 12,14 3.1 EXAM 1 Sep 19,20 3.2-3.4 Sep 26,28 3.5-3.8 Oct 3, 5 3.9-3.11 Oct 10,12 4.1 EXAM 2 Oct 17,19 4.2-4.4 Oct 24,26 4.5-4.8 Oct 31,02 4.9 EXAM 3 Nov 07,09 5.1-5.3 Nov 14,16 5.3-5.5 Nov 21,23 -- no classes or meetings: Thanksgiving/Fall Break Nov 28,30 6.1-6.2 Mon Dec 4: last class day; we may use the TA hour for review.
Attendance is not mandatory. But who are we kidding? At the pace of this class, any time you miss a class, you are at least a whole section behind! That's hard to make up. Plus, if you are (to take a common example) paying in-state tuition for 12 undergraduate credit-hours in the College of Engineering, the tuition alone costs you $80 for every one of those 28 class meetings. Are you really going to throw away $80 you have already paid, so that you can stay home and take a nap?
You may have spent most of your mathematical life working on problems by yourself. This is a good thing; you become self-reliant. However, I strongly encourage you to work with one or two other students in this class on a regular basis. Challenge each other to solve the problems, to explain the concepts, and to ask each other for help. This is the way mathematics is done in the real world, and practicing this now can help you this semester and beyond.
Since you are adults, I leave it to you to monitor your level of understanding on your own, and to seek help when you need it. But please allow me to share my experience. Every student who starts this class has met the pre-requisites and has the expectation that he or she will succeed. Nonetheless, every semester, as many as a quarter of these bright, hard-working students ends up with a D or F, or withdraws. No one likes this outcome. Please be attentive to your progress on homeworks and quizzes and midterms. If you find you are always asking other people for help while studying; if you find that it takes you hours and hours to complete every homework set; if the learning modules give you a lot of trouble, or you score less than half the possible points on a midterm exam: in these cases, you CAN succeed, but ONLY if you change your patterns immediately. Optimism is a wonderful thing but it alone cannot bring the results you may want. Please see me early in the semester if you think you may have trouble during this course. I can try to help you with the material, or with your study habits, or else advise you to withdraw. Let's make this the first-ever 100% successful Math 408C class!
One more suggestion: have fun this semester! Some of us think math is so cool that we end up doing it for a living. I will try to convey to you some of what's kewl, and invite you to consider majoring (or minoring) in math, joining the math club, or simply taking more math classes. I am always happy to chat about mathematics topics beyond what we discuss in class.