Math 42 Winter 2012

General Information

About this class

Math 42 is a 5-credit second-term course in calculus with an accelerated pace -- the class covers techniques of integration, applications of integration, differential equations, infinite sequences and series, and Taylor polynomials. Although everyone is welcome in the course, it is aimed primarily to students who took Math 41 last quarter (or have equivalent preparation) and will continue taking more advanced quantitative classes which require a strong calculus background. There are at least two other math courses which may be appropriate for students considering Math 42, so you should be deciding in the first week or so whether Math 42 is the right class for you.

If you successfully took Math 41 last quarter and wish to continue studying calculus, either as background for other subjects or purely out of interest, then Math 42 should be the best class for you. However, be warned that Math 42 moves just as quickly as Math 41 but covers more difficult material. So you can expect Math 42 to be more work than Math 41 was, especially if you had calculus in high school and that background helped you through Math 41.

If you didn't take Math 41 last quarter, you should consider taking Math 20 instead. This is especially true if you are taking math purely out of interest or to satisfy a GER and don't plan to take Math 51 or other more advanced classes -- even if you did well in calculus in high school. Math 19-20-21 cover exactly the same material as Math 41-42, spread over three quarters instead of two. The non-accelerated pace of Math 20 makes it easier for students who have been away from calculus for a while to get their feet under them, and the 3-credit workload may be preferable to students who don't plan to continue taking math courses. Completing Math 21 also gives you the appropriate background to take Math 51 if you choose to do so later.

One quick heads-up to those who didn't take Math 41 and do decide to take Math 42 this quarter: Math 41 last quarter covered a couple of topics which are not on the Calculus AB syllabus, and which you therefore may not have seen in high school. In particular, we covered l'Hospital's Rule (which will not be discussed much in Math 42, but will come up in passing) and integration by parts (which will be treated as a review topic at the very beginning of Math 42).

Finally, to any students who have already seen and are comfortable with most of the material in Math 42, but don't feel quite ready for Math 51: you should know that Math 42 and Math 51 cover very different material, and seeing the material in Math 42 again will not substantially improve your preparation for Math 51. You're probably better off diving right into Math 51.

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. (However, University Advising and Research has a special provision in place to accept petitions for switches from Math 42 to 20 submitted in complete form before 5pm on Friday, February 10, 2012. The instructions for how to properly complete the petition is contained below at the bottom of the Resources section. You can also for more information.)

Teaching Staff

Textbook

The textbook is Single Variable Calculus: Concepts and Contexts, 4rd edition, by James Stewart. This is the same textbook used in Math 41 last fall. We will cover most of the material from the second half of Chapter 5 to the end of the book. (It is not recommended that you try to use a copy of the 3rd edition: although the text is very similar, some examples, some of the homework problems, and most of the problem numbers will 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 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1:15 p.m., or 2:15 p.m. The discussion sections are on Tuesday and Thursday; see the Section Assignments page to view the choices for times and locations; you will sign up for a discussion section via CourseWork, and your available options will depend on your lecture instructor.

The lectures will be used primarily to introduce concepts and develop theory, and serve as a complement to the course textbook. You can get the most out of lecture by having first read the relevant sections in the textbook (as set in the calendar of topics on the course schedule page). In the discussion sections, you meet with your Teaching Assistant in a smaller group. Much of the time in section will be used for example problems based on topics developed in lecture, but occasionally there will be new conceptual material or techniques developed in sections.

Attendance at all lectures and sections is required. 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.

Homework

There will be weekly homework assignments. For more information and policies, see the Homework page.

Calculators

Calculators will not be used in a systematic way in Math 42. Calculators will not be allowed on any of the exams, nor should there be any need for one. Occasionally, homework problems may call for the use of a scientific or graphing calculator.

Exams

The midterm exams will be held in the evenings on February 2 and February 28. The exact times and locations and other information will be posted on the Exam Information page. If you have a schedule conflict with one of the midterm exams due to another course meeting, you must at least one week before the exam to arrange to take it at an alternate (early) sitting.

