Math 111 - Calculus I - Section 4 - Fall 2018

General Information:

Meeting Time:MWF, 12:00 - 12:50
Location: Small Physics Lab 233
Instructor:Ryan Vinroot
Office: Jones 100D
Office Hours: M 3:30-5, W 2-3:30, Th 10:30-12 (and by appointment)
Lab:TA: Becca Rousseau (email: rkrousseau@email.wm.edu)
Location: Small Physics Lab 233
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, 4.6, and 4.8). We begin by studying limits and continuity, followed by the definition, calculation, and applications 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, Oct. 4 In Lab, 8-9:20 am Small 233
Test 2 Thurs, Nov. 1 In Lab, 8-9:20 am Small 233
Test 3 Thurs, Nov. 29 In Lab, 8-9:20 am Small 233
Final Exam Fri, Dec. 14 9 AM - 12 NOON Morton 37
  • 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:
    • Thurs, Sept 6: FIRST LAB MEETING
    • Fri, Sep 7: ADD/DROP DEADLINE
    • Sat, Oct 13 - Tues, Oct 16: NO CLASS (Fall Break)
    • Fri, Oct 26: WITHDRAW DEADLINE
    • Wed, Nov 21 - Sun, Nov 25: NO CLASS (Thanksgiving Break)
    • Fri, Dec 14, 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon - FINAL EXAM
  • (8/29) 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, or cannot otherwise access it, then you should work on the Precalculus Diagnostic tests in the textbook, which end just before page 1 of the book. Or, you could work on Precalculus problems from the Homework section of the following previous Precalculus class (all problems have solutions listed as well): Math 103 Fall 2015. One way or another, you should be working on as many Precalculus problems as you can before the first Lab meeting on Thurs Sept 6.
  • (8/29) I will determine my regular weekly office hours soon. My office hours for the first short week of classes are as follows:
    Thurs Aug 30 9-11 and 3-4, Fri Aug 31 10-11:30 and 1-2.
  • (9/3) My office hours this week will be: Mon (Sept 3) 3-4:30, Wed 10-11 and 2-3, Thurs 10:30-12.
  • (9/10) My regular weekly office hours this semester have been set as follows: Mon 3:30-5, Wed 2-3:30, Thurs 10:30-12.
    If none of those times work, you can always email me and we can try to find another time.
  • (9/24) I apologize for having to miss class and office hours today. As you were told in class, the quiz this Thursday will be on Sec. 2.6. I expect to hold all of my regular office hours for the rest of the week starting Wednesday.
  • (9/28) Today I handed out a copy of Test 1 from last year's Math 111 class. If you did not come to class, please make sure you come Monday to get your copy (or have someone pick up a copy for you). Test 1 is still scheduled for Thurs Oct 4, and will cover the material we've covered from sections 2.1-3.3 (as listed on the syllabus). I will give more details on Monday.
  • (10/1) Test 1 will be given on this Thursday, Oct 4, during Lab. You may start the test as early as 8 AM, with time ending at 9:20 AM. The absolute best way to study is to do as many problems as you can. Do any HW problems from covered material that you haven't finished, and work on the assigned Chapter 2 review problems. The material that is covered from each section we have covered in class is as follows:
    (2.1) - This section is primarily conceptual, and there will not be problems specifically from this section on the test.
    2.2 - all
    2.3 - all
    2.4 - Through (and including) Example 2, to the middle of pg. 109
    2.5 - all
    2.6 - Through (and including) Example 12, to the middle of pg. 134
    2.7 - Up to (but not including) Example 6
    2.8 - all
    3.1 - all
    3.2 - all
    3.3 - Up to (but not including) Example 5. In particular, the HW problems 3.3 #39, 41, 49, are not covered on Test 1.
  • (10/1) On Wed, Oct 3, class will all be Q&A, and we can go over solutions of any problems you would like from HW problems, review problems, or the practice test. I will also be extending my Wed afternoon office hours this week to 2-5 pm.
  • (10/12) Just a few reminders before Fall Break:
    1. There is a Lab due the Thursday after Fall Break, so don't forget that.
    2. Quiz 4 will be in Lab the Thurs after Fall Break, and will cover 3.5 Implicit Differentiation, and just the first part of 3.6 (relevant assigned problems for 3.6 are through #33).
  • (10/22) Quiz 5 this Thursday will cover logarithmic differentiation (corresponding to 3.6 #39-51 (odd), 52) and Exponential growth/decay (section 3.8).
  • (10/29) Test 2 will be given on this Thursday, Nov 1, during Lab. You have the option of starting the test as early as 8 AM, with time ending at 9:20 AM. As usual, to prepare you should do as many problems as you can. Do any HW problems from covered material that you haven't finished, and work on the assigned Chapter 3 review problems. The material that is covered from each section we have covered in class is as follows:
    3.3 - Limits involving sin(x)/x, like in Examples 5 and 6
    3.4 - all
    3.5 - all (know the derivatives of sin-1(x), cos-1(x), and tan-1(x), but you don't need to know those of csc-1(x), sec-1(x), or cot-1(x))
    3.6 - Up to, but not including, "The number e as a limit" on pg. 222
    3.7 - Only problems on motion on a line, like Example 1
    3.8 - Up to, but not including, "Continuously compounded interest" on pg. 241
    3.9 - all
    3.10 - Not including examples using graphing calculators
  • (10/31) I will have extra office hours today, 2-5 pm. Remember Test 2 is tomorrow during Lab, and you have the option of starting as early as 8 AM.
  • (11/2) New Lab Schedule: Between now and the end of the semester is when we'll start re-arranging a few things because of the missed hurricane days. First, you will not cover Lab 7 in Lab. It will be an option for you to do Lab 7 independently and turn it in next Thursday, Nov 8, and it can replace your lowest Lab score so far. Here is the new schedule of Labs:
    Thurs Nov 8: Lab 7 optionally due, Start Lab 8, Quiz 6
    Thurs Nov 15: Lab 8 due, Start Lab 10 (change to Lab 9), Quiz 7
    Thurs Nov 22: Thanksgiving, No Lab
    Thurs Nov 29: Lab 10 (change to Lab 9) due, Test 3 in Lab
    Thurs Dec 5: History Assignment due, do Lab 11 during Lab
  • (11/7) Correction to New Lab Schedule: In the above revised Lab schedule, please replace "Lab 10" with "Lab 9". We will do Lab 10 in class instead.
  • (11/19) Test 3 will be in Lab on Thurs, Nov 29, in Lab. The material covered is as follows:
    4.1 - all except for the proof of Fermat's theorem
    4.3 - all
    4.4 - all
    4.5 - up to but not including "Slant Asymptotes" on pg. 320
    4.7 - all
    4.9 - all
    The following are good problems to work on in the Chapter 4 review on pgs. 359-361: #1-13 odd, 14, 15-37 odd, 50, 52, 53, 59, 65-73 odd. As we did for the first two tests, our class on Wed, Nov 28, will be all question and answer to prepare for Test 3.
  • (11/26) I hope everyone had a restful Thanksgiving break. Remember that Lab 9 is due this week (you can put it on Becca's door or give it to me in class), and that Test 3 will be in Lab on Thurs, Nov 29. Everyone has the option of starting the midterm at 8 AM. As usual, in class on Wed will be all question and answer for review.
  • (11/28) My office hours today will be extended to 2-4:30.
  • (12/5) The Final Exam is on Fri, Dec 14, 9:00 AM in Morton 37. Please take note of the location, as it is different from our lecture/lab classroom. The exam is cumulative, and will cover all of the material listed above from Tests 1, 2, and 3, and also covers Sec. 5.1, 5.2 (up to but not including "Comparison Properties of the Integral" on pg. 387), 5.3, and 5.4. There are two practice final exams on the main Math 111 webpage (where you get your Labs), just scroll to the bottom of that page. There are solutions there as well. Remember that we did not cover the Mean-Value Theorem (Sec. 4.2), so there will be no questions on our final exam on that material, while there are a few such questions on the old finals which you can ignore. The last day of classes, Fri, Dec. 7, will be all Q&A, so bring any problems that you would like to go over. I will have the following office hours during the first week of exams leading up to our final exam:
    Tues, Dec. 11, 12:30-2
    Wed, Dec. 12, 12:30-2 and 3:30-5
    Thurs, Dec. 13, 10:30-12, 12:30-2, and 3-5.

