Calculus  1A,2004-2005,Ms. Mines

Text: Anton, Calculus,A New Horizon:  Brief Edition (Sixth Edition), Wiley, 1999.

 Calculus 1A is designed to be the rough equivalent of a one semester college level Calculus course. (This course was in years previously known as Calculus AB. The Dalton School has now discarded AP designated courses.)This course deals with underlying theory  and applications which are considered standard knowledge in an intro course. Though we emphasize concepts over mathematical rigor, we will be looking at some proofs of famous theorems to the extent that it reinforces previous knowledge and is within the grasp of the average prepared student for this course. The course also will give us an opportunity to reinforce and clarify pre-calculus material.

There is sufficient material in this course that more of the responsibility for learning will be placed on you than perhaps in earlier courses. I can't "teach you" everything; you'll have to learn a good bit on your own .

The pace of the course is fast. We only meet 4 times a week for a course that easily could eat up 5 meetings.  The material is, in many cases, complex and rests heavily on understanding previous material. You'll get out of this class what you put into it. A variable you have considerable control over is the amount of time you invest in doing homework and reading over class notes. Reading class notes will be very important if you wish to do well. Please do not wrongly assume the textbook homework is adequate to get by.

Advice: Find a study group or at least a study partner.  Studies on college campuses have shown that working in groups is one of the variables most predictive of success. Two people can help each other through mild confusions much better than anyone can working alone. Furthermore, this person will be helpful if you miss class. If you depend solely on me for catching up, it may be several days before our schedules allow for it. During that time, you may be falling further behind.
 


 

Timeline

Assignment #1 : Functions   (3 weeks)
Assignment #2 : Limits and Continuity (3 weeks)
Assignment #3 : The Derivative (5-6 weeks)
Assignment #4 : Applications of the Derivative (4-5 weeks)
Assignment #5 : Area and the Definite Integral (3 weeks)
Assignment #6 : Integration and Applications  (5-6 weeks)
Assignment #7 : Differential Equations (2-3 weeks)
Final

Expectations

For policies on Lateness, Homework, Etc, refer to my website.

Grading

For each graded object, whether it be a quiz, HW, or test will be assigned a "Total Number of Points" (TNP). For in class work, that will generally equal the number of minutes taken (e.g. a 45 minute test will be worth 45 points). Raw scores will be computed and then a converted number, "Points Earned" (PE) will be given. The PE is calculated to coincide with a percentage which aligns itself with a standard letter grading scheme (e.g. 87=B+). As a demonstration of this method:

Suppose you get 6 points out of 10 on a quiz as a raw score. When considered in the context of the course or with respect to the group experience, I deem this to be a B-, which corresponds to a decimalized 80% or .8. Here the TNP=10 and  your PE will = .80*TNP=8. Thus my grading records will show an 8 on a 10 point quiz.

This scheme will allow you to keep track of your percentage throughout the term by simply calculating

The Sum of Your PE divided by The Sum of Your TNP (times 100).

Please note: Although I will assign grades for Assignments, Your running grade at any time is your running grade from Day One. This way, a 2 week Assignment and a 5 week Assignment are weighted in a manner that reflects the duration of the Assignment, since more points will be earned over 5 weeks than over 2. To clarify further, Your 'Grade to Date' Grade is NOT an averaging of your Assignments.