Cleveland State University
Department of Mathematics
Syllabus for MTH283-Multivariable Calculus for Engineers
Spring 2015 January 12 – March 8, 2015
Credit Hours: 2.
Pre-requisites: A grade of ‘C’ or better in MTH 182. Multivariate calculus including three-
dimensional analytic geometry, partial derivatives, multiple integrals. Students who have passed
MTH 281 may not register for MTH 283.
Text: Calculus Early Transcendentals, 2nd Ed., Jon Rogawski, WH Freeman.
Instructor: Professor Aloi
Section 471
Office: RT1503
Class Time: MTWF 2:35pm-3:25pm
Classroom: BU 109
Email: d.aloi@csuohio.edu
Office Hours: MTWF 1:00pm-2:00pm
Background: We assume that you've got a working knowledge of Calculus I and II, Algebra and Trig.
Learning Outcomes:
The successful MTH283 student should be able to:
 Graph and find the equation of a line and plane in space.
 Graph and find the equations of surfaces in space such as cylinders and quadric
surfaces.
 Differentiate and integrate vector-valued functions.
 Find the unit tangent vector and principal unit normal vector of a smooth curve
and use to find the arc length and curvature.
 Find the tangential and normal components of acceleration for a smooth curve.
 Describe graphs, level curves and level surfaces of functions of several
variables and evaluate limits of functions of several variables.
 Discuss the continuity and differentiability of a function of several variables.
 Find partial derivatives, directional derivatives, gradients and differentials of
functions of several variables and use them to solve applied problems.
 Find equations of tangent planes and normal lines to surfaces (including
parametric surfaces).
 Use the chain rule for functions of several variables (including implicit
differentiation).
 Find extrema of functions of several variables using the second partials test and
solve applied problems.
 Evaluate iterated integrals and use them to find the area of plane regions.
 Evaluate multiple integrals in rectangular and polar coordinates and use them to
solve applications involving volume, surface area, density, moment and
centroids.
Unit tests (3 @ ~30% each)
Homework Assignments (includes written and online)
Total
%
90%
10%
100%
Attendance/Class participation: Regular attendance is expected. While there are occasionally good
reasons to miss class, regular attendance (as long as you are awake and listening) will assist you in
learning.
Blackboard: Blackboard is an online learning system. It is used for discussion areas, quizzes, grades,
handouts, etc. To access Blackboard go to https://bb-csuohio.blackboard.com/, then log in using your
student ID as username and password. See your instructor if you have trouble. You may link to the
homework directly at http://webworks2.csuohio.edu/webwork2/MTH283_Fall2014/.
All students should check Blackboard regularly for announcements, grades, links to useful
websites/applets, and copies of documents and presentations used in class.
Homework: Homework for this course is principally online homework through the WeBWorK
homework system. There may be occasional paper and pen/pencil assignments. Firefox, Safari or
Chrome are the recommended browsers for use with the online homework assignments. Internet Explorer
is not recommended. IE will work correctly with most problems, but not all. A link to download Firefox
is provided through IS&T, the University’s technical support website.
The link to the homework is http://webworks2.csuohio.edu/webwork2/MTH283_Fall2014/. Bookmark
this link on your computer so that you can easily access the homework directly without going through
Blackboard.
Students are expected to work on homework assignments as the material is covered. There will be no
extensions for homework assignments unless a student has a documentable extended absence from class.
Students who leave the homework to the end of the assignment period often find they are unable to
complete the assignment on time. No paper submissions of WeBWorK homework will be accepted.
Occasionally students experience difficulties with the technology associated with the online homework
system. Start the homework early so that you have time to resolve any problems you may have. Inform
the instructor immediately if a problem does not seem to be working correctly.
Homework assignments are similar for all students, but usually not exactly the same. You are encouraged
to work together on homework assignments, though too much reliance on your peers may result in a good
homework grade without mastery of the material. Get whatever help you need to do the homework, but
make sure that you are able to work all problems yourself after receiving assistance. It is generally not
productive to get assistance without first attempting the problems. You may also ask questions or share
ideas about homework assignments via the Blackboard discussion board. The WeBWorK system
provides immediate feedback on whether your work is correct. Use this system to improve your mastery
of course material.
Students who do well on homework assignments generally do well in the class. Students who neglect the
homework generally withdraw from or fail the class. You may retry nearly any online homework
problem as often as you wish, so you might as well work on the problem until you master it.