The final exam will be held on Monday, March 19, from 7-10pm. You must take the final exam at this time.

All of the exams are closed book, closed notes, with no electronic aids. For each exam, if appropriate, you may be provided with a formula sheet, which will be available on the exam materials page prior to the exam, along with other study materials.

Grades

The basis for your grade in this class has the following components:

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 will 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.

CourseWork

CourseWork is a web-based program that will be used in Math 42 to allow students to check grades online. It is a secure program, so your grades will be available through CourseWork only to you. Every student must sign into CourseWork and choose a discussion section. CourseWork will be our primary gradekeeping tool; if you do not sign up, you could lose credit for work that you have done. This is completely independent of signing up for the course on Axess -- neither program has any knowledge of the other.

Before you sign into CourseWork, make sure you read the Section Assignments page, which contains instructions on the sign-up process for discussion sections.

Again, remember that Axess and CourseWork are different programs, and you will sign up for different course components on each -- on CourseWork, you sign up for a discussion section based on the table on the Section Assignments page, but on Axess you sign up for a lecture.

Despite its other capabilities, in this class CourseWork will be used only for grades and possibly email announcements.

Links, Getting Help, and Other Resources

  • Math 41 web site, including solutions and statistics for the Final Exam.

  • Tips for Success in Undergraduate Math Courses by Jessica Purcell
    Some very good advice for college calculus students. Read this carefully and do as it suggests.
    Note: Pay particular attention to #3 under "Weekly" and #6 and #7 under "Before the exam". Students who think they're following these tips often overlook those parts, and they're the most important ones!

  • Common Errors in Undergraduate Mathematics by Eric Schechter
    Although this document is a bit on the long side, you should read at least some of it carefully -- you'll do better in your math classes because of it. We encourage you to pay particular attention to the sections: bad handwriting, all of the algebra errors, stream-of-consciousness notations, and going over your work.

  • Free Tutoring at the Center for Teaching & Learning (runs Sunday, Jan. 15 through dead week)

  • Evening Tutoring by SUMO undergraduate members (free, but priority goes to Math 50-series students)

  • Math Department Web Page

  • 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 Office of Accessible Education (OAE). Professional 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 OAE as soon as possible since timely notice is needed to coordinate accommodations. The OAE is located at 563 Salvatierra Walk (phone: 723-1066)."

  • 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 Undergraduate Advising and Research concerning the special provision for fifth-week switch to Math 20:
    "A switch from either MATH 42 or MATH 42A to MATH 20 has been approved. Students will receive full credit for MATH 20 (3 units) upon earning a passing grade for the course.

    "Note: Because of the discrepancy in units between either MATH 42 (5 units) or MATH 42A (6 units), and MATH 20 (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 42/42A must meet with a UAR Advisor. *

    "Specifically, students should complete the Petition to Change Course Enrollment form 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. []
    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 5:00pm, February 10, 2012.
    "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 42 or MATH 42A will be dropped from the student's record and MATH 20 will be added. Students should be directed to speak with their new MATH instructor regarding the grading policy for the MATH Switch.
    "* Note also that there is an important consideration on the issue of awarded units. Assuming a student has earned 5 units for MATH 41 (or 5 units of AP credit), only 1 unit of MATH 20 may be used:

    MATH 19 (3 units) + MATH 20 (3 units) + MATH 21 (4 units) =
    MATH 41 (5 units) + MATH 42 (5 units) =
    MATH 41 (5 units) + MATH 20 (1 unit) + MATH 21 (4 units) =
    10 units.
    "So: MATH 41 yields the first 5 units (of the 10), while MATH 19 + MATH 20 or its equivalent yields a maximum of 6 units. Therefore, MATH 41 + MATH 20 also yields the first 6 units. (MATH 42A may also provide similar concerns.)"