Math 41
Fall 2011
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Course Description and prerequisites

Math 41 is a 5-credit course in introductory calculus with an accelerated pace -- the class covers limits, derivatives, applications of differentiation, and the basics of integration (up to substitution and integration by parts). It is one of three different single-variable calculus courses taught at Stanford in the autumn quarter, so you should be deciding during the first week whether it's the right calculus class for you.

Math 41-42 is a two quarter sequence in single variable calculus. We will cover the same material as in the Math 19-20-21 sequence, but at a faster pace. If you have recently finished a calculus class covering all of the subjects listed above and you feel confident about them, you should consider instead taking Math 42 -- even if you don't have AP credit. If you're undecided about which of Math 41/42 (or any two courses in sequence) to take, keep in mind that it will be easier to drop back than to jump ahead during the second or third week of the quarter.

On the other hand, if it's been a year or more since your last math class or you are taking math just to satisfy a DB-MATH, you should consider instead taking Math 19 -- even if you did well in calculus in high school. Math 41 moves very quickly, and leaves you very little time to get back into shape if your math skills are rusty. It is intended to develop (quickly) the necessary background for students who will need calculus for their further studies, and may be more intense than what students satisfying a disciplinary breadth requirement are looking for.

On Registrar deadlines: Please pay careful attention to all Registrar deadlines, especially the add/drop deadline at the end of the third week of classes. University Advising and Research has recently reaffirmed that it will not allow changes in course registrations from Math 42 to 41 after the drop deadline. However, UAR has a special provision in place to accept petitions for switches from Math 41 to 19 submitted in complete form before Friday, October 28th at 5pm. The instructions for how to properly complete the petition is contained here. You can also contact your instructor for more information.

For a detailed syllabus see the Syllabus page.

Instructors and Teaching Assistants

  • Jose Cantarero
  • Instructor
  • Lectures: 05 (MWF 1:15-2:05pm at 380-380C) and 12 (MWF 2:15-3:05pm at 380-380Y)
  • Office: 380-382B (Office hours)
  • Email: cantarer(at)stanford(dot)edu
  • Nancy Rodriguez
  • Instructor
  • Lectures: 01 (MWF 11-11:50am at 380-380C) and 11 (MWF 10-10:50am at 380-380Y)
  • Office: 380-382X (Office hours)
  • Email: nrodriguez(at)math(dot)stanford(dot)edu
  • Tracy Nance
  • ACE Teaching Assistant
  • Discussions: ACE (TTh 1:15-3:05pm at 200-201)
  • Office: 380-381N (Office hours)
  • Email: tnance(at)math(dot)stanford(dot)edu
  • Miguel Reyes
  • ACE Course Assistant
  • Discussions: ACE (W 6-7pm at GESB 131, Th 7:30-8:30pm at GESB 131)
  • Email: reyes3(at)stanford(dot)edu
  • Ulrik Buchholtz
  • Teaching Assistant
  • Discussions: 03 (TTh 11-11:50am at 420-050) and 09 (TTh 2:15-3:05pm at 200-303)
  • Office: 380-380H (Office hours)
  • Email: utb(at)math(dot)stanford(dot)edu
  • Junsoo Ha
  • Teaching Assistant
  • Discussions: 04 (TTh 1:15-2:05pm at School of Educ. 210) and 10 (TTh 11-11:50am at Herrin T185)
  • Office: 380-381B (Office hours)
  • Email: jha(at)math(dot)stanford(dot)edu
  • Sam Lichtenstein
  • Teaching Assistant
  • Discussions: 02 (TTh 1:15-2:05pm at 160-325) and 08 (TTh 10-10:50am at School of Educ. 210)
  • Office: 380-381N (Office hours)
  • Email: saml(at)math(dot)stanford(dot)edu
  • Jenya Sapir
  • Teaching Assistant
  • Discussions: 06 (TTh 1:15-2:05pm at 200-219) and 07 (TTh 10-10:50am at 380-381T)
  • Office: 380-381H (Office hours)
  • Email: jsapir(at)math(dot)stanford(dot)edu

Textbook

  • Single variable calculus: Concepts and contexts, 4th edition, by James Stewart. Most homework exercises and reading assignments are taken from the book, so you should have a copy. This will also be the text for Math 42. This course will cover the first four chapters of the book and about half of chapter five. Contact your instructor if you can not find a copy of this book in the bookstore. It is not recommended that you use a copy of a different edition, since some of the homework problems come from the 4th edition and the numbering may be different.

Lectures and Sections

Each week you will attend three lectures and two discussion sections. The lectures are on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, either at 10am, 11am, 1:15pm or 2:15pm. The discussion sections are on Tuesday and Thursday. See the Discussion Sections page to view the choices for times and locations and instructions on the sign-up process. You will sign up via CourseWork, and you available options will depend on your lecture instructor. CourseWork will also be used for gradekeeping, email announcements and as a forum.

The lectures will be used primarily to introduce concepts and develop theory. In the discussion sections, you will meet with your Teaching Assistant in a smaller group. Most of the time in discussion sections will be used for discussing the daily homework assignment, which you should be doing after each lecture (see the Homework page for more information), that is, before the discussion section. If you miss a lecture or a section, it is your responsibility to catch up on the topics that you missed. You should keep in mind that in this course, the material builds on itself. If you miss some of the material, subsequent lectures will be more difficult (or even unintelligible) for you.

