MATH 1953 (Sections 4 and 5)
Calculus III
Spring 2016

This is the homepage for MATH 1953 (Calculus III), Sections 4 and 5. 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

  • I've posted solutions for your practice final exam below.
  • Solutions for Quizzes 6 and 7 have been posted below.
  • I've posted a study guide/list of concepts for our final exam below.
  • In addition to scheduled office hours, remember that the Math Center is staffed with many tutors who can help you. The Math Center is staffed from 10-5 Monday-Thursday, 9-12 Friday, and 12-5 on Sunday. (Their hours are slightly shorter during the first week of classes; see the Math Center homepage for more details.)
Course Information

Instructor:

Ronnie Pavlov
Office: Aspen Hall 715C
e-mail: rpavlov@du.edu
Phone: (303)-871-4001
Office hours: 9:30 - 10:30 Monday, 3:00 - 4:00 Wednesday, 9:00 - 10:00 Thursday

Graduate TA:

If you're in Section 4, your TA is Dan Graybill.
Office: Aspen Hall 719A
e-mail: dan.graybill@du.edu
Office hours: 3:00 - 4:00 Tuesday, 2:00 - 3:00 Wednesday

If you're in Section 5, your TA is Ryan Demuse.
Office: Aspen Hall 723A
e-mail: ryan.demuse@du.edu
Office hours: 12:00 - 1:00 Tuesday, 3:00 - 4:00 Monday

Section 4 will meet every day from 12:00 - 12:50 in Boettcher Auditorium, room 103.
Section 5 will meet every day from 2:00 - 2:50 in Sturm Hall, room 287.
Your graduate TA will lead the class on Fridays.

Text
Text: Single Variable Calculus: Early Transcendentals 7th 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 Thomas! 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. Your lowest homework assignment grade will be dropped. 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 0238 5709 if you are in Section 4 (12:00-12:50)
du 2944 6245 if you are in Section 5 (2:00-2:50)

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, MARCH 26th 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 TWO quiz grades will be dropped. For this reason, I will not give makeup quizzes except in the case of a documented absence out of your control, such as sickness or a DU athletic event.
Exams
You will have two midterm exams (dates April 12th and TBA) both in our classroom during class time. Our final exam will be on Saturday, May 28th in your classroom during classtime. More information about the exams will be posted later in the term.

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!!!