M 408M: Multivariable Calculus (Spring 2013)

Lecture

TTh 11:00-12:30 pm in UTC 2.102A

Instructor: Dr. James Pascaleff

Email: jpascaleff@math.utexas.edu
JP's Office: RLM 11.166
JP's Office hours: Th 9:30-11:00 am, F 10:00-11:30 am

Discussion Session

MW 8:00-9:00 am in RLM 5.124
MW 4:00-5:00 pm in RLM 5.122
MW 5:00-6:00 pm in RLM 5.124

Teaching Assistant: Michelle Chu

Email: mchu@math.utexas.edu
MC's Office: RLM 9.136
MC's Office hours: M 11:00-12:00 noon, T 10:00-11:00 am, W 9:00-10:00 am

Textbook

Calculus: Early Transcendentals, 7th Edition by James Stewart.

Prerequisite

M 408L or M 408S with a grade of at least C-.

Homework

Homework assignments will be due on Tuesdays. The Quest system will be used to assign and submit the homework.

Midterm Exams

Thursday, February 14
Thursday, March 28

Final Exam

Friday, May 10, 9:00-12:00 noon in UTC 2.102A

Grade Weights

Optionally, one midterm exam score may be dropped and replaced with the final exam score.

Homework (lowest 2 dropped)	15%
Midterm Exam 1	25%
Midterm Exam 2	25%
Final Exam	35%

Grade Scale (where x is your score)

A	93 ≤ x < ∞
A-	90 ≤ x < 93
B+	87 ≤ x < 90
B	83 ≤ x < 87
B-	80 ≤ x < 83
C+	77 ≤ x < 80
C	73 ≤ x < 77
C-	70 ≤ x < 73
D+	67 ≤ x < 70
D	63 ≤ x < 67
D-	60 ≤ x < 63
F	-∞ < x < 60

M 408M is directed at students in the natural and social sciences and at engineering students. In comparison with M408D, it covers fewer chapters of the text. However, some material is covered in greater depth. This is not a course in the theory of calculus.

The content includes an introduction to the theory and applications of differential and integral calculus of functions of several variables, including parametric equations, polar coordinates, vectors, vector calculus, functions of several variables, partial derivatives, gradients, and multiple integrals.

We will cover chapters 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, in that order. As the semester progresses, changes may be made to this schedule. The notes from the lectures are also posted here.

Weekly homework assignments will be posted on Quest, and you will submit your homework using the same website. The homework contributes 15% to the final grade. The two lowest homework scores are dropped when computing the final grade. No late homework will be accepted, and no make-up homework will be given. Because the two lowest scores are dropped, you can miss one or two assignments without penalty.

In this course, the homework is very important for several reasons. First, because it counts as 15% of your grade (if you don't do the homework then the highest grade you can receive is a B). Second, working through homework problems is very effective way learn the material. When a student attends lectures and reads the textbook, and all that seems to make sense, she may have a tendency to believe that she has understood the material. It may nevertheless happen that when she sits down to work the problems it turns out that they are surpisingly difficult. This tendency may be natural, but it can be overcome by diligently doing the homework problems. To be blunt, if you cannot do the homework problems then you do not understand the material thoroughly enough.

The two midterm exams will be given in class, at the usual time and location. All of the exams are cumulative.

The final exam will be offerd at a special date, time, and place determined by the University Registrar. The final exam will cover the content of lectures 1 throught 26 (not lecture 27).

• You can look at your grades on Quest.
• Homework contributes 15% to the final grade. The two lowest homework scores are dropped.
• The basic formula for the exams is that each midterm exam contributes 25%, and the final exam contributes 35%. An important exception is that one midterm score may be dropped and replaced with the final exam score. Thus, if your final score is lower than both of your midterm scores, the formula will be

  Midterm Exam 1 = 25%

  Midterm Exam 2 = 25%

  Final Exam = 35%

  But, if your final exam score is higher than either of your midterm scores, the formula will be

  Your higher midterm exam score = 25%

  Your lower midterm exam score = 0%

  Final Exam = 60%

• Attendance, in and of itself, does not contribute to the final grade.
• At the discretion of the instructor, the exam scores may be curved to bring them into alignment with following grade scale, which will also be used to assign the final grades.

The teaching assistant will lead discussion sessions on Monday and Wednesday. During these sessions, there will be time to ask questions about the material and homework problems. This will also be a time to practice problem solving by working on problems not in the homework. These problems may be more challenging than the homework problems, and they are intended to stimulate discussion between the students and the TA.

• The primary textbook is Calculus: Early Transcendentals, 7th Edition by James Stewart. This textbook is of the highest quality, and you should read it. This does not mean that it is "easy" to read. Mathematics books in general are quite demanding on the reader, owing to the intrinsic difficulty of the material, so do not be surprised if you have to go slowly.
• There are several sets of freely available online videos covering some of the material in this course. MIT OpenCourseWare has a course known as 18.02 (which your instructor TAed for when he was a graduate student). Compared to M 408M, the MIT course moves faster and reaches more advanced material (corresponding to UT's M 427L), but there is a great deal of overlap. There is also a UC Berkeley multivariable calculus course whose syllabus seems to correspond closely to our own. Besides these, there are many other resources online, so Google is your friend here.
• There is an undergraduate computer lab in RLM 7.122, and it is open to all students enrolled in Math courses. Students can sign up for an individual account themselves in the computer lab using their UT EID. These computers have most of the mainstream commercial math software: mathematica, maple, matlab, magma, and an asortment of open source programs.

• 12th class day: Wednesday, January 30
• Q-drop deadline: Monday, April 1
• If you drop a class on or before January 30, the class will not show up on your transcript. If you drop a class after that date, the course will show up on the transcript with a grade of "Q". After April 1, it is not possible to drop a course except for extenuating (usually non-academic) circumstances.

In accordance with UT Austin policy, please notify the instructor at least 14 days prior to the date of observance of a religious holiday. If you cannot complete a homework assignment in order to observe a religious holiday, you will be excused from the assignment. If the holiday conflicts with an exam, you will be allowed to write a make-up exam within a reasonable time.

Students with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities at 471-6259 (voice), 232-2937 (video), or http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd.

Read the University's standard on academic integrity found on the Student Judicial Services website.