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Math 131 Schedule - Fall 2009

Be aware that some important dates appear on the university's Fall 2009 academic calendar.

This schedule was last modified on December 7, 2009.

Please hand in the homework indicated. It is possible that your recitation leader may select only some of them to grade.

Week ofSections CoveredHomework exercises
Aug 31 - Sep 4 Sec 1.1: Four ways to represent a function
Sec 1.2: Mathematical Models and a Catalog of Essential Functions
Sec 1.3: New Functions from Old Functions
Appendix C: Trigonometric Functions
Sec 1.1: 12, 20, 22, 32, 46, 58, 66, 68, 70, 72
Sec 1.2: 4, 12, 16
Sec 1.3: 2, 6, 16, 22, 34, 42, 50, 60
Appendix C: 28, 30
Also: Read this article from the beginning, up to the subheading "The top 1 percent".
Write a brief summary (4-5 sentences) of this article in your own words. Focus particularly on the statements
"It's important to recognize, however, that shifts in the return to education and the educational attainment of the workforce cannot fully explain the evolution of inequality over the last thirty years because, even within groups with the same level of education, the gap between high and low earners has widened too."
and
"Technological change and globalization, especially outsourcing, complemented d the skills of highly able workers performing non-routine work requiring problem-solving skills. This explains the continued rapid increase in real wages at the top of the distribution. In the middle of the distribution, however, technology and globalization had the opposite effect, substituting for workers performing routine or repetitive tasks and depressing their wages."
Also write a sentence explaining what this article implies about the importance of attaining a real understanding, as opposed to a rote understanding, of the material in this course.
Sep 8 - 11 Sec 1.5 Exponential Functions
Sec 1.6 Inverse Functions and Logarithms
Pages 216-217 Inverse sine function
Sec 1.5: 14, 16, 30(a)(b)(c), 32(a)(b)(c)
Sec 1.6: 12, 15, 22, 26, 30, 36, 38, 40, 50, 59, 62
Page 220: 1(a), 3(b), 4(b), 5, 7, 9

No class Monday (Labor Day)
Sep 14-18 Sec 2.1 The tangent and velocity problems
Sec 2.2 The limit of a function
Sec 2.3 Calculating limits using the limit laws
Sec 2.4 Continuity
Sec 2.1: 4, 6
Sec 2.2` 6, 12, 16
Sec 2.3 10, 14, 18, 22, 24, 28, 46
Sec 2.4 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 40, 42, 53, 54, 55

Sep 21 - 25 Sec 2.5 Limits involving infinity
Sec 2.6 Derivatives and rates of change
Sec 2.5: 2, 4, 6, 16, 18, 20, 26, 28, 53 (explain why the limit is 5)
Sec 2.6: 6, 8, 12, 14, 16, 24, 36, 42, 44, 48
Quiz during the first recitation this week, based on sections 1.5, 1.6, and inverse sines.
Sep 29 - Oct 2 Sec 2.7 The derivative as a function
Sec 2.8 What does f' say about f?
Sec 2.7: 4, 6, 8, 14, 22, 24, 28, 44, 54
Sec 2.8: 2, 4, 10, 12, 14, 22, 26

No university classes on Monday (Yom Kippur)
On Tuesday, the university will follow a Monday schedule.
Oct 5-9 Sec 3.1 Derivatives of polynomials and exponential functions
Sec 3.2 The product and quotient rules
Sec 3.1: 8, 10, 16, 28, 46(a)(b), 48, 58
Sec 3.2: 4, 6, 24, 30, 40 (for all n), 48(a)(b), 60

First midterm, Thursday Oct. 8, 8:30-10 pm>
Midterm covers up to the end of section 2.8.
Recitation sections 1 through 9: go to Javits 100
Recitation sections 11 through 13: go to Javits 102
You will need to know your recitation section number. You can find it here under MAT 131.
Bring ID with you to the exam.
No one will be allowed to leave during the first 30 minutes, and no one who arrives after the first 30 minutes will be allowed to take the exam.
Practice problems, together with answers, hints and brief solution sketches, may be found here.