Exams

There will be two midterm exams and a university scheduled final exam. The problems on the exams will have a similar level to the problems in the weekly homework. You can also see previous years exams and solutions in the Exams page. Any makeup exams will take place before the scheduled exams. Only reasonable situations call for a makeup exam, such as conflicting class or exam or unavoidable trip (not vacation). If an emergency occurs and you need to miss an exam, your final grade will be based solely on the rest of the scores in the class. If you need to request an early exam, you must contact your instructor no later than one week before the exam.

  • Midterm 1: Thursday, October 20th, 7-9pm, Room Hewlett 200.
  • Midterm 2: Thursday, November 10th, 7-9pm, Room Annenberg Auditorium.
  • Final exam: Monday, December 12th, 7-10pm, Room Cemex Auditorium (Zambrano Hall in Knight Management Center).

Homework

There will be two kinds of homework, both posted on the Homework page, daily homework and weekly homework:

  • Daily homework. A short homework assignment and previous years exam problems corresponding to each lecture. The former will be made out of routine problems to practice the mechanics of calculus and the latter will give you an idea of the level of exam questions. You should try them after reading the book section/s covered in class that day. You do not need to hand these in.
  • Weekly homework. A longer homework assignment that should be carefully written up and handed in, with sufficient justification shown for each problem. These will be graded and returned to you. Solutions will be posted on the Homework page. The lowest two homework scores will be dropped when computing the final grade. No late homework will be accepted under any circumstance. Homework should be inside your discussion leader's office on the due date by 3.15 pm.

You are encouraged to work with others on your homework, but be wary of depending too much on outside help to solve problems. You should only discuss problems you have attempted already. I recomment you spend at least half of your study hours alone. Each student must write up their own solutions to the weekly homework. Honor code applies. For more information and policies, see the Homework page.

Grades

Your grade will be based on the following components:
  • Weekly Homework: 10%
  • Midterm Exam 1: 25%
  • Midterm Exam 2: 25%
  • Final Exam: 40%
There are no predetermined numerical cutoffs for letter grades, and the cutoffs may turn out to be rather different from what you are accustomed to from high school. In general, the grade distribution for the class is usually (roughly) as follows: around 30% of the class receive A's, around 40% receive B's, and most of the rest receive C's.

Office Hours

You are encouraged to attend the office hours provided by the instructors and assistants, any of them, it does not matter if they are your instructors or discussion leaders. You may just drop in at the scheduled office hours.

Getting Help, Honor Code and Other Resources

  • Your first resource for help in the class should be your instructors and the course assistants. You are welcome to office hours for any kind of question, we are here to help you and ready to explain the same thing as many times as necessary. You can also email us, but keep in mind that questions in office hours are answered faster and more clearly.

  • You may seek free tutoring from the Center for Teaching and Learning.

  • You may also hire private tutors from the mathematics graduate students. But beware that private tutors tend to be expensive.

  • Honor Code and Fundamental Standard
    • By Math Department policy, any student found to be in violation of the Honor Code on any assignment or exam in this course will receive a final course letter grade of NP.

  • Statement from the Registrar concerning students with documented disabilities:
    • "Students who may need an academic accommodation based on the impact of a disability must initiate the request with the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC) located within the Office of Accessible Education (OAE). SDRC staff will evaluate the request with required documentation, recommend reasonable accommodations, and prepare an Accommodation Letter for faculty dated in the current quarter in which the request is being made. Students should contact the SDRC as soon as possible since timely notice is needed to coordinate accommodations. The OAE is located at 563 Salvatierra Walk (phone: 723-1066, 723-1067 TTY)."

  • Statement from Undergraduate Advising and Research concerning the special provision for fifth-week switch to Math 19:
    • "Any student registered for either MATH 41 or MATH 41A who wishes to switch to MATH 19 after the Add/Drop Deadline may do so by submitting a Petition to Change Course Enrollment no later than 5:00 pm on Friday, October 28, 2011. Students will receive full credit for MATH 19 (3 units) upon earning a passing grade for the course. Note: Because of the discrepancy in units between MATH 41 (5 units) or MATH 41A (6 units), and MATH 19 (3 units), students should be advised to consider the possible impact this change may have on their university enrollment requirements. For this reason, students switching from either MATH 41/41A must meet with a UAR Advisor.

    Specifically, students should complete the Petition to Change Course Enrollment in the following manner:
    1. Complete the personal information section.
    2. Select "Section change" and enter the information for both courses in the Change Requested section.
    3. Obtain signature from the instructor of the new course. [Contact Math19 instructor]
    4. Sign the form.
    5. Meet with an Advisor from the office of Undergraduate Advising and Research to discuss the situation and obtain the Advisor’s signature.
    6. Submit the form to VPUE in the office of Undergraduate Advising and Research (UAR) by 5:00 October 28, 2011.

    Students will not need to write a statement regarding why they wish to submit the petition. But they will need to obtain the instructor's signature, as well as the signature of a UAR Advisor. The request will be routinely approved and rather than a withdrawal with the notation of "W", MATH 41 or MATH 41A will be dropped from the student's record and MATH 19 will be added. Students should be directed to speak with their new MATH instructor regarding the grading policy for the MATH Switch."

  • Math 41A students are part of the ACE program, short for "Accelerated Calculus for Engineers". More information about the program can be found here.

Fall 2011 -- Department of Mathematics, Stanford University
Problems with this page? Contact Jose Cantarero so we can fix the problem.