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MATH 249 -01 & -02: Multivariable Calculus, Fall 2010Instructor: Erin McNicholas email: [email protected]: Ford Hall, Room 211 Phone: 503-370-6590Office Hours: Monday 3:15-4:30pm (Bistro), Wednesday 3:15-4:30pm, Thursday1:00-2:00pmMath Tutoring: 6:30-9:30 pm Sunday-Thursday in the Math HearthClass Listserv: [email protected] and [email protected] Website: Course information, assignments, due dates, and policies are allavailable on the course website under WISEClass Meetings: Section 01 meets in Ford 301 every Monday, Wednesday and Fri-day from 9:10-10:10 am. Section 02 meets in Ford 201 every Mon-day, Wednesday and Friday from 10:20-11:20 am“Mathematics is not a careful march down a well-cleared highway, but a journey into a strangewilderness, where the explorers often get lost. Rigor should be a signal to the historian thatthe maps have been made, and the real explorers have gone elsewhere.” -W.S. AnglinClass ObjectivesMultivariable calculus lies in the intersection of three of the most important branches ofmathematics: algebra, analysis, and geometry. It demonstrates the elegance and beauty ofmathematics, as well as its sublime utility. By extending the concepts of one-variable calculusto higher dimensions, we encounter a variety of new issues and subtleties, many of whichrequire a deep geometric understanding to resolve. Through this course you will: learn vectorcalculus; strengthen your geometric visualization skills; practice translating between algebraic,analytic, and geometric perspectives; and develop your technical writing skills. Your gradewill be based on your level of achievement in each of the following student learning outcomes:• Your content knowledge1As demonstrated on in-class exams and quizzes• Your geometric reasoning and visualization skillsAs demonstrated on exams and supplemental geometry problems• Your technical writing abilityAs demonstrated on the supplemental geometry problemsRequired Course Materials:Calculus: Multivariable, 5thed., by McCallum, Hughes-Hallett, Gleason, et al.1Including your demonstrated ability to make judgments and draw appropriate conclusions based on quantitative infor-mation.1Course ComponentsExams: There will be three in-class exams worth 100 points each, and one cumulative final worth 150points. The final for section 01 is Friday, December 17, from 8-11am. The final for section 02 isThursday, December 16, from 8-11am.Students are expected to have a working calculator for each exam. Calculator swapping is not per-mitted during tests.Quizzes: There will be eight quizzes. These brief, in-class quizzes are each worth 6 points, and yourlowest quiz grade will be dropped.Geometry Problems: In addition to the homework there will be seven supplemental geometry prob-lems, each worth 8 points. These puzzle-like problems are designed to increase your geometric reason-ing and technical writing skills. Writing technical explanations of mathematical ideas is an importantpart of this course, and a valuable skill in many different fields. These geometry problems are smallwriting assignments due roughly every two weeks. Your lowest geometry problem grade will bedropped.Homework: Readings from the textbook and WISE site will be assigned to complement class lecture.Lectures format will assume students have completed the appropriate reading before class. Becauseof the accelerated pace of this course, it is essential that you start exploring the ideas before classand use lecture to strengthen and clarify your understanding. Problem sets for each covered sectionof the text will be assigned using WeBWork, and will count towards 60 points of your final grade.The goal of these assignments is to give you practice applying concepts covered in class, and a meansfor checking your understanding. WeBWorK is an online homework distribution and grading system.The best feature of WeBWorK is that when you enter an answer to a homework problem, the systemimmediately tells you whether the answer is correct. You can try a problem as many times as youlike. Once you get the answer right, that fact is immediately recorded (provided it is before the duedate), and any wrong answers are not counted in your grade. Here are some tips on using WeBWork:• Get started early on WeBWorK, 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 (and the ones that looked easyat first but turned out to be tricky) before the set is due. Avoid the last-minute rush. The systemoften becomes overloaded and slow in the last couple hours before a set is due, since everyone istrying to enter their answers at the same time.• WeBWorK usually requires very precise answers. For instance, if the correct answer is 1.60045 andyou enter 1.6, the system will say that’s incorrect. If you are entering a decimal answer, give at leastfive digits of accuracy. On most problems, you can enter answers like cos(9.81sqrt(340)) instead ofa messy decimal, and WeBWorK will do the calculation for you.• Some WeBWorK problems require formulaic answers, like x ∧ (2/3), which means x raised tothe power of 2/3 (two-thirds). However, if you enter x ∧ 2/3, the system will say that’s wrong,since WeBWorK interprets that as one third of x squared. So be careful and check your syntax.(WeBWorK Set 0, which is recommended but not counted in your grade, will help you learn aboutentering formulaic answers.)• WeBWorK has a previewing feature which allows you to see how a complicated formula you justentered is actually interpreted by WeBWorK. The previewer will help you track down syntax errorsand ensure that your answer is being interpreted the way you want without having to add threehundred parentheses.• Last, and MOST IMPORTANT, do not spend large amounts of time guessing random answers andentering them into WeBWork. This is a waste of your time! If you don’t know how to do a problem,please come to office hours. If you think you are doing everything correctly and WeBWork doesn’taccept your answer please come to my office hours, or email me with an explanation of what you2have done, so I can help. Banging your head against the computer, yelling at it, or throwing thecomputer out the window does not change whether or not WeBWork accepts your solution.Colloquium Talks: Students are expected to attend 2 of the Math Colloquium Talks given throughoutthe semester. These talks will be announced in


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