Syllabus
Lectures
Professor
Textbook
Grades
Exams
Class Participation
Calculators & Computers
Honor Principle
Disabilities
Questions
Calculus on the Web
Some Final Thoughts
Homework Schedule
Syllabus
The topic of the course is Multivariable Calculus. As the name suggests, we will spend our time developing the differential and integral calculus in two and three dimensions. We will set up a theory analogous to the single variable theory calculus you already know and love. Topics for this course include analytic geometry, partial derivatives, multiple integration, and vector calculus.
In particular, we will cover most of Chapters 11-14 of the textbook.
We will begin in Chapter 11 with the fundamentals of geometry in two and three dimensions.
We will also introduce the dot and cross products,
two very important tools that we will use throughout the course.
We will then move onto Chapter 12, which covers the differential calculus, and
Chapter 13, which covers the integral calculus.
Finally, we will study vector calculus in Chapter 14. This is really the heart of the course.
We will study vector fields and deep generalizations of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
We have designed the course specifically to save time for a detailed treatment of
the theorems of Green and Stokes, and the Divergence Theorem.
Lectures
Professor
My name is Alex McAllister and I will be teaching Math 13 for the Fall 1998. My office is 411 Bradley Hall and my telephone number is 646-2960. If you need to speak with me, you may come to my office hours, or contact me via e-mail at Alex.M.McAllister@dartmouth.edu. You might also be interested in visiting my home page at http://www.math.dartmouth.edu/~amcallis/.Textbook
Our textbook is Calculus, 3rd Edition, which was written by James Stewart and is published by Brooks/Cole Publishing.Grades
Your grade for the course will be determined by the following:
Exams
As mentioned above, there will be two Midterm Exams and a Final Exam. The Midterm Exams have already been scheduled; the Final Exam will occur between December 5th and December 9th at the time and place regularly scheduled by the registrar.Unless reported to me before Labor Day (i.e., by October 5th), a scheduling conflict is not a sufficient excuse to take the exam at any time other than the official time listed below. The Final Exam will occur between December 5th and December 9th. If you must make travel plans before the schedule for final exams appears, Do Not make plans to leave Hanover before December 10th. The Final Exam Will Not be given early to accommodate travel plans.
For this course, no calculators may be used during the exams. Please keep this in mind while working on your homework.
The exams will take place at the following times and places:
Class Participation
Class participation is an essential part of the course; mathematics is not a spectator sport. For this course, class participation consists of class attendance, reading assignments, quizzes, and homework problems.You are expected to attend every class. You have invested a large sum of money for the opportunity to come to class and I will invest a large amount of time in preparing for class; do not want any of us wasting the investments we have made.
Reading assignments will be given daily and should be read before coming to class. For some of my thoughts on reading mathematics texts, click here.
Quizzes will be administered at the end of class on Monday covering material presented in class the previous week. They will consist of a couple of questions and should only take 10 - 15 minutes to complete. If you do the homework for the lectures given the previous week (including Friday's homework), then you should do fine on the quizzes.
Homework problems will be assigned daily and collected the following class period.
Homework will be turned in and picked up from the boxes outside of 103 Bradley.
Late homework will not be accepted and a grade of 0 will be assigned
(of course, exceptions can be made for emergencies such as illness, death, natural disasters...).
The solutions you present must be coherent and written in complete sentences whenever possible.
Simply stating answers or turning in garbled, unclear solutions will result in a grade of 0.
For further details consult the
Homework Schedule.
Calculators and Computers
Although these are wonderful tools, proficiency in their use in no replacement for genuine understanding of the concepts of calculus. You will not be allowed to use these tools during quizzes and exams; these will be written so that you can do the problems without them. You are also encouraged to be careful in how you choose to use these tools in doing your homework. The homework problems are intended to increase your understanding of the material and judicious use of these tools may be appropriate. However, while doing your homework, you should also attempt to simulate to some extent the quiz/exam environment which will determine to bulk of your grade.During class, I will use Maple (a computer algebra system) to illustrate various ideas. If you are interested, you can obtain a copy of Maple from the Public server; basic instructions for downloading and using Maple can be found at:
- Maple for Mac (keyserved)
- Maple for PC (keyserved)
- Maple Primer (very basic, but useful)
Honor Principle
Work on all quizzes and exams should be strictly your own.Collaboration on homework is encouraged (and expected), although, you should first spend some time in individual concentration to gain the full benefit of the homework. On the other hand, copying is discouraged. You should not be leaving a study group with your homework ready to be turned in; write up your solution sets by yourself.
Finally, there is a solutions manual on reserve in Baker library.
When it comes to working on homework, you should treat those manuals as you would a classmate.
That is, when it comes to writing up your solution sets, leave the solutions manual in the
Reserve room, go somewhere else and write up your solutions by yourself without the benefit of the
manual or notes taken while reading the manual.
Disabilities
I encourage students with disabilities, including but not limited to disabilities like chronic diseases, learning disabilities, and psychiatric disabilities, and students dealing with other exceptional circumstances to come see me after class or during office hours so that we can make appropriate accommodations. Also, you should stop by the Academic Skills Center in Collis Center to register for support services.Questions
If you have any questions about this syllabus or about the material presented in this course, come talk to me. Although, I do enjoy mathematics, I am not here just to have fun. My primary goal is to help you learn and understand calculus. Your questions are an important part of your learning process, and I can help you find answers.Calculus on the Web
Better than a textbook: Interactive Real Analysis!Check out some cool Calculus Graphics.
Can't figure out that nasty integral?
You can find most math stuff in one of Dave's Math Tables.
What's your favorite Mathematical Constant?
Investigate other areas of mathematics...
How about some Mathematical Jokes?
Homework in this course too easy? Try these problems!
Some Final Thoughts
The calculus is the greatest aid we have to the appreciation of physical truth in the broadest sense of the word.
