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2097Math240_Syllabus  
Course information for Math 240, Multivariable calculus
Updated Apr 9, 2009 by Jonathan.E.Holland@gmail.com

About the course

This is the third in a sequence of three calculus courses for science and engineering students. The goal is to prepare you to make use of calculus as a practical problem-solving tool.

Prerequisite

Math 0230 or equivalent, with a grade of C or better.

Text

The textbook for this course is James Stewart, Calculus Concepts and Contexts, third edition, Thomson.

Labs

One session each week will meet in the Calculus/Engineering Computer Lab in the Gardner Steel Conference Center (GSCC 126). In the labs, you will work in teams of two or three on computer assignments and projection, using the computer mathematics system Maple. Your lab projects will be submitted electronically over the campus computer network.

Lab assignments will be submitted by teams, rather than individually, but the preparation of the lab assignments should consist of a combination of individual work, discussion, and consolidation. It is recommended that each team member work at his or her own computer rather than clustering around a single machine. As you work, you should discuss your results with your teammates. Any difficulties that arise should be resolved by discussion within your group. If you really get stuck, there will be people around who can help to point you in the right direction, but they won't do the work for you.

You won't always complete your computer work in the scheduled lab time. When that happens, you'll have to make arrangements with your teammates to complete your work before the due date. If you need to move from one team to another during the semester, you can do so. Ask your lab TA for assistance.

Recitations

Twice a week you will meet with your TA in a classroom (without computers) to go over problems related to material covered the previous week.

Grades

Your course grade will be determined as follows:

  • Two midterm exams 40% (20% each)
  • Final exam 30%
  • Weekly quizzes 10%
  • Computer assignments 10%
  • Written assignments 10%

Exams

All three exams will be held during regularly-scheduled class times. The final exam will be on the last scheduled meeting of the class. See the class schedule for dates.

You will receive more detailed information about each exam, possibly including practice exams, at least a week prior to the exam date to assist you in your preparation.

Quizzes

A twenty minute quiz will be administered each week during recitation. They will be based on the material covered the previous week. Weekly objectives for the quiz will be posted along with the lecture schedule, and a list of practice problems will be assigned. These problems are not to be turned in, but you are responsible to know how to do similar problems on the quiz.

Homework

Homework will be due during recitations. See the course schedule for the exact dates and the problems due. The recitation TA will give you further information on the homework policy.

Materials

In addition to the textbook, you will need at least a scientific calculator. Any calculator with logarithms, exponentials, and trigonometric functions will do. Programmability is desirable but not essential. A graphing calculator, such as the TI83 or TI86, is better still.

Computer accounts

As a University of Pittsburgh student, you should already have a Pitt computer account. You will need to know your username and password to access the computer resources in the lab.

In addition to your Pitt account, you'll need an account on the calculus file server. Your lab TA will help you set up your account during your first lab session. If for some reason you do not get your server account during the first lab session, you can do it on your own from any computer with access to the World Wide Web. Consult the calculus home page http://calculus.math.pitt.edu for instructions.

Getting Help

Tutoring

Walk in tutoring is available in the Calculus/Engineering Lab and in the Math Assistance Center (MAC) on the third floor of Thackeray Hall. Tutoring hours will be posted outside the lab and the MAC, as well as on the web at http://calculus.math.pitt.edu. You should go to the Calculus/Engineering Lab for help with your computer work, and to the MAC for assistance with pencil and paper work.

Computer tutorials

There is on-line reference material on Maple available on the file server in the form of tutorial worksheets on various subjects. One worksheet that you may find particularly useful is the tutorial quickref.mws, which contains a summary of the Maple commands you will use most frequently. Until you become proficient with Maple, you may want to keep this worksheet open for reference as you work on your computer assignments. Other tutorials go into greater detail on specialized topics. You'll find a link to this material on the calculus web page, inside your calculus class' home page at http://calculus.math.pitt.edu. (Click the "My Class" link in the main index once you have registered, and then "Maple Help" in the class index.)

Office hours

Your instructor will announce his office hours.

Maple

Maple is a system for doing mathematics on a computer. It allows you to perform numerical calculations and algebraic manipulations, and to produce high quality graphics to interpret your work visually. You will do your work in Maple worksheets, which allow you to integrate results of Maple calculations with fully word-processed text to produce a polished report.

Once you become proficient with Maple, you should find it useful for other courses.

Academic integrity

Cheating or plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students suspected of violating the University of Pittsburgh Policy on Academic Integrity will incur a minimum sanction of a zero score for the quiz, exam or paper in question. Additional sanctions may be imposed, depending on the severity of the infraction.

On homework, you may work with other students or use library resources, but each student must write up his or her solutions independently. Copying solutions from other students will be considered cheating, and handled accordingly.

Disability Resource Services

If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and the Office of Disability Resources and Services, 216 William Pitt Union (412) 624-7890 as early as possible in the term.

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