(Updated 9/1/2009)
Math 221, Section 6: Fall 2009 This is the Class Web Page for section 06 only. You are referred to The Main Course Webpage for most syllabus information. Any information here which contradicts the course webpage is (most likely) wrong. Whenever I refer to the class webpage, I mean this page; and whenever I refer to the course webpage, I mean the other page.

Data
Instructor: Keith Jones
Email: kjones@math.binghamton.edu
Meeting Times: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8:00-9:30
Office Hours: For help with assignments, visit the calculus help room. For other questions about the class, I can answer most questions via email, or you can stop by after class. Otherwise, we can arrange a meeting time.

Prerequisites
You must know algebra, geometry, and trigonometry for this class. You should also be comfortable with coordinate geometry and functions. Be aware that you the work you are required to perform involves routinely use these skills in dealing with the concepts and problems discussed in this class.

You were required to pass the Calculus I placement test to enroll in this class. The ``passing'' grade for this test is considered a bare minimum. If your grade was borderline (close to 20) then you will probably need to work hard on strengthening your prerequisite skills in order to do well in this class.

If you have worries about your abilities, I highly encourage you to get a tutor now. Don't wait. See the main course webpage for more information on obtaining a tutor.

Finally, I will mention that one of the best ways you to strengthen your prerequisite skills is to take the assigned homework very seriously: be sure that you can complete the assigned problems correctly, independently, and in a reasonable amount of time (most problems should require a few minutes or less). These problems will require you to use algebra, trig, functions, and coordinate geometry over and over. See more discussion on this in the Homework section. below.

Reading
The reading assignments are a very important part of this class, and attending class is not a substitute for reading the text. The textbook is your first and primary source of information on the material. In class, I will stress the points which require stressing, but I will not be simply repeating the material in lecture format. For more on the reading assignments, see the Questions section.

Classroom
In the classroom, the time I spend standing up front talking will consist mostly of the following: my responses to your questions, my occasional discussions of proofs (because they are beautiful and this is what math is really about), my further discussions of key points in the readings. Much of the time will consist of you actively working, alone and in groups, followed by class discussions. There will also be in class quizzes, as discussed below.

Grading
Most of the specifics of grading are outlined on the course webpage. The remaining 10% will come from two sources:

Quizzes: Quizzes will be given (roughly) once per week, and will (usually, but not always) be announced ahead of time. Five percent of your final score will come from quizzes.
Questions: For each reading assignment, there will be an exchange of questions: two for two. I give you two questions related to the reading which you answer to the best of your ability/interest, and you give me two questions that arise during the course of the reading. You are to submit the assignment to me via email, in the following format:
Email to: kjones@math.binghamton.edu
Subject Line: Math221 Reading Response: #/# (where #/# is the due date listed in the schedule below)
In the body of the email:
Q1: Your response to my Question 1 Q2: Your response to my Question 2 Q3: Your first question for me Q4: Your second question for me Additional: Please give any additional comments or questions that you feel like sharing with me, about the reading or assigned problems.

Each response/question should be no more than a few sentences, in some cases, just one will be fine.
Why am I doing it this way?There are a number of reasons, but the primary purpose is to stress the fact that you will develop a far better understanding of the subject matter when you get comfortable reading the textbook. Sitting in a lecture is passive, whereas reading is active. The ability to make proper use of a math textbook is a skill which will pay dividends in the future, especially (but not only) in future math courses. (Trust me, even if you do well in Calc 1 without cracking the book, you'll wish you'd gotten practice in it when you're in Calc 2.)

What's the point of the questions? The questions serve a few purposes. My questions for you let you see some (though not all!) of the points in the reading which I feel deserve stressing. I ask you to give me questions about the reading because I want you to perform more than just a surface skimming of the material. During a serious and thoughtful reading, questions will naturally arise. I want you to entertain those questions --- chase them down. When your own questions arise, and you find the answers to your satisfaction, that is a far more effective method of learning than passively absorbing information. I also require you to read the material and ask questions before we discuss it, because if I know what's on your mind, what you're struggling with, then I can be much more effective in helping you learn.

