Instructor’s Name: Steven Ferry (Professor)
Instructor’s Office: 708 Hill Center
Instructor’s Telephone Number: 732-445-3484
Instructor’s Office Hours:
Book: Calculus: Early transcendentals by Stewart, 5th edition
This course will cover chapters 12-16 of Stewart’s book. The general subject is multivariable calculus — the calculus of several (mostly 2 and 3) variables. The course meets Monday and Thursday, 11:30 - 12:50 in SEC 117. There are three recitation sections meeting at various times on Fridays. Attendance at both lectures and recitations is required.
There will be two in-class exams during the semester and a final during finals week. I expect that exam #1 will be on Thursday, October 9, and that it will cover material through section 14.6 and that exam #2 will be on Monday, November 17, and that it will cover material through section 16.3.
The weighting of exam grades will be roughly as follows:
Exam #1 — 19%
Exam #2 — 19%
Final — 38%
No calculators are allowed on exams. The remaining 24% of the grade will consist of grades from workshops, quizzes, homework, and Maple labs. The breakdown is roughly 9% workshops, 9% quizzes, and 6% Maple. The homework grade will be worked into the workshop grades. (The professor made up these rather precise-looking numbers out of thin air, so don’t be too shocked if they change somewhat by the end of the semester.)
Homework will be collected during recitation. One practical incentive for reading the book and doing the homework is that quite a few of the quiz and exam problems will be modeled on worked examples from the book or from assigned homework problems. Calculators are not allowed on quizzes or exams.
Important tips for getting a good grade:
Do the homework and prepare for the weekly quizzes. There is a lot of material in MA251 and it pays to be organized in your approach to the course. Many students find it difficult catch up if they fall behind.
If you find that you've forgotten material from Calc I or Calc II, go back and look it up! Work a few exercises from the appropriate section to resolidify your understanding. In particular, if you've forgotten any basic differentiation or integration formulas, look them up and learn them.
It is important to take the examinations on the day when they are given. Makeup exams will only be given to students who have valid medical excuses. A student who misses a scheduled makeup exam for any reason will receive an F for the course.
Don't count on mercy from the instructor at the end of the semester. I curve the individual exams, but I calculate the final grades mechanically by adding up the scores from the tests, quizzes, workshops, and Maple labs. The only way to get the grade you want is to earn the appropriate grades during the semester on tests, quizzes, workshops, and Maple labs.