Course Description:  Calculus of one variable-transcendental functions, applications of integrals, techniques of integration, infinite series.  Prerequisite:  Math 261

MSUM's standard is that one semester credit hour for undergraduates is meant to represent three hours of academic work per week for the average student who has the expected preparation for the courses that he or she is enrolled in.  Since this is a 4-credit course, that means that you will be expected to work 12 hours per week, on average, for this course.  Only 250 minutes of that (or four hours and ten minutes) will be in class.  The remaining seven hours and fifty minutes are expected to be outside of class time.  Spending time reading the book, doing homework and labs, and studying for exams is meant to be a significant part of this course.

Calculus assignments consist of problems which the student is expected to solve.  A solution consists not only of a numerical answer but also written work which shows the method of solution used and the validity of the logic employed to obtain the solution.  Some problems required the students to write a proof and are not in any way numerical.  Many of the problems require the student to gather information and then use it creatively to obtain a solution.  Most topics in Calculus include applications and several assignments consist only of applications.  In the course, applications are drawn from a great variety of areas so that the students understand the many ways calculus can be applied.

Course Objectives and Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to do the following:

• Solve real world problems using mathematics/logical systems.

• Express mathematical/logical ideas clearly in writing.

• Explain what constitutes a valid mathematical/logical argument (proof).

• Apply a variety of higher-order problem-solving and modeling strategies.

• Exhibit mastery of computational skills and the ability to make reasonable estimates.

• Evaluate complex relations using symbolic abstraction and generalization.

• Demonstrate problem solving using symbolic representation and manipulation.

• Demonstrate an ability to apply differential calculus to real-life situations.

• Demonstrate an ability to apply integral calculus to real-life situations.

• Demonstrate an ability to apply sequences and series to real-life situations.

The student-learning goals of Math 262 include learning to work with and apply the concepts of one-variable calculus, including exponential, logarithmic, and inverse trigonometric functions; using and evaluating integrals; applications of integral calculus; improper integrals; sequences; series; power series; and Taylor and Maclaurin series.  Note that this includes more than just building skills.  For example, you don't just have to evaluate integrals, but also understand what an integral is, why it is used, knowing in what situations you might want to use it, and being able to interpret the results in the context of the original problem when it is used.

Class Activity:  Although this class meets five days a week, it is only a four-credit class.  The reason for this is that the class is set up as having three hours (and three credits) of lecture and two hours (and one credit) of lab.  We will have specified lab days, but they won't necessarily be on the same days every week.  There will be lab activities, which you can work on in groups, that will be due either the day after or the second day after the lab day when it is started in class, and will be announced in class.  You should be able to get a large portion of the lab assignment done in class for most labs, but will likely not finish them.

In addition to the lab assignments, there are homework assignments for each section.  It is in your best interest to do all the homework even though it is not graded.  You will find that the labs do not give you sufficient practice to do well on the exams.

Attendance:  Attendance is mandatory in the sense that you will not be given an opportunity to make up work from class that you miss, and it is up to you to learn the material on your own.  I will not give you the lecture on a one-on-one basis in my office.  Regardless of why you miss, missing class will likely mean that you won't understand the material as well as you should and your homework, lab, and exam grades will likely suffer as well.  Unfortunately this statement is true whether you miss class because you just didn't want to get up that morning or if you miss class because you had a major emergency (in fact, the better the reason for missing class is, the more students tend to not understand the material no matter how much they try to make it up, since they are distracted by other concerns in their lives).  Missing class is strongly discouraged.  It will not be directly penalized, however, except for exam days, and I do not take a formal attendance each day.

For a known absence due to military duty, jury duty, or other legal requirement, you must give me notice as soon as feasible and prior to the absence if it will require missing an exam.  If you don't miss an exam, I don't need to know why you were gone unless you wish to tell me.  Also, documentation will be required for a makeup exam to be graded.  For an absence due to an official university activity, you must give me written notice at least two weeks prior to the absence, as per university policy, for a makeup exam.  I feel it is necessary to point out that relatively few faculty members or coaches remember to provide this notice in that time frame, but it is up to you to remind them, since insufficient notice will be your problem, not theirs.  For an absence due to personal reasons such as illness or family emergencies, you should notify me as soon as feasible, before the absence in most cases.  In order for a makeup exam to be graded, written documentation of the reason for the absence will be required.  Examples are:  a note from the doctor saying you were seen (it does not have to say what you were seen for), a copy of the police report for a minor car accident, funeral program or obituary, etc..

If you miss a lab day, you can get a copy of the lab from me.  You may be able to get the lab early if you know you will be gone, depending on the particular lab.  However, the lab assignment will be due at the same time as for the rest of the class, and you will not be given time in class to work on it if you miss the original lab date.