Oct 12 - 16 Sec 3.3 Derivatives of trigonometric functions
Sec 3.4 The chain rule (exclude page 203)
Sec 3.5 Implicit differentiation
Sec 3.3: 2, 4, 6, 12, 16, 42, 48
Sec 3.4: 2, 8, 12, 18, 20, 24, 28, 58, 68, 76
Sec 3.5: 2, 6, 8, 12, 22, 36, 50

Rough letter grade equivalents for midterm 1 may be found here.

Oct 19-23 Sec 3.6 Inverse trigonometric functions and their derivatives
Sec 3.7 Derivatives of logarithmic functions
Sec 3.8 Rates of change in the natural and social sciences (Examples 1, 2, 3, 6 and 8 only)
Sec 3.9 Linear approximations and differentials (omit example 3 and the "applications to physics" on page 243)
Sec 3.6: 2, 4, 10, 16, 18, 22, 40
Sec 3.7` 2, 4, 8, 34, 38, 48
Sec 3.8 2, 6, 10, 16, 24, 30
Sec 3.9 2, 4, 6, 16, 20, 24(a), 26

Quiz during the first recitation this week, covering up to the end of section 3.2.

October 23 was the last day to process a drop-down or a move-up for selected MAT courses. Students needed a signed form with instructor approval. All changes were to have been processed by 4 p.m.
Oct 26 - 30 Sec 4,1 Related rates
Sec 4.2 Maximum and minumum values
Sec 4.1 2, 6, 10, 12, 14, 18, 24, 29, 40
Sec 4.2 4, 8, 20, 42, 44, 50, 54
Nov 2-6 Sec 4.3 Derivatives and the shapes of curves
Sec 4.5 Indeterminate forms and L'Hospital's rule
Sec 4.3 22, 26, 30, 32, 34, 36, 50, 58
Sec 4.5 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 20, 22

Second midterm, Thursday Novermber 5, 8:30-10 pm
Covers up to the end of Section 4.2, emphasizing the material after section 2.8.
Recitation sections 1 through 9: go to Javits 100.
Recitation sections 11 through 13: go to Javits 102.
You will need to know your recitation section number. You can find it here under MAT 131.
Bring ID with you to the exam.
No one will be allowed to leave during the first 30 minutes, and no one who arrives after the first 30 minutes will be allowed to take the exam.
Practice problems, together with answers, hints and brief solution sketches, may be found here.

November 2 was the last day to drop a course (you would have received a W) or to P/NC a course.
Nov 9 - 13 Sec 4.5 Indeterminate forms and L'Hospital's rule (continued)
Sec 4.6 Optimization problems
Sec 4.5 28, 30, 34, 36, 40, 46
Sec 4.6 2, 6, 10, 18, 22, 26, 28, 38, 56

Rough letter grade equivalents for midterm 2 may be found here.

Nov 16 - 20 Sec 4.7 Newton's method
Sec 4.8 Antiderivatives
Sec 4.7 2, 4, 10, 12, 14, 16, 25
Sec 4.8 2, 4, 8, 10, 18, 30, 34, 42, 44, 48, 50, 52

Quiz during the first recitation this week, covering section 4.3.
Nov 23 - 24 Sec 5.1 Areas and distances Sec 5.1 2, 4, 6, 12
No classes Wednesday, Thursday or Friday (Thanksgiving break)
Nov 30 - Dec 3 Sec 5.2 The definite integral
Sec 5.3 Evaluating definite integrals
Sec 5.4 The fundamental theorem of calculus
Sec 5.2 18, 28, 32, 34, 38, 42, 48, 54
Sec 5.3 10, 16, 20, 22, 26, 28, 38, 54, 56, 60
Sec 5.4 2, 6, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20
Dec 7 - 11 Sec 5.5 The substitution rule This week's homework should be handed in at the final lecture (not recitation). Please write your section number at the top of your homework, and write it LARGE.
Sec 5.5 8, 10, 12, 14, 46, 48, 50, 54
Final Exam: Monday, December 14, 8:15-10:45 p.m.
Covers the entire semester's material, emphasizing the material after section 4.2.
Recitation sections 1 through 9: go to Javits 100.
Recitation sections 11 through 13: go to Javits 102.
You will need to know your recitation section number. You can find it here under MAT 131.
Bring ID with you to the exam.
No one will be allowed to leave during the first 30 minutes, and no one who arrives after the first 30 minutes will be allowed to take the exam.
Practice problems, together with answers, hints and brief solution sketches, may be found here.