Math 1b. Second Semester Calculus
Spring, 2000



Course Head: Thomas Brennan, SC 331 (496-5211), tbrennan@math.harvard.edu

Textbooks: Calculus by Anton, available at the Coop; Math 1b Supplementary Materials Course Pack, details about which will be made available as the course progresses

This course, which meets for 3 hours each week, covers three main topics:

Differential equations constitute one of the most important applications of mathematics in the real world. They provide the natural framework for studying systems which change in time, such as the spread of disease, the behavior of financial markets, the launching of satellites, etc. However, before we can work intelligently with differential equations, we will need some experience with the first two topics above.

Exams: There are two 2-hour exams and a comprehensive final exam.

The times for these exams are not flexible. You must arrange your schedules (including vacations, flights, etc.) to accomodate these exams.

Homework: Homework will be assigned at the end of each lecture (from the problems listed below). It is due at the beginning of the following lecture, and will be graded by the Course Assistant and returned to you at the lecture after that.

Grades: The two exams during the semester are each worth 1/5 of your grade, and the final exam is worth 2/5 of your grade. The remaining 1/5 of your grade will be based on your homework. When computing your final grade, your lowest two homework grades will be dropped if you are in a TuTh section and your lowest three homework grades will be dropped if you are in a MWF section.

Exact Answers: You must give exact answers on homeworks and exams (unless you are specifically told to find an approximate solution). For example, if you are asked to solve x2 + 1 = 3, $\sin(y) = 0$ (with $0 < y < 2\pi$), 3z = 1, or 2w = 1, the respective answers $x = \pm\sqrt{2}$, $y = \pi$, z = 1/3, and w = .5 are exact and the answers $x = \pm 1.414$, y = 3.1415926, z = .3333333, and w = .4999999 are not exact.

Late Homework Policy: Late homework will not be accepted for any reason, and will be given a grade of 0. It is absolutely essential that homework be done in a timely manner, or else the educational value of the homework is lost. Also, by not allowing late homework, weekly homework solutions will be able to be posted earlier than would otherwise be possible. Keep in mind that your lowest two or three homework grades are dropped (as explained above under Grades), so if you are late with a couple of homeworks, then the resulting grades of 0 from this will not affect your final grade. If you have to miss a class, it is your responsibility to make sure that the grader receives your homework on time.

Calculator Policy: Calculators are not used in this course, they are not needed to solve any homework or exam problems, and their use is not permitted on exams or homework. Your homework and exam solutions must show your work and you must justify why your answer is correct, using ideas and methods taught in class and calculations that you write out in detail. Your solutions must not depend upon or make any reference to machine computation. This is the only way to check that you understand the underlying concepts, and it forces you to think about what you are doing. Answers given without any explanation or justification will receive no credit.

The Internet: Homework solutions, exam reminders, and other course announcements will be posted on the Math 1b web site, http://www.courses.harvard.edu/$\sim$math1b/. Solutions to assignments will be posted on the web, within one week after the assignment is given.

Thomas J. Brennan
2000-01-31