Instructor: Henry TowsnerE-mail: [email protected]: MS 5634Office Hours: Wednesday, 1:00-3:00; Friday, 10:30-11:30Course Website: http://www.math.ucla.hpt/∼hpt/3a.2.10f/Midterm Exams: October 20th and November 17th1. Textbook(a) The textbook for this class is C. Neuhauser, Calculus for Biology andMedicine, 3rd Ed., Prentice Hall.(b) Since this is a new edition, it may be cheaper to obtain a used copy ofthe second edition. The editions are fairly similar, so this should notbe a problem. However there may be small differences, particularlywhen it comes to homework problems. If you purchase the olderedition, it is your responsibility to make sure you are doing the righthomework problems.(c) The bookstore also sells a solutions manual, which includes detailedsolutions to some of the problems from the textbook. This book ispurely for your benefit as a study aid, if you find it useful.2. Using the textbook(a) This course will cover part of chapter two, and chapters three throughfive of Neuhauser(b) An approximate course schedule is available online athttp://www.math.ucla.edu/ugrad/courses/math3abc/3Aoutline.shtml(c) You should make sure to read the material being covered in additionto attending lecture. Some people find it more useful to read thetextbook before the lecture, some find it more useful to read thetextbook after. Figure out which works for you.3. Lectures(a) Math classes often require different notetaking strategies than othersubjects, and (for the 70% of you who are entering college), collegeclasses require different notetaking strategies than high school courses(b) Math courses need to make a lot of use of the board to write downtechnical matter—formal definitions, intermediate steps simplifyingan equation, and so on. But, for example, formal definitions arealready in your textbook, so it may not be efficient to copy the samething word for word during lecture!(c) Conversely, not everything important will be written on the black-board. Some of the most important parts of lecture are the informalexplanations: why is the definition the way is, what trick do we use1at this step of a problem, how do we know which method is appropri-ate. These informal ideas often don’t get written on the blackboard,but that doesn’t mean they aren’t important.(d) Often we’ll have to work an equation during lecture for a number ofsteps. Don’t worry if you don’t follow every last step right on thespot. But do make sure you can fill in the steps with a little bit ofthought on your own; if, after thinking about it for a bit on yourown, you still can’t figure out what’s going on, make sure to ask meor someone else to be sure you understand it.(e) Relatedly, when I’m solving an equation on the blackboard, especiallya sample problem, I try to do as much each step as I want you tobe able to do on your own (see “Background Skills”, below). Forexample, from one equation to the next I might factor out one termwhile cancelling a second. Many students, especially at the beginningof the course, have difficulty recognizing that the two equations meanthe same thing, and that’s fine. In your own work, you should writeas many intermediate steps as need to get the answer without makingmistakes. However being able to make several simplifications at once,and most especially, the ability to have some idea what the result ofa simplification looks like without having to write it down is valuableskill, and the lecture is a chance to practice that skill.(f) The converse to the above: sometimes when working a problem, Imake a mistake, often the same mistakes you’re prone to make in yourown work, like forgetting a negative sign or miscopying a number. Ifyou think that’s happened, don’t hesitate to ask!4. Homeworks(a) Generally there will be a homework assignment each week; it will typ-ically be assigned on Monday and due in class the following Monday.(There may be some exceptions around exams.)(b) NO LATE HOMEWORKS WILL BE ACCEPTED If you do notanticipate being able to make it to class, find a friend to turn it infor you, or drop it off at my office, MS 5634. (Slip it under the door,or in the container on the door, if I’m not in.)(c) Every homework should include: your name, student ID, and yoursection. If your homework has multiple pages it MUST BE STA-PLED. If any of these directions are not followed, the homeworkmight get misplaced, or damaged, or lost, and if that happens it willbe treated as if you didn’t turn it in.(d) The two lowest homework grades will automatically be dropped.(e) You are encouraged to work on the homework in groups, figuring outthe right approach and comparing answers. However you must writeup your solutions independently of each other.2(f) A homework assignment will consist of both “starred” and “un-starred” problems. The unstarred problems will mostly be odd num-bered problems which have answers in the back of the textbook. Thestarred problems will usually be even numbered problems (or prob-lems not from the textbook) which do not.(g) Only the starred problems will be graded, and only the starred prob-lems need to be turned in.(h) Don’t assume that only doing the assigned is sufficient. The textbookgenerally has whole blocks of problems, of which the correspondinghomework assignment will only choose a couple. If, after doing anunstarred problem, you’re still not comfortable enough to get thestarred one right, do some of the other unstarred ones!5. Exams(a) There will be two midterm exams and one final exam.(b) The midterms will be on Wednesday, October 20th and Wednesday,November 17th.(c) The midterms will be fifty minutes long, and will take place duringthe class period.(d) The final exam will be on Tuesday, December 7th, from 8:00-11:00,in a location to be announced.(e) At each exam, you are allowed to bring one 3”x5” notecard. Youmay write whatever you want (on both sides) of the notecard.(f) NO CALCULATORS WILL BE PERMITTED DURING EX-AMS(g) There will be no make-up exams. However (see the grading policybelow), if you do miss a midterm, we’ll drop it from your grade.(h) Typically, I aim to have the median score on an exam be between50% and 70%, and I try to make the midterms long enough that onlya few students finish. So don’t be discouraged if you can’t get all thequestions on an exam.(i) I aim for the final exam to be around the length of two midterms,which means I expect it to take a bit more than two hours for