How are the reading assignments graded? I will give 3 points to each assignment. The first point is for turning it in completed, the second is for questions 1 and 2, and the third is for questions 3 and 4. In questions 1 and 2 (my questions for you), I will be looking for correctness (when applicable), and to see that you gave the question serious thought. In questions 3 and 4 (your questions for me), I am looking to see that you've read the material and seriously thought about it.

So are you really going to answer all the questions? Probably not, simply because there won't be time. Questions which are asked by a number of people, or those which provide a good opportunity to help everyone better understand the meat of the subject will get priority. It is likely that some questions will deal with subtle or esoteric issues which may take more time then they're worth to fully clarify.

Homeworks
Exercises will be assigned in the schedule below, and will not be collected. The simple fact is that I don't have time to check all your solutions for correctness. However, understand that as much as this class is about learning the basic concepts of single variable calculus, this class is also about developing and furthering your mathematical skills. Just as with any sport or activity, your math skills cannot be developed without practice, and that is what the exercises are for.

You should try each problem alone first, after having read the secton. You will be confronted with problems that are initially difficult, confusing, and frustrating. That's okay! (It's kind of the point in fact --- if it were all so easy, there'd be no point in doing it.) Learning occurs when you overcome these roadblocks. If looking through the book does not help find the solution, you should feel free to discuss it with your fellow classmates. The next step is to make use of the calculus help room (see the course webpage for more information). I will be holding most of my office hours there. If after all this, you find that you are still not getting many of the problems solved, then you should seriously consider getting a tutor. The exam questions will generally be similar to the homework exercises; and so your best gauge for how well you will do on the exam is how easily you dispatch the homework exercises (and quizzes).
One final word of advice: Solve the hard problems twice. If you do struggle with a problem, and you get help to find the solution, then make sure that you can go back and solve that problem independently. When you watch someone solve a problem it will seem easy, but only by trying the problem independently can you be sure that you get it.

The due dates listed in the schedule below refer to the class during which that material will be discussed. I expect you to have read the section before that class, and preferrably attempted the exercises. In particular, the sooner you ask a question on a subject, the more likely I'll have time to prepare an answer --- and so, the more likely you are to get a satisfactory answer. For example, if you routinely send me your reading response at midnight the night before class, your questions will naturally end up having a lower priority. It's likely that discussion of questions on a section will span multiple classes, so I'm not saying they will never get answered... I'm saying they might never get answered. I consider the material to be valid for a quiz on any date after the due date. This offers a little buffer zone for you to find time to read the material, get started trying the exercises, and actually get comfortable with them, before you are quizzed on them.

Mailing List
There is a mailing list for this class which sends email to your official school email address. You should be checking your school email daily, regardless of this class; but since I intend to use this list for announcements, it is very important that you do so. If you dislike the school email, you should forward your school email to your preferred account. (To do this, you can visit http://webmail.binghamton.edu, log into your email account, visit "Options", and look for the "Forwarding" tab. I think you should not keep a copy of your emails in your inbox if you do not plan on checking this account, because your inbox could fill up and cause you trouble.) This is a serious issue. Not getting your email is no excuse for not being up to date with the class.

Links

Reading/Homework Schedule
(Subject to Change)
** - See due dates comment above.

Due Date** Assignment

9/2 Read: This page and the course webpage completely. Send me an email (at kjones@math.binghamton.edu) with the subject line Math221 Syllabus Response with the following:

Do you have any questions about this page or the course webpage?
Do you have any other questions for me about the course at this time?
Have you taken precaculus and/or calculus before?
How comfortable do you feel with the prerequisite skills? If not so comfortable, do you have a plan to deal with that?
Do you plan on taking Calculus 2? Please respond to the statement ``on average, students do a full letter grade worse in Calculus 2 than in Calculus 1.''
Read: Appendices A, B, and C.
This should be review, so you can browse it quickly, but pay special attention to material with which you don't feel comfortable. In section C, you only need to read about circles and parabolas.
Question 1: What is the benefit of coordinate geometry over ``just geometry''?
Question 2: Why does the graph of a circle not represent a function? How can we obtain two different functions from a circle?
Exercises: Appendix B: all multiples of 5, Appendix C: 2,3,7,8,14,34,37 My responses

