Course materials and assignments on this Web site will evolve over the semester; check the Assignment/Lab Index often for updates.

Math 131 begins the study of Calculus by considering differentiation and integration of functions of one variable. Throughout the course, we will strive for a balance between theory and applications.

Henry M. Walker

Office: Science 3811
Telephone: extension 4208
E-mail: walker@cs.grinnell.edu

Office hours are posted weekly on the bulletin board outside Science 3811, with additional hours possible by appointment. You may reserve a half hour meeting by signing up on the weekly schedule, but please sign up at least a day in advance.

James Stewart, Calculus, Sixth Edition, Thomson—Brooks/Cole Publishing, 2007-2008.

As shown on the Tentative Class Schedule the course will cover most sections of Chapters 1-7 in the text.

While the schedule for this course is expected to evolve, a Tentative Class Schedule is available in .dvi , pdf, and postscript formats.

Also, if you are logged into the departmental network and want a copy printed, click duerer to have a copy printed on the printer duerer.

1. Suggested Exercises: The study of mathematics should be an active endeavor, not a passive one. Thus, each day several exercises will be suggested, but these will not be collected. Each class will begin by discussing difficulties arising from these suggested problems. You should consider working these problems as a minimum, and you should do more problems if you have trouble with these.
   Note: As an incentive for your working on these problems, between a third and a half of the problems on each test and on the exam will be taken from these suggested problems. Click here for specific assignments.

2. Required Exercises: Beyond the Suggested Exercises, approximately 10 problems will be assigned to be turned in before class on Mondays. There will be a penalty for turning papers in late. Papers over two weeks will not be accepted. Also, no work will be accepted after 5:00pm on Friday, December 11. While students are encouraged to discuss these exercises, each student must write solutions to all problems in her or his own words. Click here for specific assignments.

3. "Real" Problem Sets: will be assigned during most weeks without labs and due on Fridays. These problems will encourage integration and synthesis of topics. Problem Set write ups may be done either individually or in teams, with one write-up per team. Click here for specific assignments.

4. Laboratories: Labs are scheduled during class time about six times through the semester (mostly on Tuesdays). Students must work in teams of two or three for each lab, and each team must turn one lab write-up for the team. Write-ups are due the Friday after the scheduled lab.

5. Written/Group Assignments: On most weeks without a lab, one class period will include a written or group assignment. As with labs, groups will consist of two or three students, and each group will develop a unified write-up of its work.

6. Hour Tests: Three hour tests are scheduled through the semester, tentatively on Tuesday, September 15, Friday, October 16, and Wednesday, November 25.

7. Exam: An exam is scheduled during exam week.

   • The final exam for Section 1 is scheduled for Tuesday, December 15, at 2:00 pm.
   • The final exam for Section 2 is scheduled for Wednesday, December 16, at 2:00 pm.

   Students in either section may take either exam. Toward the end of the semester, students will choose which exam they wish to take.

Deadlines are shown on the Assignment/Lab Index , and work is due at the start of each class specified. A penalty of 33% per class meeting will be assessed for any assignment turned in late, even work submitted at the end of a class. However, for lab work, an extension of at least one class period is automatically granted if the department's Linux network is down for an unscheduled period for a period of three or more hours during the week preceding the assignment.

Absolute Deadline: All homework must be turned in by Friday, 11 December at 5:00 pm;
laboratory reports or assignments received after that time will not be counted in the grading of the course.

Collaboration is allowed on laboratory exercises, group assignments, required problems, and "real" problems; but collaboration is NOT allowed on tests or the final exam.

Electronic Calculators are allowed, but not required, in this course. A few topics in Math 131 (and in Math 133 next semester) require some computations, so calculators can be of some assistance. However, past experience suggests that calculators can be overused in calculus, since some students try to replace thinking by pushing buttons. Therefore, students are cautioned not to become over dependent on calculators.

Any non-graphing calculator may be used during each test and the final exam, but weak batteries and malfunctioning calculators will not be accepted as valid excuses for poor performance. Users of graphing calculators should consult with the instructor about the use of these machines.

Cell phones, text-messaging devices, and other social-networking connections may not be used in this class. If you bring such equipment to the classroom, it must be turned off before the class starts and stay off throughout the class period. Use of such equipment is distracting to those nearby and will not be tolerated.

If you have specific physical, psychiatric, or learning disabilities and require accommodations, please let me know early in the semester so that your learning needs may be appropriately met.  You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the Director of Academic Advising. Feel free to talk to me if you have questions or want more information.

In addition to general computer accounts which are assigned when they students register at the College, all students in this class will receive accounts on the departmental Linux computers. Some class activities will involve the use of these departmental machines.

The final grade will ultimately be based upon each student's demonstration of her or his understanding of calculus, not on the performance of the class as a whole nor on a strict percentile basis. The following scheme approximates the relative weights attached to various activities in this course.

This document is available on the World Wide Web as

     http://www.walker.cs.grinnell.edu/courses/131.fa09/

created 2 January 1998 last revised 7 September 2009
For more information, please contact Henry M. Walker at walker@cs.grinnell.edu.