MAT 141: Honors Calculus 1
Stony Brook,  Fall 2010

Text: Calculus Deconstructed: A second course in first-year calculus by Zbigniew Nitecki.

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About this course: This course emphasizes the theory underlying calculus, as well as covering the mechanics of how to use calculus. Consequently, it is appropriate whether or not you have studied calculus before, but only if you are interested in why mathematics works the way it does. This course is not appropriate for someone who is expecting the honors course to be the same as the regular course except with harder problems. Such people would probably be happier in MAT131.

Reading: Understanding mathematics requires reading it. You cannot read mathematics the same way you read a novel. Reading math usually requires re-reading several times, often with a pencil and paper to work through details and examples. It is important to read the text: there will be topics that cannot be covered fully in lecture, as well as providing reference for material covered in class. Reading the relevant sections will greatly increase your comprehension, and enable you to ask intelligent questions in class. If you are having trouble reading the text, please discuss this with me!

Examinations and grading: There will be two midterm exams, weekly homeworks, and a final exam. Mathematics is not a spectator sport; you must work problems in order to fully understand1the material. Don't fool yourself into thinking you understand just because it makes sense when I do the problems.

What When % of Final Grade
Exam 1 early October in class 25%
Exam 2 mid November in class 25%
Final Exam Monday, December 13 11:15-1:45 pm 30%
Homeworks, Participation, etc. 20%

Make sure that you can attend the exams at the scheduled times; make-ups will not be given. If one midterm exam is missed because of a serious (documented) illness or emergency, the semester grade will be determined based on the balance of the work in the course.

Webpage: http://www.math.sunysb.edu/~scott/mat141.fall10/

Homework and Schedule: The list of homework assignments and the most current schedule of topics can be found on the class web page. It will change, so check it regularly.

Homeworks will be due in class on the wednesday following the week they are assigned. The graded homeworks will be returned in recitation.

Instructor: Prof. S. Sutherland     / Math 5-112 / 632-7306 / scottat math.sunysb.edu
Office hours: Tuesdays 10-12 in Math P-143, Fridays 2:15-3:15 in Math 5-112, and by appointment. Note that I can often be found around the department most days. Send me an email or phone first if you want to be sure I'm around, or just come by and take your chances. I'm around a lot, though sometimes you'll have to wait a bit.

TA and grader: Alborz Yarahmadi     / MLC (Math S-240A) / Alborz.Yarahmadi at sunysb.edu

Disabilities: If you have a physical, psychological, medical, or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact Disability Support Services at http://studentaffairs.stonybrook.edu/dss/ or (631) 632-6748. They will determine with you what accommodations are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential.

Students who require assistance during emergency evacuation are encouraged to discuss their needs with their professors and Disability Support Services. For procedures and information go to the following website:http://www.stonybrook.edu/ehs/fire/disabilities.shtml.

Academic Integrity: Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your own is always wrong, whether this is another student's work or taken uncredited from websites or solution manuals. Faculty are required to report any suspected instances of academic dishonesty to the Academic Judiciary. For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty, please refer to the academic judiciary website at http://www.stonybrook.edu/uaa/academicjudiciary/.

Critical Incident Management: Stony Brook University expects students to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of Judicial Affairs any disruptive behavior that interrupts their ability to teach, compromises the safety of the learning environment, or inhibits students' ability to learn.



Footnotes

... understand1
``One learns by doing a thing; for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try.'' (Sophocles)
Scott Sutherland
2010-09-20