Integral Calculus for Scientists, M408N, Spring 2013, Unique #s: 56095, 56100, 56105

  • Professor: Lorenzo Sadun, sadun@math.utexas.edu
  • Teaching Assistant: Anna Ayzenshtat, aayzenshtat@math.utexas.edu
  • Learning Assistant: Ben Braun, bjmnbraun@gmail.com
  • Learning Assistant: Jaime Rivera, jaime@cs.utexas.edu
  • Lectures: TuTh 9:30-11:00, CPE 2.214
  • Discussion sections by unique number:
    56095: MW 12-1, RLM 5.122
    56100: MW 1-2, RLM 5.118
    56100: MW 3-4, RLM 5.116
  • Website: http://www.ma.utexas.edu/~sadun/S13/M408S
  • Office: RLM 9.114
  • Sadun Office Hours: W10-11, Th 11-12, RLM 9.114
  • Anna's Office Hours: MW 4-5:30, RLM 10.142
  • Ben's Office Hours: M5-7, F3-5, Jester Center, 2nd floor piano lounge (by J2)
  • Jaime's Office Hours: MW 2-4, Jester Center, 2nd floor piano lounge (by J2)
  • Phone: 471-7121
  • Text: Calculus, Early Transcendentals, 7th Edition, by Stewart.
  • Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students in the College of Natural Sciences who have passed M408N (or M408K) with a grade of C- or better. If you do not meet these conditions, you will be dropped from the class.

  • Six pillars: Calculus has a reputation of being a hard class that features a million different equations to be memorized. There are a lot of formulas and techniques, but almost everything boils down to six simple ideas, which I call the six pillars of calculus:
    1. Close is good enough (limits)
    2. Track the changes (derivatives)
    3. What goes up has to stop before is can come down (max/min)
    4. The whole is the sum of the parts (integrals)
    5. The whole change is the sum of the partial changes (fundamental theorem)
    6. One variable at a time!
    M408N was mostly about the first three pillars, with a little bit about #4 and #5 at the end. M408S is about pillars 1, 4, and 5, with a little bit about #6 at the end. M408M is all about pillar 6.

  • Three questions: There are three questions associated with every mathematical topic you ever will see.
    1. What is it?
    2. How do you compute it?
    3. What is it good for?
    Most of high school calculus is about "how do you compute it?", and plenty of students get 5's on the AP exams without ever understanding what they're actually doing. College calculus is different! We'll study techniques of integration and tests for convergence, but we'll also study what convergence means, what an integral is, and what integrals are good for. When you understand those ideas, and think about how each new formula or technique follows from those ideas, then everything will become much, much easier.

  • There will be in-class midterm exams on Thursday February 21 and Thursday March 21. Exams are closed book and calculators are not allowed. However, you are allowed to bring an 8.5" x 11" crib sheet with whatever you want written on it. Outlines, useful formulas, worked problems, calming advice -- you name it. The only restriction is that the crib sheet must be handwritten by you.

  • The final exam will be on Monday, May 13, 9:00-12:00 noon, room TBD. Yes, that's almost the last day of finals week, and no, you can't take it early. The ground rules are the same as for the midterms, except that you are allowed two crib sheets instead of one. Calculators are not allowed.

  • The homework and grading scheme are explained in the First Day Handout
    •
  • Various instructors are holding extended office hours during the week. The schedule is:
    Tuesday 3-4, PAI 5.52 Jesse Miller
    Thursday 12-1:30, RLM 4.102 Mark Maxwell
    Friday 12-1:30, RLM 4.102 Anna Spice (I'll probably show up, too)
    Saturday 12-1:30 RLM 4.102 Lorenzo Sadun
    Sunday, details TBD, Anna Ayzenshtat


    • *Handouts and Other Course Information

  • First Day Handout
  • Course Schedule
  • Written HW assignments
  • Workbook
  • The Quest server. That's where you get learning modules and do the online portion of your homework.
  • Actual first midterm, both with and without solutions.
  • Actual second midterm, both with and without solutions.
  • Review notes on power series.


  • All of Prof. Maxwell's midterms. They're good practice for the final, and cover through Taylor series.
  • All of Prof. Spice's midterms. They're also good practice for the final, but only cover through part of sequences and series (they don't include power series).
  • A set of 27 conceptual questions. You can also look at my answers to these questions, but I strongly recommend that you write down your own answers first.
  • Anna Ayzenshtat's review problems can be found here.
  • Actual final exam, both with and without solutions.
  • Quest questions from final exam. The solutions are 6, 6, 3, 3, 2 and 4.
  • My Youtube channel with many math videos. These videos are being incorporated into some of the Quest learning modules.
  • The Sanger Center, a great source of (mostly) free help.