Calculus for Life Sciences (MATH 122: Section 2)
Loyola Marymount University, Spring 2016
Professor: Dr. Curtis Bennett
Office: UH-2765
Phone: 338-5112
Email: cbennett@lmu.edu
Web Page: http://myweb.lmu.edu/cbennett
Office Hours: MW 10:30-11:30, Th 10-11 and by appointment (subject to change).
Textbook: Calculus for Biology and Medicine 3rd ed., C. Neuhauser, Prentice Hall
Prerequisites: MATH 120 or Mathematics Placement Exam
Course Meeting Times: TR 11:30-12:45, UH 2786
Catalogue Description: An introduction to calculus. Derivatives and integrals of the elementary
functions, including computational techniques and applications.
General Description: In this class, we will be studying topics from differential and integral
calculus, with a particular emphasis on applications to the life sciences. The focus of this class
will be on learning the concepts of the derivative and integral and applying them to understand
curves, elementary functions, and applications to the social and life sciences.
Content Objectives:
 Students will be able to apply the notion of function to basic applications.
 Students will be able to state a heuristic definition of the limit of a function at a point, do
basic calculations with limits and understand how limits might apply in applications.
 Students will be able to give a precise definition of the derivative, take derivatives of
elementary functions by using the definition, and students will be able to find derivatives
of functions by using rules and methods (product, sum, quotient, implicit differentiation,
and logarithmic differentiation).
 Students will be able to apply the derivative to applications including related rates and
optimization problems.
 Students will be able to describe curves using the language of calculus. They will be able
to break curves and graphs into important pieces, helping them understand processes that
these curves and graphs help model.
 Students will be able to state a rudimentary definition of the logarithmic and exponential
functions and be able to take derivatives (and integrals) of such functions. Moreover,
students will be able to use these functions in applications and will be able to recognize
applications where these functions occur.
 Students will be able to show a heuristic understanding of the integral, integrate
elementary functions, and use the integral in basic applications.
 Students will be able to discuss at least one application of calculus to the life sciences.
Process Objectives:
 Students will improve their mathematical problem solving skills.
 Students will improve their mathematical modeling skills. In particular, students will be
able to recognize certain basic mathematical models of biological and sociological
phenomena. Ideally, students will be able to point out the flaws of some of these models.
 Students will be able to write down mathematics in a careful and correct way.
 Students will improve their ability to read a mathematics textbook.
Homework and Reading assignments:
Book homework will be assigned weekly. Homework sets will be collected on Thursdays at the
beginning of class. Students handing in homework sets at the end of class will be docked 20% of
the grade on that homework assignment. The timely completion of homework assignments is
extremely important in learning mathematics, and students are asked to be very careful in making
sure that they complete their homework. In each homework set there will be 4-10 problems that
will be graded for correctness, and the balance of the problems will merely be looked at to see
that they were done. Each assignment will be worth 30 points, with the graded problems being
worth 3-5 points each and the balance of the points scored for completeness.
We will also have WebWork problems (online homework due once per week).
Students will also have reading assignments. For each Tuesday class, students will be asked to
read a portion of the textbook, to work one problem related to the reading, to respond to one
question on the reading, and to state one question on the reading that they would like answered.
These will be due via MYLMU Connect at 3pm on the Monday afternoon before class on
Tuesday. I will read through the responses Monday afternoon or evening before class so that I
can concentrate on areas of difficulty for students in class the next day. The purpose of this
assignment is twofold: first so that I can concentrate on areas of difficulty, and second to help you
learn to read the textbook in a profitable way prior to class. Each reading assignment will be
assessed on a 0/1 scale of whether or not effort was put into the assignment. (Occasional
assignments may get a score of 1.1 for extra effort.)
Grading: Grades will be determined in the following manner:
Midterms (Feb 4, March 15, April 14):
Homework and writing:
WebWork
Participation/Reading assignments/Quizzes:
Final Exam (Thursday Dec. 12th 11-1):
15%
10%
5%
5%
30%
The following is a general guide on grades, however, the scale may be lowered slightly.
A, A- : 90-100
B-, B, B+: 80-90
C, C+: 70-80
D:60-70
F: <60
Make-up Work/Late assignments: Students that miss a homework or exam for a universityexcused reason (athletics, illness with signed doctor’s note, or similar) should let me know as
soon as possible. Note that leaving early for Thanksgiving break is not an acceptable reason.
Book homework sets that are late are docked 50% of the possible points if they are turned in by
the following class day. Once they go beyond that class day, they will not be accepted. I do not
give make-up exams. If you miss an exam for an excused absence, then your final exam will
count for the missing exam. That is, if you miss one midterm (for an excused absence), then your
final exam will be worth 45% of your grade.
Americans with Disabilities Act: Students with special needs as addressed by the Americans
with Disabilities Act who need reasonable modifications, special assistance, or accommodations
in this course should promptly direct their request to the Disability Support Services Office. Any
student who currently has a documented disability (physical, learning, or psychological) needing
academic accommodations should contact the Disability Services Office (Daum Hall Room 224,
310-338-4216) as early in the semester as possible. All discussions will remain confidential.
Please visit http://www.lmu.edu/dss for additional information.
Academic Honesty: Academic dishonesty will be treated as an extremely serious matter, with
serious consequences that can range from receiving no credit for assignments/tests to expulsion. It
is never permissible to turn in any work that has been copied from another student or copied from
a source (including Internet) without properly acknowledging the source. It is your responsibility
to make sure that your work meets the standard of academic honesty set forth in the “LMU Honor
Code and Process” which appears in the LMU Bulletin 2010-2011
(see http://www.lmu.edu/about/services/registrar/Bulletin/Bulletins_in_PDF_Format.htm.) Other
aspects of this will be discussed in class.
Tentative Nature of the Syllabus: If necessary, this syllabus and its contents are subject to
revision; students are responsible for any changes or modifications distributed in class or posted
on LMU's course management system MYLMU Connect (if you are using that technology).
Respect for Self and Others: As an LMU Lion, by the Lion’s Code, you are pledged to join the
discourse of the academy with honesty of voice and integrity of scholarship and to show respect
for staff, professors, and other students. (See the student code of conduct
http://studentaffairs.lmu.edu/media/lmustudentaffairs/administration/judicialaffairs/studentcodepolicies/)
Tentative Topic List for Course: There will be additions and subtractions as the term goes on.
2.1: Exponential Growth and Decay
2.3: More Population Models
3.1: Limits
3.2: Continuity
3.5: Properties of Continuous Functions
4.1: Formal Definition of the Derivative
4.2: Basic Rules of Differentiation
4.3: Product and Quotient Rules
4.4: Chain Rule and Higher Derivatives
4.5: Derivatives of Trigonometric Functions
4.6: Derivatives of Exponential Functions
4.7: Derivatives of Inverse Functions
5.1: Extrema and the Mean-Value Theorem
5.2-5.3: Graphing
5.4: Optimization
5.7: Newton's Method (?)
5.8: Antiderivatives
6.1: Integration
6.2: Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
6.3: Applications of Integration
Important Dates
Jan 15:
Jan 18:
Feb 29 – Mar 4:
Mar 18:
Mar 31:
Apr 29:
May 3:
Last day to add or drop a class without a grade of W
No classes – Martin Luther King Day
No classes – spring break
Last day to withdraw from classes or apply for Credit/No Credit grading
No classes – Cesar Chaves Day
Last day of classes
Final Exam (11:00am-1:00pm)