m355syl

Math 355 - Mathematical Modeling - Spring 2006		Instructor: Professor Ellen Hill
Maclean 169		Mathematics
MWF 11:00 am - 11:50 am		Office: Maclean 342
3 credits		Office phone: 477-4023
Textbook: Mathematical Modeling and Computer Simulation, by Maki and Thompson		elhill@mnstate.edu
web.mnstate.edu/elhill		Office Hours: MF 9-10am, MTWHF 10-11am, MTHF 1-2pm, TH 2-3pm

Techniques of developing and analyzing mathematical descriptions of physical phenomena. Prerequisite: Math 323 and Math 327. In addition, Math 335 (Prob/Stats I) will be helpful.

I do not take attendance. However, it is my experience that students who frequently miss class (one absence every month) frequently do not do well in mathematics courses of this level. Skipping class is an extremely bad idea. If you do miss class, it is up to you to get copies of the notes. My notes are usually useless to students. I also expect you to turn in any homework early if you know that you will miss class. This includes those instances when the absence is due to an official university activity.

For all graded work in this class, you must show work for credit and give exact answers unless otherwise specified. In general, if you have to write it down, you have to show it to me. My rule of thumb when grading is either whether I could do a similar calculation in my head or on a calculator and not make a mistake or if the point of the problem is being met (i.e., if the point of the problem is to show a known result, you have to show it in some detail). If I feel that you needed to show more work, I will indicate it. I want to emphasize that showing work is a lesson you would much rather learn on the labs than on the exams. My criteria is the same for both.

I very rarely give extra credit, and when I do it is to the entire class. If you come to my office at the end of the term and ask if you can do extra credit to improve your grade, my answer will be no. The grading scale and weights for the worksheets and exams are given here.

I will in general return any work the next class day. If you are not there, I will not give it to friends, nor will I give out grade information on the phone or via email. (These restrictions are not arbitrary - they are based on federal law regarding student privacy.) Normally, I include any old assignments with any current ones, but I do not try to pass them back a second time unless you have turned in the most recent assignment. I will bring the old assignments with me every day, so if you ask at the end of class you can get them then.

As in any college class (or any level, for that matter), cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. On the other hand, when doing the daily homework and when working on the projects I do encourage you to work together (especially the group project!). This is not the same as copying from each other, however. Working with someone else in a small study group is often very conducive to learning mathematics and most other subjects (as long as you stay on task!). Working together, however, will not be allowed on exams, so you must make sure that you learn the material yourself. See also the statement on academic honesty in the student handbook.

We will make extensive use of Mathcad throughout the course, but it won't necessarily be on a daily basis. I expect that you have gone through Math 260 sometime when you took the Calculus sequence and therefore I do expect you to be reasonably familiar with Mathcad. We will occasionally use features of Mathcad that were not covered in Math 260. On exams, I try to write them so that a lack of familiarity with Mathcad would not be a significant factor for the grade on the exam. As a result, most students find a calculator useful on the exams. During the regular run of the course, however, we will probably just use Mathcad if we need to do any calculation.

I will assign homework on most days. The problems may or may not be from the textbook. Every homework assignment will be given a grade out of ten points, and all assignments will be weighted equally. In general, homework will be due the second class period after it is assigned. Specific due dates will be given when the homework is assigned. Homework will be due by 3pm on the due date. If you do not submit it in class, please bring it to my office, and slide it under my office door if I'm not there. It can be submitted by friends, roommates, spouses, etc. if you are ill or otherwise unable to come to campus. Late homework will not be accepted for a grade for any reason except a long illness (requiring you to miss class for at least three class days), National Guard duty lasting more than a week, or a similar reason. A short illness, family event, and the like are not sufficient. I suggest that you start the homework as soon as it is assigned.

In addition to homework, there will be two projects that you must complete in this course. For more information, see the project page.

There will be one regular exam and the final. The dates are given in the accompanying calendar here. If you have to miss an exam for any reason, I expect to be notified as soon as possible. In particular, this means before the exam. If it is a reason that I would expect you to know now (such as a MSUM official activity, a family commitment such as a wedding, etc.) I expect to be notified no later than Wednesday, January 18. If you do not notify me by that time, I may not give you a makeup exam. If you are sick on the day of the exam, I expect a phone call or an email before the exam starts. I also assume that if you are sick enough to miss an exam then you are sick enough to go to the health center - after all, you don't want to be sick longer than absolutely necessary. In any event, if you miss an exam, I insist on written documentation before I grade a makeup exam. This can be a dated and timed note from the doctor's office saying that you were seen (I do not need to know what you were seen for), a program from the wedding, a published obituary notice, a copy of the police report from an accident you were in on the way to the exam, etc.. If a relationship is not clear, I may ask you to write a sentence stating what the relationship between you and the appropriate person in your documentation is and to sign it.

Note: For any university-sanctioned activity, I expect to be notified at least two weeks prior to the event, as required by the Student Absence Policy. Failure to meet this deadline will be a problem for you. Note that this means that you will likely have to get on your coach's case - few coaches or academic advisors meet this deadline without prompting, in my experience.

If you have any special needs that may affect your success in this class please let me know as soon as possible so that accommodations can be made. This includes (but is not limited to) any physical or learning disabilities that you may have.

Students with disabilities who believe they may need an accommodation in this class are encouraged to contact Greg Toutges, Coordinator of Disability Services at 477-5859 (Voice) or 1-800-627-3529 (MRS/TTY), CMU 114 as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

Cellular phones and other distracting devices generally have no place in a formal or semi-formal setting, such as a classroom. If your phone rings audibly during class, I will require you to leave the classroom for the remainder of the period. This includes those days we have exams. Hence, if your cell phone rings during an exam, you will have to turn in what you have completed up to that point. No extra time will be given. I strongly suggest that you always remember to turn off your phone. (You are free to return to class the next day, and there will be no other consequences.) Note: I have found that cell phones on vibrate, when in a backpack next to a textbook, are still quite loud since they reverberate against the book. If I can hear it at the front of the room or if most of the students next to you react to it, it is still an audible ring. Keep it on something soft or on your waistband or in your pocket.

In addition, during exams, I will not allow any electronic devices except for a calculator in a location that is visible to me or to you. This includes your waistband. I will require that you put your cell phone in a covered pocket in your bookbag. Better yet, don't bring it at all on exam days.