- Instructor:
- M. Randall Holmes.
- Office number:
- MG240A
- Office telephone:
- 426-3011.
- Office hours:
- See ``open office policy'' below.
- Home telephone:
- 345-2899 (please do not use after 8:30 pm or between 6 pm
Friday and noon Sunday).
- Internet:
- E-mail holmes@math.boisestate.edu
Web page
http://math.boisestate.edu/~holmes
This syllabus
and other course information will be accessible from my web page.
- Title of Course:
- Math 170/1, Calculus I and Calculus I computer lab.
Each student in this class must be registered for both components, and
you will receive the same grade for both components.
This course is a Core course and meets certain learning objectives of
the Boise State core curriculum. To find out about this, and to find
out about department expectations about this course, you can see the
department generic syllabus for this course, found at the URL
http://math.boisestate.edu/dept-stuff/Generic/M170.html.
- Schedule:
- Wednesdays (alternate), Thurs-Fri, 7:40-9:30 in MG 108.
- Final exam date and time (NOW FINALIZED):
- Monday, Dec 16 8-10
am. (This has been coordinated with the other ``Micron schedule''
instructor who shares our slots: we have the 7:40 MWF slot and they
have the 8:40 MWF slot).
- Textbook:
- Calculus with Early Transcendentals (fourth edition), Stewart.
This book has been used earlier, so there should be some used
copies in the bookstore.
Also Laboratory Manual for Calculus, July 2001 version,
our home-grown manual for the Maple labs.
- Prerequisites:
- Normally, a grade of C or better in Math 143/4
or Math 147 or the equivalent in transfer credit, or satisfactory
score on a placement exam or on the mathematics component of the SAT
or ACT. Students who do not meet the prerequisites will be
administratively withdrawn if this comes to my attention.
- Calculators:
- You are expected to have a graphing calculator in
this class. You will sometimes be permitted to use a graphing
calculator on exams and sometimes not (usually not!), so you also need
to have a plain scientific calculator without graphing or symbolic
calculation capabilities. You have been warned.
- Getting into the Class:
- I will not under any circumstances
override the class size limitations. As long as web registration is
allowed, I cannot maintain any kind of waiting list. As soon as my
signature is required to add the class, I will allow people into the
class (but never over the official capacity of the room) with
preference for those who have been attending.
- Attendance:
- Attendance will not be formally taken, except for
the first two meetings of the class. Students who do not attend at
least one of the first two meetings are subject to administrative
withdrawal. In general, you are expected to attend this class every
day. To encourage this, I maintain a policy of no makeups for the
periodic homework quizzes.
- Homework:
- Homework will be assigned every day, and will generally
be due two class sessions later (with opportunity for discussion, so exam
dates do not count as intervening days). A complete schedule of homework
is attached to this syllabus, though it may be subject to change.
Homework will be evaluated in two ways. I will record homework handed
in on time by checking it off - this will count for 30% of your
homework grade (exclusive of Maple labs). I will periodically give
quizzes at the beginning of the class period, which will consist of
questions that appeared on the homework, and for which you will be
allowed to consult your homework paper and use calculators (but not
your book). Grades on these quizzes will constitute 70% of your
homework grade (exclusive of Maple labs). Some small number of missed
quizzes will be forgiven; there will be no makeups for quizzes
except in the case of students who have official university activities
for which university policy requires that makeups be given. Quizzes
will not necessarily be announced. Regular attendance is strongly
encouraged!
Maple labs will be also be a component of your homework grade. See
the homework schedule for information about my intentions about
holding Maple labs. Maple labs will be done with a lab partner and
turned in electronically.
- Exams:
- There will be four ``hour exams'' (you will have the
whole period to take them) and a final exam in this course. The final
will be cumulative. Class time will not be officially devoted to
review for exams, except that there may (time permitting) be a review
day for the final. Exam dates are Sept. 19, Oct 11, Nov. 8, and
Dec. 6.
- Late Work and Makeups:
- Makeups for exams will be possible, and
should if possible be arranged in advance of your absence. There are
no makeups for quizzes, as noted above. Homework turned in late will
be given a late check with half the value of the check for homework
turned in on time.
- Computation of Grades:
- Exams will usually be scaled linearly
so that the median class grade is 75%, then graded with 90's = A,
80's = B, 70's = C, 60's = D, etc. I may change the scaling if I am
displeased with the class performance (though this seldom happens); I
will never scale grades downward.
Your total homework grade has the same weight as an hour exam (it will
not be scaled or adjusted); your final exam will have the weight of
two hour exams. Your lowest hour exam grade (or your homework grade
if it is lowest) may be replaced by your grade on the final exam if
this helps you. Your course grade will be the sum of your hour exam
grades and your homework grade (the lowest of these five grades being
replaced by the final exam grade if this helps) plus twice the final
exam grade, divided by seven.
- Open Office Policy:
- My office hours for these classes are to be
announced. I will almost always be in my office at the officially
scheduled times, and I will try to warn you when I will not be. If I
am in my office during a posted office hour, I am available to help
you.
Don't assume that these are the only times when you can get help! I
am generally in my office the entire working day (I take either the
4:40 or the 5:10 bus home) and I am never offended by a student asking
me for help if I am in the office (though I may help only briefly if I
am very busy).
- Academic Honesty:
- Collaboration on homework is expected and
even encouraged in this class. This does not mean copying of
homework. Collaboration on exams is of course not allowed. The penalty
for cheating (defined as looking at another student's paper or unauthorized
use of books or notes during an exam) will be a grade of zero (0) on the
relevant exam. A repeat offense will mean an F in the course.
- Courtesy Issues:
- Cellular phones must be turned off during
class. If there is a good reason that you must await a phone
call during class, please inform me in advance and minimize the
disruption by sitting near an exit.
You do not need to contact me if you are missing class or if you need
to arrive late or leave early; but I do need you to enter or leave the
class quietly in either case. Of course, you do need to contact me,
preferably in advance, if you are missing an exam.
- Definitions:
- The word ``yesterday'' is defined to mean the previous
class session; the word ``tomorrow'' is defined to mean the next class session,
unless I specifically say otherwise :-)
