MATH 1953 (Section 1)
Calculus III
Autumn 2011

This is the homepage for MATH 1953 (Calculus III), Section 1. This page will be updated throughout the term with important information for our course, including homework assignments, review materials, solutions to assignments, and more. CHECK IT FREQUENTLY!

Announcements

  • Our final exam will be on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH from 10:00 - 11:50 in NAGEL 102. (Our usual classroom)
  • I've posted a final exam topics list/review sheet below. I may also post a previous final exam for practice; keep an eye on this page.
Course Information

Instructor: Ronnie Pavlov
Office: John Greene Hall 304
e-mail: rpavlov@du.edu
Phone: (303)-871-4001
Office hours: Tuesday 9 - 10, Thursday 3 - 5, or by appointment.

Graduate TA: Sherri Ahmadi
e-mail: sherri.ahmadi@gmail.com
Office hours: Sunday 12 - 3 in Math Center (in the temporary Penrose library section of the Driscoll student center)

Our class will meet every day from 11:00 - 11:50. On Monday - Thursday class is in Nagel 102, and on Fridays class is in Boettcher Auditorium, room 102. NOTE THAT THE ROOM HAS CHANGED!!!

Your TA Sherri will lead the class on Fridays.

Text
Text: Single Variable Calculus: Early Transcendentals 6th Edition by Stewart.

This book is available at the DU Bookstore.

The sections which we will be covering in the text are 4.4, 7.8, 10.1-10.4, and 11.1-11.11.

Course summary
This course has two main parts. In the first, we will examine some applications of the material from Calc I and Calc II, including L'Hopital's rule (4.4), improper integrals (7.8), and finding areas and lengths for curves defined using parametric or polar coordinates (10.1-10.4). In the second half of the course (11.1-11.11), we will study various aspects of sequences and series of real numbers. Much of our focus will be on the question of convergence of an infinite series of numbers; when does it make sense to "sum up" an infinite set of numbers? Finally, we finish the course with Taylor series. Taylor series are a beautiful marriage of calculus and infinite series, essentially allowing us to approximate most common functions (trigonometric, exponential, etc.) by a sort of "infinite polynomial."

The most important advice I can give you for this course is to honestly evaluate your own progress. Mathematics, perhaps more than any other subject, allows for constant easy self-evaluation; either you know how to complete exercises from the section on your own, without outside help, or you do not. If you are having trouble, come see me or Sherri! Either of us will be happy to discuss any aspect of the class which is causing trouble, either informally after class or during office hours. A difference of even a couple of days in seeking help can be absolutely devastating in such a fast-paced course, so PLEASE do not hesitate.

Grading scheme
Your term grade will consist of homework assignments (roughly 1 per week), weekly quizzes, two one-hour midterm exams, and a final exam, broken down in the following way:

35% Final exam
30% Midterm exams (15% each)
20% Quizzes
15% Homework

Homework
Your homework assignments will be posted and collected using WebAssign, an online tool for problem dissemination. To get started, go to http://webassign.net and create an account. To do this, go to the right-hand side of the page, and look for a link that says "I have a Class Key." (This is right under the words "Log in.") Your class key for our section is du 3416 0502.

With this, you should be able to create an account with your own username and password and start learning about the system. I have also posted a short 1-question homework assignment as a test to make sure that everyone can log into the system; please complete this by WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14th at midnight.

Quizzes
You will have quizzes during each week of class that you do not have an upcoming exam. They will be roughly 15 - 20 minutes long, and will be given in class on Fridays. Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped. For this reason, I will not give makeup quizzes except in the case of a documented absence.

Exams
You will have two midterm exams on Tuesday, October 4th, and Monday, October 31st, both in our classroom during class time. Our final exam will be on November 20th from 10:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. Important Documents
Course Schedule (subject to minor changes!)

Course Policies
You may use a simple scientific calculator for all exams and quizzes. Graphing or programmable calculators are not allowed as well as calculators that can perform any kind of calculus or symbolic operations. Use of a non-approved calculator will be considered a violation of DU’s honor code. If you have any questions about your calculator please see me.

Makeup quizzes or exams will only be offered in the event of extreme circumstances. If you think you have a problem which will force you to miss an exam, come talk to me as soon as possible!!!