Math 147 Sections 501-503 - Calculus I for Biological Sciences - Spring 2016
Instructor: Dr. Glenn Lahodny Jr.
Office: Blocker 211C
Office Hours: TR 9:00 - 10:00 AM or by appointment
Email: glahodny@math.tamu.edu
Website: http://www.math.tamu.edu/~glahodny/
Teaching Assistant: Joseph Torres
Email: jlatorres@math.tamu.edu
Meeting Time: MWF 9:10-10:00 AM
Location: Richardson 114
Recitation/Computer Lab Times and Locations:
Section
Meeting Time
501
TR 8:00 AM - 8:50 AM
502
TR 11:10 AM - 12:00 PM
503
TR 12:45 PM - 1:35 PM
Location
BLOC 148
HELD 118
HELD 118
Textbook: Calculus for Biology and Medicine (3rd edition) by Claudia Neuhauser. It is suggested that
students read the material covered in class every day.
Material to be Covered:
Chapter 1 – Preliminaries
Chapter 2 – Discrete Time Models, Sequences, and Difference Equations
Chapter 3 – Limits and Continuity
Chapter 4 – Differentiation
Chapter 5 – Applications of Differentiation
Chapter 6 – Integration
Course Description: Introduction to differential calculus in a context that emphasizes applications in the
biological sciences. Prerequisite: MATH 150 or equivalent or acceptable score on TAMU Math Placement
Exam. Credit will not be given for more than one of MATH 131, MATH 142, MATH 147, MATH 151
and MATH 171.
Grading Policy: Students’ grades will be determined by their performance on weekly quizzes, lab
assignments, exams, and the comprehensive final exam.
Grade Distribution:
A – 90-100%
B – 80-89.9%
C – 70-79.9%
D – 60-69.9%
F – below 60%
Lab Assignments: 5%
Quizzes: 10%
Exams: 60% (each exam is worth 20%)
Final Exam: 25%
Suggested Homework: Homework problems will be assigned from the textbook each week. These
problems will not be collected for a grade. However, the weekly quizzes and lab assignments will include
problems similar to the suggested homework.
Lab Assignments: Weekly assignments will be administered during the recitation/lab sessions. Students
are encouraged to work together on lab assignments. Assignments will not be administered during the
weeks of common exams.
Quizzes: Weekly quizzes will be administered during the recitation/lab sessions. Material on these
quizzes will be similar to the suggested homework problems and examples presented in class. Quizzes
will not be administered during the weeks of common exams. Students may be asked to present their
TAMU ID in order to take the quizzes.
Exams: There will be three common exams administered on the dates listed below.
 Exam 1: February 18-19
 Exam 2: March 22-23
 Exam 3: April 28-29
Any student with a documented class conflict with the exam time may schedule to take a make-up exam.
You must inform your instructor in advance so arrangements can be made with departmental staff in
Blocker for such make-ups. Students with verified disabilities can make an arrangement for the exam to
be administered by the Office of Support Services for Students with Disabilities.
Exam Structure:
1. Students need to bring a ScanTron Form #815-E, No. 2 pencil, and a valid picture ID (e.g. TAMU
student ID) to each common exam.
2. The exam will have two parts, the first part multiple-choice (no partial credit) and the second part
work-out (partial credit possible).
3. The multiple choice part of the exam will be administered during the recitation/lab sessions. The short
answer part of the exam will be administered during lecture.
4. Calculators or electronic devices of any other type are not permitted for the exam.
5. The entire exam is closed book. Students are not allowed to use notes or formula sheets.
Final Exam: The final exam will be on May 6 from 8:00-10:00 AM. Material on the final exam will be
similar to the examples presented in class, problems from the suggested homework, and previous
common exams.
Make-Up Policy: Make-up work will only be allowed for a university-approved absence. For
information regarding excused absences, please refer to http://studentrules.tamu.edu/rule7.htm. In the
event of an excused absence, appropriate documentation must be provided to the instructor in a timely
manner. The time line for make-up work must be discussed with the instructor, following Student Rules.
If you foresee the need to be absent for an in-class exam, you must notify the instructor in advance.
Tentative Weekly Schedule:
 Week 1: Preliminaries. Sections 1.1-1.2.
 Week 2: Graphing, Limits. Sections 1.3 and 3.1.
 Week 3: Continuity, limits at infinity, Sandwich Theorem, trigonometric limits. Sections 3.2-3.4.
 Week 4: Continuous functions, formal definition of the derivative. Sections 3.5 and 4.1.
 Week 5: Exam I (Covering 1.1-1.3, 3.1-3.5, 4.1), simple derivatives, product and quotient rules.
Section 4.2 and 4.3.
 Week 6: Chain rule, higher-order derivatives, derivatives of trigonometric functions. Sections
4.4-4.5.
 Week 7: Derivatives of exponential functions, inverse and logarithmic functions. Sections
4.6-4.7.
 Week 8: Linear approximation, extreme values, Mean Value Theorem. Sections 4.8-5.1.
 Week 9: Exam II (covering 4.2-5.1), monotonicity, concavity, extreme values, inflection, and
graphing functions. Sections 5.2-5.3.
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Week 10: Optimization and L’Hopital’s Rule. Sections 5.4-5.5.
Week 11: Exponential growth and decay, sequences, recursions, population models. Sections
2.1-2.3.
Week 12: Cobwebbing, stability, analysis of population models. Sections 5.6 and 2.3.
Week 13: The definite integral. Section 6.1.
Week 14: Exam III (covering 5.2-5.6, 2.1-2.3, 6.1), Fundamental Theorem of Calculus,
integration by substitution. Sections 6.2 and 7.1.
Week 15: Integration by substitution, review for final exam. Section 7.1.
Important Dates:
March 14-18 – Spring Break
March 25 – Reading day (no classes)
April 19 – Last day for all students to drop courses with no penalty (Q-drop).
May 3 – Last day of class
May 6 – Final Exam
Extra Help: The Mathematics Department offers help sessions for students. These sessions are designed
to help students with their homework problems and other questions. The schedule for help sessions can
be found at http://www.math.tamu.edu/courses/helpsessions.html.
Academic Integrity: Students in this course are encouraged to discuss homework assignments and
solutions. However, students are not permitted to copy homework solutions from another student.
Students are not permitted to discuss any aspect of an exam until all students have completed the exam.
The penalties for violating this policy will range from an F on an assignment or exam to failing the
course. Always abide by the Aggie Code of Honor: “An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate
those who do.” For further information regarding academic integrity, please visit
http://aggiehonor.tamu.edu.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal
anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with
disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a
learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you
have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact Disability Services, currently located in the
Disability Services building at the Student Services at White Creek complex on west campus or call
979-845-1637. For additional information, visit http://disability.tamu.edu.