Absences due to family vacations, reunions, weddings, etc., are not excused absences and you will therefore not be allowed to take a makeup exam unless you inform me of them by Wednesday, January 19.  I expect you to schedule such events around your class schedules if they come up during the session, especially since the exam dates are already set.  In addition, if a one-day illness occurs on an exam day, I expect you to go to the health center to get checked out.  After all, you don't want to be sick any longer than you have to.

If you know in advance that you will be gone, I expect you to turn in any lab assignments before you leave.  Assignments submitted after you return will not be graded for credit.

Academic Honesty: You are expected to do your own work.  You may certainly work with others and get help on homework assignments and labs, but the work you submit should be your own work.  Note that during exams you will not be allowed to get help from others.  Make sure that you learn the material while you do the homework and labs - that is the purpose of the assignments.  Then during the exam you can demonstrate your knowledge - that is the purpose of the exams.  Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated in any college course (or any course at any level).  See the MSUM Academic Honesty policy for more information and possible consequences of cheating.

Special Accommodations: Students with disabilities who believe they may need an accommodation in this class are encouraged to contact Greg Toutges, Coordinator of Disability Services at 477-2131 (voice) or 1-800-627-3529 (MRS/TTY), CMU 114 as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

Course Requirements:  You are expected to complete daily homework, complete and submit the labs, and take and pass all the exams on the scheduled date.

Evaluations Standards: Your course grade will include lab and exam grades.  For more details, see the grade page.

Course Outline:  See the course schedule.

Calculators:  Due to the sophistication of graphing calculators and the ability of some of the more expensive ones to do symbolic calculations, I find that having such a calculator is a major advantage to those students who can afford it.  However, I also find them too expensive to feel that their use is justified, particularly since in real life you wouldn't use them - you would use a computer which would be much more accurate and visually appealing.  Unless there is a student in the class who is willing to buy every other student a graphing calculator, I will not allow them.  (If you are such a generous and rich student, let me know.)  This provides everyone a level playing field and is the fairest solution that I have been able to come up with.  A basic scientific calculator, however, is required.  If you have to buy one, I suggest that you get one that shows the user what has been typed in (and allows the user to edit that typing if it is incorrect).  Being able to see what you have typed prevents the majority of the data entry problems that calculators tend to have.  A TI-30X IIS is one example.  You do not need to buy this particular calculator, but you do need a non-graphing scientific calculator for this course.  You will find that a calculator with a two-line display and a button labeled "ANS" (it may be a second function) will be particularly useful.  You will also need the trigonometric and logarithmic functions on your scientific calculator.

Note that regardless of your calculator, I expect you to show work.  I grade the work and the method, not the answer, so an answer with no work is worth very little, possibly nothing, towards the grade for the problem.

A basic scientific calculator costs $15-$25 at Target, Kmart, CVS, Office Depot, or some similar store.

General Comments:  For all graded work in this class, you must show work for credit and give exact answers.  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 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 do not curve courses of this level.  I have given a class average of a B+ in a course of this level, and I have also given a class average of a D+.  I grade you as individuals, and by whether or not you personally have mastered the material.  I also 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 homework 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, roommates, or spouses, 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.

I expect you to be responsible for yourself as far as getting notes from a classmate if you miss class.  I also expect you to turn in any labs early if you know that you will miss class.  This includes those instances when the absence is due to an official university activity.

Cell Phones and Other Distractions:  Turn off your cell phones when you go to class (this class or any other class).  Cellular phones and other distracting devices generally have no place in a formal or semi-formal setting, such as a classroom.  Having your phone on, even in vibrate mode, or texting during class is disrespectful to both your instructor and your classmates.  If your cell phone rings, beeps, or has an audible vibrate during an exam I will reserve the right to require that you turn in what you have at that point, without finishing the exam, or to reduce your exam grade by 25%.  The point is that such an interruption can hurt your classmates' exam grades.  In mathematics in particular, regaining a train of thought that was interrupted by a classmate's phone can be very difficult for some students, and their exam grades correspondingly suffer.  I strongly suggest that you always remember to turn off your phone.  This policy applies to any other distracting device, such as a pager or alarm clock, as well.

Similarly, I expect you to respect the learning environment by being in class on time and ready, to do mathematics the entire period, and to remain in class until the end of the class.  On those rare occasions where you must be late, show respect by taking off your coat and getting out your notebook in the hallway before entering the room, and sitting down in the first available seat by the door - even if it is not where you prefer to sit.  That way you minimize the interruption to the classroom.  In general, behavior that seriously disrupts the class may be dealt with by involving the MSUM Care Team or Campus Security, if applicable.

In addition, during exams, your cell phone (or any other electronic device) may not be visible at all - you must put it in your closed bookbag or something similar.  If you use it for your watch, you will have to bring a different clock to exams or use the classroom clock.

Prof. Ellen Hill Home Page

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