Math 111 - Calculus I - Section 5 - Fall 2016

General Information:

Meeting Time:MWF, 11:00 - 11:50 AM
Location: Jones 302
Instructor:Ryan Vinroot
Office: Jones 100D
Office Hours: M 3:30-5, T 10:30-12, Th 3:30-5 (also by appt).
Lab:TA: Alex Atkins
Location: Small Physics Lab 110
Meeting Time: Thurs, 8:30 - 9:20 AM (on test days, start time at 8:00 AM)
Textbook: Single Variable Calculus: Early Transcendentals (8th edition), by James Stewart.
Grade
Breakdown: 		3 Tests -- 15% each, Quizzes -- 15%, Labs -- 15%, Final Exam -- 25% (you will be able to replace your lowest attempted test score with your Final Exam score). See the syllabus link below for the precise grading scale.
Attendance & Lecture Policy: You are expected to attend every lecture and lab. If there is some reason you must reschedule a test, you must discuss it with me BEFORE the test. Please do not email or text during lecture or lab. Keep all cell phones/hand held devices/laptops/tablets put away during lecture and lab.
Calculator Policy: Calculator will NOT be allowed for quizzes, tests, or the final exam. A calculator would be most useful for certain HW or Lab problems. You can certainly get away without purchasing a calculator, and just use web-based calculating tools. If you would like to purchase a calculator, see the main 111 homepage for a list of recommended calculators.
Prerequisites: The prerequisite is essentially high school pre-calculus. The main concepts you need to have mastered are basic algebra, trigonometry, and logarithms. In particular, you are expected to know the material in Chapter 1 of the text book in detail. It is extremely important that you know the basic shape of the graphs of these functions, and you know the values of trigonometric functions as the standard special values.
Syllabus: The course will cover Sections 2.1 - 5.4 of the text (with the exception of Sections 3.11 and 4.6). We begin by studying limits and continuity, followed by the definition, calculation, and application of derivatives, and finally an introduction to integrals. For a detailed syllabus, including details of all of the above information, please read the following carefully: 111 Syllabus (pdf).

Dates & Course Announcements:

(Tentative) Exam Calendar:
 
Test 1 Thurs, Sept. 22 In Lab, 8-9:20 am Small Physics Lab 110
Test 2 Thurs, Oct. 20 In Lab, 8-9:20 am Small Physics Lab 110
Test 3 Thurs, Nov. 17 In Lab, 8-9:20 am Small Physics Lab 110
Final Exam Mon, Dec. 5 9 AM - 12 NOON MORTON 40
  • All important announcements related to the class will be listed here. Check back frequently (don't forget to refresh your browser) for updates.
  • Important Dates and Class Holidays:
    • Fri, Sep 2: ADD/DROP DEADLINE
    • Sat, Oct 8 - Tues, Oct 11: NO CLASS (Fall Break)
    • Fri, Oct 21: WITHDRAW DEADLINE
    • Wed, Nov 23 - Sun, Nov 27: NO CLASS (Thanksgiving Break)
    • Mon, Dec 5, 9:00 AM - 12 Noon: FINAL EXAM
  • (8/24) You should complete the Calculus Readiness Evaluation test on Blackboard, before your first Lab meeting, if you haven't already. You can get started by watching the video on this page: Get started on Readiness test. If you have already taken this Readiness test, then you should work on the Precalculus review problems listed on the HW problem list prior to the first Lab meeting.
  • (8/24) My office hours during this first short week of classes are as follows: W 1:30-3, Th 3:30-5, F 1-2. Please come with any questions you have.
  • (8/29) My office hours this week are as follows: M 3-4:30, T 1-2:30, Th 10:30-12.
  • (9/2) My office hours for the week of Sept 5-9 are as follows: T 10:30-12 and 3-4:30, W 1:30-3, Th 3:30-5.
  • (9/6) The solutions to Quiz 0 (which was just for practice, not to be turned in) are posted below. Please note that your solutions need to have some detail, in terms of steps taken and some explanation.
  • (9/13) My set weekly office hours for the semester are as follows: M 3:30-5, T 10:30-12, and Th 3:30-5. You can always email me to arrange another time to come ask questions as well.
  • (9/15) The solutions to Quiz 2 (and Quiz 1) are posted below. Each quiz (but not each test) will have solutions posted shortly after they are given in lab.
  • (9/15) Remember that there is a Trig Review session, given by Prof Zapf, today (Thurs, Sept 15) 4-5:30, in Small 110 (where your Lab meets).
  • (10/3) I will not have office hours this Thursday, but I will extend other office hours to make up for that. My office hours this week (10/3 - 10/5) are: M 3:30-5:30, T 10-12, W 4-5.
  • (10/12) My office hours this (short) week will be: W 4-5, Th 3:30-5. Quiz 5 will be in Lab this Thursday, and covers Section 3.6.
  • (10/12) Alex Atkins (your TA) has informed me that there is an extended deadline of Fri, Oct 14, at 9 AM, for your Lab to be turned in.
  • (10/17) My office hours this week are: M 3:30-5, T 10-12, W 4-5.
  • (10/31) I will not have afternoon office hours today (Mon, Oct 31). Instead, I will have office hours on Tues, Nov 1, 10-12 and 3:30-5, and on Wed, Nov 2, 4-5, and my normal office hours on Thurs, Nov 3, 3:30-5.
  • (11/28) My office hours this week (the last week of classes) are as follows: Mon, 11/28: 3-5 pm Tues, 11/29: 9-10:30 am Wed, 11/30: 4-5 pm Thurs, 12/1: 3:30-4:30 pm Fri, 12/2: 1-5 pm
  • (11/30) The location of the final exam has been set to be in MORTON 40. Please make sure you know where that is prior to our final exam on Monday, Dec. 5, at 9 AM.
  • (11/30) The final Calculus tutoring room session is on Sun, Dec. 4, from 5 to 8 PM.
  • (11/30) Your last assignment for Lab is the History of Calculus assignment, that you can find on the 111 homepage with the rest of the Labs. This should not take you long, so I encourage you to get it in at the last Lab. But, you can have it turned in to Alex's box by 5 PM on Friday, Dec. 2. Please print out and bring Lab 11 with you for the last meeting of Lab.

