Department of Mathematical Sciences,
Northern Illinois University

MATH 229 Spring 2008

| Catalogue description | Prerequisite | Course Objectives | Syllabus | Withdrawal | Grading | Sample Exams | Final Exam | Calculators | Text | Handouts | Special Handouts | Resources on the web | Academic Conduct | CAAR Statement | Some advice |

CALCULUS I (4 semester hours)

PREREQUISITE: Math 155 or Satisfactory performance on the Placement Exam

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

REVISED SYLLABUS (Click here for detailed syllabus with dates.) The course will cover most of Chapters 1-5 of the text.

WITHDRAWAL: The last day for undergraduates to withdraw from a full-session course is Friday, March 21.

GRADING: Grades will be assigned on the basis of 650 points, as follows:

3 hour exams worth 100 points each
Quizzes and/or homework, 150 points total
Final exam, 200 points
Your instructor will provide more specific information about grading policies in your section.

FINAL EXAM: The Final Exam is scheduled for 4:00 - 5:50 p.m., Tuesday, May 13, 2008. The final exam will be a comprehensive, departmental examination. All sections of this course will take the same final exam at the same time. Please note that the exam will probably NOT be in your regular classroom. Room assignments from the university are usually made one to two weeks before the final exam week. We will post them as soon as they are available.

Previous final exams (in Acrobat Reader format):
   Sample final, Spring 99
   Two page Sample final
   Sample Final, Fall 2000
   Sample Final, Spring 2002
   Sample Final, Fall 2003

CALCULATORS: Students are asked to have a graphing calculator with roughly the capabilities of the TI-83. You will find this useful for investigating the concepts of the class, so you can experiment with additional examples. You may also want to verify parts of your homework calculations. However, the purpose of this course is to teach you ideas, not mastery of a calculator, and in particular, we need our exams to test your mastery of the concepts, not Texas Instruments Corporation's programming skills. Hence, graphing calculators will not be allowed on the departmental final exam. Your instructor may further regulate the use of calculators on the hour exams.

TEXT: University Calculus (alt. ed.), by Hass, Weir, and Thomas (publ. by Pearson Addison-Wesley)

Some additional references:
    Thomas and Finney, Calculus and Analytic Geometry.
    Edwards and Penney, Calculus and Analytic Geometry.
    Swokowski, Calculus with Analytic Geometry.
    Leithold, The Calculus with Analytic Geometry.

STUDENT HANDOUTS: Please note that any information provided by your instructor supersedes these data.

Revised Syllabus
Homework
Student Information Sheet

SPECIAL HANDOUTS:

Targeted Algebra Review
Differentiation Problems
Solutions to Differentiation Problems
Easy Anti-Differentiation Problems
Integration Problems
Solutions to Integration Problems

RESOURCES ON THE WEB:

Resources on the Web
Understanding Mathematics: a study guide, from the University of Utah
How to Ace Calculus: the Streetwise Guide, from UC Davis
COW: Calculus on the Web, from Temple University -- problems with hints and answers available on-line.
Calculus resource list from the Math Archives, from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Calculus resource list from the Math Forum, from Swarthmore College
"Symbolic calculators" on-line which will compute derivatives and integrals. (Here's an alternative site for integrals)

ACADEMIC CONDUCT: Academic honesty and mutual respect (student with student and instructor with student) are expected in this course. Mutual respect means being on time for class and not leaving early, being prepared to give full attention to class work, not reading newspapers or other material in class, not using cell phones or pagers during class time, and not looking at another student's work during exams. Academic misconduct, as defined by the Student Judicial Code, will not be treated lightly.

CAAR STATEMENT: If you have specific physical, psychiatric, or learning disabilities and require accomodations, please let your instructor 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 CAAR (Center for Access Ability Resources) Office located in the Health Services Building, 4th floor.

ADVICE:

Study for Success. Perhaps the single most important factor in your success in this course is your study habits . This is a fast paced course, with little room for catching up if you fall behind. Successful students have good time management skills. Set aside at least three nights a week to study the topics and work the homework problems. Do not wait until exam time to try to learn new material.

Calculus is based on deep concepts that will be entirely new to you if this is your first calculus course. Even for those of you seeing it for a second time, calculus taught at the university level is presented at a level beyond the mechanical course often taught in high school. A deeper understanding of these new concepts will allow you to solve many difficult problems you have never seen before.

The homework problems are intended to be an aid in reaching this level of understanding, not an exhaustive list of the sorts of tricks you will be required to perform on exams.

In summary, to succeed in this course:

While you're there, thinks, listen, and ask questions.

Last update: Jan 10, 2008