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Instructor
Information
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Name
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Dr. Gerard Awanou (go by Dr. Awanou)
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Email
Web page
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awanou@math.niu.edu
http://www.math.niu.edu/~awanou
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Office location
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351 Watson Hall
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Office hours
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MWF 11:00 pm-11:50 am
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Phone
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(Office) 815 753 6749 (intercom 28)
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Biography
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I'm an assistant professor in the department of
mathematical sciences since Fall 05. I received my Ph.d
in mathematics in summer 2003 from the University of Georgia and spent two years as a
postdoctoral associate at the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications,
University
of Minnesota.
My research interests are primarily in the numerical analysis of partial
differential equations.
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Course information
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Course title
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Calculus III
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Course description
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Many functions
depend on more than one independent variable. This class extends the basic
ideas of calculus to functions of several variables. In particular we
introduce the three dimensional coordinate system needed for many real
world situations. To simply describe lines, planes, surfaces and other
curves in space, and to answer questions about the paths and motions of
projectiles and other objects, we introduce vectors. Vectors in space are
triple of numbers or arrows in space.
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Course date
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Monday January 12 through Friday May 1 |
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Location
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Du
Sable Hall 302
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Meeting
day(s)
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M
T W & F
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Meeting
time(s)
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12:00
pm – 12:50 pm, MTWF
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Prerequisite(s)
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A
grade of C or better in Math 230.
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Textbook
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Required
reading
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University Calculus (alt. ed.), by
Hass, Weir, and Thomas (publ. by Pearson Addison-Wesley). Deviations
from the textbook may be necessary.
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Drop and Withdrawal
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All
drops of or withdrawals from courses must be accomplished before the
applicable deadline indicated in the Schedule of Classes, March 6.
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Grading
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There
will be three equal hour exams, 100 points each, along with a comprehensive
final counting two times the value of an exam. Home works and quizzes will
count for 100 points. The total of points is 600. Requests for grade change
must be done in writing and will trigger regrading of the whole paper.
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Exam
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Tentative dates for the
hour exams are F Feb 6, W March 4 and F April 24. The date of the
final
departmental exam is Thursday May 7, 8:00-9:50 am.
If you expect to miss any of
the hour exams and have a reasonable excuse (for example illness or
university business), notify me as far in advance of the exam as possible.
If you do not have a reasonable excuse, your grade on a missed exam will be
zero.
The
exams will include a few questions of a type not discussed in class to test
problem solving skills.
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Home works and Quizzes
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Home
works are collected on Tuesdays based on the topics covered up to Friday. You
are expected to work them as soon as the topic is covered in class. You are
expected to present clearly your arguments when presenting your work. Home
work taking several pages should be stapled together. The submitted work
should be legible and organized. Only a subset of the home works will
be graded.
In
addition, you should expect a 15-20 mn quiz every
Friday unless the quiz is delivered online. There is no make-up available
for a missed quiz. However there will be a few extra-credit opportunities.
A
tentative list of exercises from the textbook will be suggested. But some
home works may not be from the textbook.
For this class, we
will be using using a web-based homework system
called WebWork to administer some of the quizzes online. The login link is
http://hosted2.webwork.rochester.edu/webwork2/NIU_math232/.
This link is also available through my website. Your username is your last name.
Your initial password is also your last name. Both with the first letter in
capitals. A requirement of this class is that you change your password as
grades may be communicated via WebWork.
WebWork is different from
your previous experiences with math homework. Until the assignment is due, you can try the
problems as many times as you like, and the system will tell you whether or not
you have the right answer. This
lets you correct your work immediately. After the assignment’s due date, the
system will show you the correct answer for each problem when you try it
(but your answers won’t
be scored). This is thus a great tool for reviews.The
funny thing about WebWork is that the due dates are absolute. Since the system shows you the
answers immediately after the due time, I can’t give extensions on
the quizzes. You may complete assignments in advance if you want to.
Be warned: the problems are a
little different for each student, so copying other folks’ answers won’t
work. The quiz questions when applicable will be released at Tuesday noon
and the deadline is 5 pm the following Friday.
When you first
login to WebWork, use the “Change
Email/Password” button to enter your email and to change your
password. Then work the introduction to see how the system works. Critical
information about how to enter mathematical expressions in Webwork is located on the right side of your screen for
each assignment.You can select a set and print it
out in PDF format to work out the problems on paper if you like. Your
problems will be the same when you login again to enter the answers. This
set is designed to give you a tutorial on how WebWork
works.
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Due dates
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Home
works are due on the dates indicated in class or on the schedule of home works.
For every 24 h period a home work is late, 5% of the grade will be taken
off.
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Calculators
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Calculators
will not be allowed on quizzes and hour exams. A scientific calculator is
permitted on the department final exam.
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Attendance policy
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Students
are expected to attend each lecture and participate in the
discussions.
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Academic Honesty and Civility in the Classroom
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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, (if you have to leave, arrange to sit near the door and
leave quietly), being prepared to give full attention to class work, not
reading newspapers or other material in class, not using cell phones,
pagers or other electronic devices during class time, no sleeping, no
eating, not bringing children to class, not talking to classmates outside
of group work, not copying the solutions of the home works from unnamed
sources and not looking at another student's work during exams. Academic
misconduct and incivility in the classroom, as defined by the Student
Judicial Code, will not be treated lightly.
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Doing well in the class
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After
each lecture, reread the material, review your class notes and do as many
of the assigned exercises as you can before the following class. In
doing home works, you should document carefully the kind of algebra
mistakes you make. Problem solving is one of the most important aspect of this course. Most students need to go over the
most difficult problems several times and you may find that you need to do
additional exercises. You should plan on spending a minimum of nine hours
per week outside of the classes. It is important to take careful class
notes. The act of getting the ideas and methods outlined in the lecture
down clearly on paper is a powerful aid to memory. It doesn't matter if the
ideas are already in the book, taking them down in writing helps fix them
in your memory. It is also a good idea to review your notes repeatedly,
partly to identify areas of confusion, partly to review. You must stay on
top of the material from day one. If you do not understand a concept or
technique seek help immediately. You should consult your book or ask a
fellow student. You could also seek help through the ACCESS/PAL tutoring
services, the Mathematics
Assistance Center
and office hours. Experience has shown that students who take advantage of
these opportunities regularly tend to do better in the course. Additional
information about tutoring and additional help sessions will be given later
during the course.
You must also change the way you
view mathematics. Success in Calculus is driven by your study habits not by
an obscure gift you may or may not have for mathematics. It is not about
using the right formula at the right time. It is only understanding of the
new ideas and concepts of the class which will allow you to solve problems
you have never seen before. The ability you will develop to solve problems
will help you in your lives.
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