Labs:

The Lab for our Section of Math 111 meets on Thursdays, 8:30-9:20 AM, in Small Physics Lab 110. Alex Atkins is the TA for your Lab. It is essential that you show up for your Lab every week. For one, as explained below, a quiz will be given during every lab, unless there is a Test. Each of the mid-semester tests will be given during Lab. On those days, your Lab time will begin 30 minutes earlier, at 8:00 AM, so that everyone has ample time to complete the tests.

Each lab assignment will begin during the lab time, accompanied by an introduction to the concept covered and some examples given by your TA. Your scores on the Lab assignments will count as 15% of your final grade. All of the labs will be available at the following link: 111 homepage.

The first Lab meeting is Thursday, Sept 1. Prior to the first Lab meeting, complete the Calculus Readiness Evaluation test on Blackboard (Get started on Readiness test). If you have already completed it, please work on the Precalculus diagnostic tests listed on the HW problems. Quiz 0 will be handed out at the first Lab meeting, which will not be a timed quiz, but rather will be a sample quiz to do on your own at home.

Please check the class syllabus to see which labs are due on which week. The syllabus for the Lab, with due times and policies from your TA, is here: 111 Lab Syllabus (pdf).

Homework & Quizzes:

There will be homework assignments for every section covered in class. This homework is absolutely necessary in order to succeed on the quizzes, tests, and to develop a firm understanding of the material. In general, the homework will not be collected, although you are always welcome to ask me to look at your work and to make comments on your solutions during my office hours.

The list of all assigned homework problems is here (pdf).

WebAssign problems are available online for those students with a WebAssign account. WebAssign is not a requirement for the course. These will be strictly for your benefit (and will be similar to the problems listed above), but will be a bit enhanced with hints and extra help from WebAssign.

There will be quizzes given at the beginning of lab every week when there is not a mid-term test. Each quiz will be 10-15 minutes, and will consist of a test-style problem (possibly with multiple parts). Like the tests, calculators will not be allowed on quizzes. The main point of the quizzes, apart from testing your understanding of the assigned homework, is to prepare you for test problems. In general, if you do all of the assigned homework for each lecture during the week, you will be prepared for the quiz.

For your total quiz score at the end of the semester, I will drop your lowest quiz score. There are no make-up quizzes.

I will list all quizzes given throughout the semester, along with their solutions, here:

Resources & Links:

  • Apart from my office hours, there is also Calculus tutoring by graduate assistants on Sunday through Thursday evenings from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM, in Jones 112. If you can, take advantage of this free service.

  • The main homepage for all sections of Calculus I at William & Mary, which has all of the Labs, and some problems from past finals, is here.