Unit Tests: Retain all tests until the term is over.
Make-up Policy: A student who misses a test for a valid and documented reason must make it up within
three days (exclusive of weekends or university holidays). Homework sets are assigned a due date.
Students who miss the due date will receive a zero for that assignment.
Grading Scale:
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
D
F
Minimum Points
930
900
860
830
800
750
700
600
0
%
93%-100%
90%-92%
86%-89%
83%-85%
80%-82%
75%-79%
70%-74%
60%-69%
0%-59%
Withdrawals: Withdrawing from the course may put you in violation of the federally mandated
standards for academic progress (SAP) that you must maintain to be eligible for financial aid. Read the
information at this link before considering withdrawing from the course:
http://www.csuohio.edu/financial-aid/standards-academic-progress for information about the
implications of withdrawing from the course for your financial aid or visit Campus 411.
Scholastic Dishonesty: Cheating of any form is not acceptable and it will be dealt with harshly if
detected. If not detected, you will still be punished since you will be ill-prepared for future exams in this
course or future courses. In addition, it degrades the value of a CSU degree.
Copying work done by others, in or out of class, is an act of scholastic dishonesty and it will be
prosecuted to the full extent allowed by university policy. Collaboration on assignments is permitted and
encouraged, however if you submit work with your name on it then it is expected that you understand that
material and would be able to do subsequent work on that material without assistance. For more
information regarding scholastic dishonesty, see the Code of Student Conduct.
Disabilities Statement: Educational access is the provision of classroom accommodations, auxiliary aids
and services to ensure equal educational opportunities for all students regardless of their disability. Any
student who feels he or she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should
contact the Office of Disability Services at (216) 687-2015. The Office is located in MC 147.
Accommodations need to be requested in advance and will not be granted retroactively.
Assistance for Success:
The KEY to success is to get help when you are confused. Do so as soon as you can.
Here are some suggestions about how to clear up your confusion.
 Ask questions about the material or lecture during class. Chances are that other students are also
confused and a brief question in class may save you hours of frustration later.





Ask questions of your peers, either in person or using the Discussions area in Blackboard. Your
instructor will also monitor the Discussions area and respond to questions posted there.
Go to the Math Learning Center (MC 230) for free tutoring. Check for hours.
Come to my office during office hours. No question is too small, but please be prepared with specific
questions. Try to do as much as possible to pinpoint your confusion before seeing me so that we can
make effective use of our time together. Bring any work you have done so far. If you cannot attend
office hours, feel free to contact me and make an appointment.
Post on the Blackboard forum. Be as precise as possible and include the statement of the problem
since your instructor and other students will not always have the textbook available when they
respond. Your instructor will respond in a timely manner if your question is not already answered by
another instructor or a student, but do not rely on receiving an immediate response.
For general academic help the Tutoring & Academic Success Center (MC 233, 687-2012) runs
workshops about time management, test taking skills, study skills, etc.
Schedule of Classes and Unit Tests:
Note that the schedule below is approximate. We will often be slightly ahead or behind the
schedule given.
Week of
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Friday
January 12
12.1 Vectors in the
Plane
12.2 Vectors in Three
Dimensions
12.2 Vectors in Three
Dimensions
12.3 Dot Product and
the Angle Between
Two Vectors
12.3 Dot Product and
the Angle Between
Two Vectors
12.4 The Cross Product
12.5 Planes in
Three-Space
January 19
Martin Luther King
Jr.’s Day-no class
13.1 Vector-Valued
Functions
13.2 Calculus of
Vector-Valued
Functions
13.2 Calculus of
Vector-Valued
Functions
January 26
13.3 Arc Length and
Speed
13.3 Arc Length and
Speed
13.4 Curvature
13.4 Curvature
Review
February 2
Exam 1
14.1 Functions of Two
or More Variables
14.3 Partial Derivatives
14.3 Partial
Derivatives
February 9
14.4 Differentiability
and Tangent Planes
14.5 The Gradient and
Directional
Derivatives
14.6 The Chain Rule
14.7 Optimization
in Several
Variables
February 16
President’s Day-no
class
14.7 Optimization in
Several Variables
Review
Exam 2
February 23
15.1 Integration in
Variables
15.2 Double Integrals
over More General
Regions
15.2 Double Integrals
over More General
Regions
15.4 Integration in
Polar Coordinates
March 2
15.4 Integration in
Polar Coordinates
Review
Review
Exam 3