Calculus III
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Course Syllabus


CONTACTING THE INSTRUCTOR:

Stephen Pennell

Email: Stephen_Pennell@uml.edu

Phone: (978) 934-2710
I will leave a message on my voice mail if the university is open but I am unable to attend class for any reason (e.g. bad weather). To check whether the university has been closed because of weather, call (978) 934-2121.

Fax: (978) 934-3053

Office: Olney 428M

Office Hours: Mon. 11:30-12:20 in SO321; Wed. 9:30 - 10:20 in OH428M; Thurs. 11:30-12:20 in OH428M; Fri. 9:30-10:20 in OH428M 
Meetings at times other than my office hours can be arranged by appointment.  See me after class, call me on the phone, or send me an email message.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

In Calculus I and II you studied derivatives and integrals of functions of one variable. Many physical quantities, however, depend on more than one variable. For example, the air temperature in a room depends on where you measure the temperature and on the time, so temperature is a function of 4 variables (3 space coordinates and time). Temperature is an example of a scalar quantity - it can be described by a single number (e.g. 70°). Some quantities (e.g. wind velocity) are vector quantities that require more than a single number to describe them. In Calculus III you will study scalar-valued functions and vector-valued functions of several variables. You will learn how to extend the concept of derivative and integral to functions of several variables, and you will learn some applications of these concepts. The skills you develop in Calculus III will be useful to you in some of your upper-level engineering courses, e.g. heat transfer, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and electromagnetic theory.
 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

My goals for this course are for you to
· develop a qualitative understanding of and be able to calculate the following: partial derivatives, gradient, and directional derivative of a scalar-valued function; divergence and curl of a vector-valued function; definite integral of a scalar-valued function over a region in 2-space or 3-space; line integral; and surface integral
· be able to give mathematical descriptions of curves and surfaces in 3-space
· be able to state and to apply the two major theorems of vector calculus: the Divergence Theorem and Stokes' Theorem

I would appreciate hearing your goals for the course.

Specific objectives for each topic we cover will be distributed in class. You should use these to help you prepare for exams.

GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION:

Prerequisites: Calculus I and II (92.131 and 92.132 or equivalent). Your grade in Calculus II must be at least CD.

Class attendance is not required but is strongly recommended. You are responsible for all information (course material, assignments, changes in exam dates, etc.) presented in class, whether you attend or not.
 

TEXTS:

Stewart, Calculus: Concepts and Contexts, 2nd ed., Brooks/Cole, 2001.
 

INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES:

The software package Maple is available on the computers on the first floor of Olsen Hall. Tutors are available to help you in the Tutoring Center (Southwick 321).

GRADING POLICY:

Course grades

Course grades will be based on homework, 3 in-class exams, and a comprehensive final exam. Your pre-final average is determined by your homework and in-class exams, with the lowest of these four grades counting 13% and the other three counting 29% each. If your grade on the final exam is better than your pre-final average, the final exam counts for 75% of your course average and your pre-final average counts for 25%; otherwise, the final exam counts for 25% of your course average and your pre-final average counts for 75%.

Your letter grade for the course will be determined from your course average according to the following table:
 
Average [92.5, 100) [87.5, 92.5) [82.5, 87.5) [77.5, 82.5) [72.5, 77.5) [67.5, 72.5) [60, 67.5) [0, 60)
Grade A AB B BC C CD D F

Tentative Exam dates: Friday, February 20;    Friday, March 26;    Friday, April 23
 

Exam Policy

It is important that everyone take the same exams under the same conditions for maximum fairness and reliability of testing. I therefore do not give makeup exams unless you have a valid reason (for example, illness or religious holiday) for missing the scheduled exam, and I do not allow extra time on exams unless you have a note from Disability Services. If you have to miss a scheduled exam, please let me know ahead of time if at all possible. I am much more likely to be sympathetic if you call me the morning of the exam and say “I have the flu and can’t take the exam” than if you come in two days after the exam and say “I missed the exam. When can I take a makeup?”
 

Tips on Preparing for Exams
 

  • Start studying for an exam at least one week ahead of time. Focus your studying on the items given on the list of specific objectives for each section.
  • Begin by reviewing the homework problems for the sections that will be covered on the exam. Make sure you know how to solve each problem without looking at the solution manual. If you cannot solve a particular problem, make a note of the problem number and move on to the next problem.
  • Ask me or someone else for help on any homework problem that gave you trouble, then try to solve a similar problem from the textbook.
  • Two days before the exam, try taking the practice exam. Take the practice exam under actual exam conditions: use only your calculator and the integral tables, do not look at the answers, and give yourself only 50 minutes.
  • Ask me or someone else for help on any practice exam problem that gave you trouble, then try to solve a similar problem from the textbook.
  • Get a good night’s sleep the night before the exam. You will perform better if you are fresh and able to think clearly.
     

    Tips on Taking Exams
     

  • Read every question on the exam before you start working. This will give you a feel for how long the exam is and how you should pace yourself. It will also give your subconscious mind a chance to start working on the questions.
  • If you are not sure what a question means, please ask me. I am trying to see how well you know the material, not to trick you with ambiguous wording.
  • Look at the point value of each question. Obviously, it is more important to do well on the questions that count the most than the ones that count the least.
  • It is generally best to do the easiest problem first, then the next easiest, and so on. You do not have to do the problems in the order they appear on the exam.
  • If you get stuck on one question, move on to the next. Come back later to the question that is giving you trouble.
  • Be aware of how much time you have left. Do not spend too much time on a single question. It is generally better to get partial credit on every question than full credit on a single question.
     

    Homework

    In order for you to understand the material in this course, it is extremely important that you do the assigned homework problems. Working with your classmates can be a great help, and I strongly encourage it. I also urge you to ask questions about any problems that give you trouble.

    Homework problems are due the second class day after we finish covering the material. Late homework will be accepted without penalty up to one week after the due date; late homework will not be accepted more than one week after the due date for any reason. The last four homework assignments are optional; you can use them to make up for assignments you missed earlier in the semester. Your grade on a homework assignment will be based on the percentage of the assigned problems you turn in and on the correctness of your solutions to one or two randomly selected problems.
     

     


     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

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