9/4 Read: Browse 2.1 quickly, and read 2.2.
Question 1: Given a function f(x) and a point a, why is it not enough to have a table of values very near a to determine the limit of f near a?
Question 2: How is it possible to define ``the limit of f'' in terms of one-sided limits?
Exercises: 2.2: Multiples of 5, up through 30; and 34(a).
My responses

9/9 Read: 2.3. I highly recommend that you work through the examples on paper to be sure you understand them and can handle the algebra involved. The Limit Laws on page 77 need to become second nature to you --- this will take practice.
Read: 3.1; again, I recommend you work the examples out on paper to be sure you're comfortable with them; however, examples 6 and 7 aren't as important as the earlier ones. Be sure you understand the connections between velocity, instantaneous rate of chage, slope of tangent line at a point, and derivative.
Q1: Suppose f(x) satisfies the following conditions:

The domain of f(x) is [0,∞).
The range of f(x) is [0, ∞).
f(x) < x³ for all x in [0,∞).
Then what is the limit of f(x) as x approaches 0? What theorem gives us this result?
Q2: If velocity is the derivative of displacement (i.e. position), then what is the derivative of velocity?
(There will most likely be a quiz on friday of next week on this material, so don't wait too long to get started.)
Exercises: 2.1: 7, 2.3: multiples of 5, 3.1: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 36, 40, 46, 49, 50, 52
My Responses

9/14 Read: 2.5 and 3.2
Q1:For what values of x is the function
√(x-3)

Due Date**	Assignment
9/2	Read: This page and the course webpage completely. Send me an email (at `kjones@math.binghamton.edu`) with the subject line `Math221 Syllabus Response` with the following: Do you have any questions about this page or the course webpage? Do you have any other questions for me about the course at this time? Have you taken precaculus and/or calculus before? How comfortable do you feel with the prerequisite skills? If not so comfortable, do you have a plan to deal with that? Do you plan on taking Calculus 2? Please respond to the statement ``on average, students do a full letter grade worse in Calculus 2 than in Calculus 1.'' Read: Appendices A, B, and C. This should be review, so you can browse it quickly, but pay special attention to material with which you don't feel comfortable. In section C, you only need to read about circles and parabolas. Question 1: What is the benefit of coordinate geometry over ``just geometry''? Question 2: Why does the graph of a circle not represent a function? How can we obtain two different functions from a circle? Exercises: Appendix B: all multiples of 5, Appendix C: 2,3,7,8,14,34,37	My responses
9/4	Read: Browse 2.1 quickly, and read 2.2. Question 1: Given a function f(x) and a point a, why is it not enough to have a table of values very near a to determine the limit of f near a? Question 2: How is it possible to define ``the limit of f'' in terms of one-sided limits? Exercises: 2.2: Multiples of 5, up through 30; and 34(a).	My responses
9/9	Read: 2.3. I highly recommend that you work through the examples on paper to be sure you understand them and can handle the algebra involved. The Limit Laws on page 77 need to become second nature to you --- this will take practice. Read: 3.1; again, I recommend you work the examples out on paper to be sure you're comfortable with them; however, examples 6 and 7 aren't as important as the earlier ones. Be sure you understand the connections between velocity, instantaneous rate of chage, slope of tangent line at a point, and derivative. Q1: Suppose f(x) satisfies the following conditions: The domain of f(x) is [0,∞). The range of f(x) is [0, ∞). f(x) < x³ for all x in [0,∞). Then what is the limit of f(x) as x approaches 0? What theorem gives us this result? Q2: If velocity is the derivative of displacement (i.e. position), then what is the derivative of velocity? (There will most likely be a quiz on friday of next week on this material, so don't wait too long to get started.) Exercises: 2.1: 7, 2.3: multiples of 5, 3.1: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 36, 40, 46, 49, 50, 52	My Responses
9/14	Read: 2.5 and 3.2 Q1:For what values of x is the function √(x-3)