Math 131 - Elements of Calculus I

MWF  1:40 - 2:30 pm,  Mundeline 505

Instructor: K. Nyman
Office:
Damen 330 A
Likely Office hours:
MF 10:00 - 12:00 noon, W 4:00 - 5:00pm or by appointment.
E-mail: 
knyman@math.luc.edu
URL address:
  http://www.math.luc.edu/~knyman

Course Description:  The techniques of calculus are crucial to understanding change; from velocity, to chemical reactions, to marginal costs in economics. This course gives an overview of calculus from an intuitive standpoint.   Prerequisite:  Math 118 with a grade of C or better, or placement.

Textbook:  Hughes-Hallett, Gleason, et al., Calculus: Single Variable, 3rd edition; Wiley (2002)
Other requirements:
  TI-83 Plus or equivalent graphing calculator

Grading:  There will be three exams given during the semester.  The course final is cumulative and is scheduled for December 14, 1:45-3:45 pm.  In addition to exams there will be semi-regular quizzes, homeworks, and group assignments.  

3 Exams:                         45%
Final exam:                      25%
Quizzes/group work:        15%
Homework:                      15%

KEYS TO SUCCESS 

Read the book:  Seeing the material for the second time when you come to class will make the lecture easier to understand and the homework easier to complete. Hopefully this will translate to better performance on tests and in the class as a whole (also class should be more interesting).

Do the homework:  Math is not a spectator sport. Just as it is nearly impossible to learn to throw a spiral by simply watching Brett Favre, it is incredibly difficult to learn mathematics without practice. It is crucial to your success that you keep up with the homework. Homework will be graded on a 3 point scale: 1 point for on-time assignments with a good faith attempt at the problems; 2 points for at least half the assignment correct; 3 points for a well done assignment. Assignments will be posted on the web.

Get help:  Ask questions in class! - Your classmates will appreciate it.   Come to office hours!  Form a study group and work together on homework assignments!  Extra help is also available at the Mathematics and Statistics Tutoring Center (www.math.luc.edu/learningcenter.html) and the Learning Assistance Center (www.luc.edu/depts/lac/).

Make-up Policy:  Make-ups for missed exams will only be allowed for a university approved excuse in writing. 

Scholastic dishonesty:  Copying work done by others, either in class or out of class, is an act of scholastic dishonesty. The minimum penalty for cheating is a zero on the assignment and a letter to be put in a student's permanent file.