Labs:

The Lab for our Section of Math 111 meets on Thursdays, 8:30-9:20 AM, also in Small 233. The TA for your Lab will be announced here when the TA assignments are made. 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 6. Prior to the first Lab meeting, please complete the Calculus Readiness Evaluation test on Blackboard (Get started on Readiness test). If you have already completed it (or cannot access it), please work on the Precalculus diagnostic tests listed on the HW problems, or work on other Precalculus problems listed under Announcements above. 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.

Homework & Quizzes:

There will be homework assignments for every section covered in class, but not to be graded. This homework is absolutely necessary in order to succeed on the quizzes, tests, and to develop a firm understanding of the material. 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 identical or similar to the problems listed above from the book), but will be a bit enhanced with hints and extra help from WebAssign. The Class Key for this section's WebAssign (Math 111, section 04) is: wm 3995 3826

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 one or two test-style problems. 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 solutions for quizzes given throughout the semester 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.

  • William & Mary accommodates students with disabilities in accordance with federal laws and university policy. Any student who feels they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a learning, psychiatric, physical, or chronic health diagnosis should contact Student Accessibility Services staff at 757-221-2512 or at sas@wm.edu to determine if accommodations are warranted and to obtain an official letter of accommodation. For more information, please visit the SAS webpage.

  • If you'd like information on any other resources offered by the College, please feel free to ask me. If I don't know the answer you're looking for, we can find someone who does.