Math 161, Calculus IA, Spring 2008

Calculus: Early Transcendentals, 6^th edition, by James Stewart   (ISBN-10: 0495011665, ISBN-13: 978-0495011668). The web supplements for this book may be helpful, particularly the algebra review and the various web links for each chapter.

Math 161 covers differential calculus, which is the mathematical method for analyzing changing quantities. Change is measured by, for example, slopes, velocities, acceleration, and, in general, derivatives. The precise definition of an instantaneous rate of change requires an understanding of limits, a notion which also leads to the understanding of what is meant by a continuously changing quantity. Techniques like the product, quotient, and chain rules enable efficient computation of derivatives which can then be applied to, among other things, the analysis of motion, rates of change, optimization problems, and understanding the shape of a graph. See also the course catalog description.

Attending lectures and workshops is required in this course, and students who miss a significant number of classes without obtaining excused leaves of absence from their instructors will find their grades penalized. In addition to classroom attendance, your grade for the course will be based on your performance on three exams, WebWork assignments, and quizzes:

Your scores on workshop problems and exams will be posted on BlackBoard for you to view. Your WebWork scores will be available in WebWork's internal gradebook. If you added Math 161 midway through the semester, please see the section Adding Math 161 below for how your grade will be determined.

Homework comes in two forms. One form of homework consists of supplementary exercises that are listed in the course schedule. These exercises do not contribute directly to your total grade, but they will be discussed in recitation and similar exercises will undoubtedly appear on exams.

The other form of homework is WebWork exercises. WebWork exercises are done online and provide instant feedback. When you have done a WebWork exercise correctly, your credit for the problem is immediately recorded in the database, provided it is before the due date. You may attempt WebWork problems as many times as you like, and incorrect attempts are not counted in your grade. WebWork assignments are usually due every class period, and each due date is included in the WebWork system. All WebWork problem sets, except for set 0, will be counted in your grade.

WebWork exercises are individualized for each student, but you are encouraged to discuss problems with other students. Get started early on WebWork each week and enter some answers at least a couple days before the due date. That way, you will have time to seek help on the harder problems before the set is due. The WebWork system often becomes overloaded and slow in the hours immediately before a set is due, since everyone is trying to enter their answers at the same time. Avoid the last minute rush by being done before then.

Your WebWork login name should be the same as your U of R e-mail user ID (the first part of your Rochester e-mail address), and initially your password will be your student ID number. You can change your password after you log in. If at the beginning of the semester you cannot log in to WebWork, please email the following information to your instructor, who will set up the account for you and contact you when it is activated:

1. Your full name, your @mail.rochester.edu email address, and your student ID number (e.g., Joe Horatio Schmoe, jschmoe6@mail.rochester.edu, ID number 55567890), and
2. The class number, your instructor's name, and the times the class meets (e.g., Math 161, Pearson MWF 11am).

The weekly workshops for this course will start during the first full week of classes (January 21-25), and attendance is mandatory. There are several workshops for this course, each run by a teaching assistant (TA). The workshop (recitation) sign-up lists will be posted near the elevators on the first and second floor of Hylan Building on Friday, January 18th at 3:00 pm. Please sign up ASAP!

The workshop problems will be given to you on a worksheet at the begining of each recitation. In preparation for the workshop, you are expected to have read and reviewed your class notes and the relevant sections in the textbook before you arrive. In the workshop you will share your ideas with others in a small group, and work together to solve the problems. Your TA's will check on each group's progress, answer questions, give hints and feedback, and clarify technical details. Your TA's will not "give" you the answer to any of the workshop problems. If there is time, the TA's will also discuss the WebWork or supplementary homework questions. You are encouraged to bring your textbook, calculator, and extra paper to the workshops.

Each of you will write up solutions to the workshop problems individually. It is important that you write up solutions in your own words. The usual rules of good writing apply when you are writing for any mathematics class. In particular, you should always write in complete sentences using correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. You should explain not only what you did, but why you decided to do what you did. You should think of this as an opportunity to reflect on the process that will lead you to a correct solution to similar problems. To encourage academic honesty, we will have each small group come up with a "team name" so that we know who else you worked with on the problems. You will hand in the workshop problems to your TA at the end of each recitation, and workshops handed in later will receive no credit.

To add Math 161, please do the following:

1. Talk to the Math 161 professor and have him or her either
   1. Sign a drop/add slip to be turned in to the registrar, or
   2. Give you a permission code to register for the course.
2. Email your professor the following information to set up a WebWork account:
   1. Your full name, your Rochester email address, and your student ID number (e.g., Joe Horatio Schmoe, jschmoe6@mail.rochester.edu, ID number 55567890), and
   2. The class number, your instructor's name, and the times the class meets (e.g., Math 161, Pearson MWF 11 - 11:50am).
3. Start attending workshops immediately. Introduce yourself to the TA's and tell them that you just added the course. You are expected to start doing the WebWork and workshop problems, as well as take exams, as soon as you have added the course. Anything that you miss will count against your grade.

Your instructor will set up a WebWork account for you and contact you when it is activated. Within a day of turning in your drop/add slip to the registrar, you will automatically be added to the BlackBoard website for this course.

The frequently asked questions page has information about how to obtain transfer credit, how to take a course off-campus for transfer credit, how to obtain advanced placement credit, and how to change your calculus sequence. The math department handbook may also have useful information about this.