Math 32L Section 8
Spring 2010
1. Instructor Information
Instructor: Prakash Balachandran, “Kash”
Office: 216 Physics Building
Office Phone: 919-660-2879
E-mail: kash@math.duke.edu
Office Hours: Wednesdays, 8-10pm in 132 Carr building or by appointment.
2. Course Information
Lecture: West Duke 108B, MWF 01:30 PM-02:20 PM
Lab: West Duke 105, Tu 08:30 AM-10:15 AM
Textbooks:
• Calculus, 5th edition, by Hughes-Hallett, et al.
• 31L-32L Coursepack, 2009-2010 ed. (aka the Lab Manual)
Blackboard: courses.duke.edu has sites for both for this class and all sections of 32L. Grades
will be posted on here.
32L Section 08 Website: http://www.duke.edu/∼pb25/Teaching/32LS10/32LS10.html
Lectures: The lecture for each day will be posted on the 32L section 08 website. Items/ideas
with a (*) next to them will not be tested on any exam or homework [unless I assign it, see
below] but are used to motivate or reinforce ideas in the math that crop up during the course.
I’ll also post any other supplements on the website.
Homework Assignments: The Math 32L syllabus shows you a complete schedule of the
course, including reading assignments from the textbook and Coursepack for the upcoming
lecture and homework exercises for the previous lecture. I will NOT be collected the homework, mainly because the solution manual to the textbook is at your disposal. You can find
it online on Blackboard under the site for all of the sections of 32L. There also hard copies
in the Help Room, as well as a solution manual for some of the problems in the Coursepack.
With that being said, the key to success in this class is to stay on top of the homework. I
strongly encourage you to work on the homework on your own. When you get stuck, feel free
to collaborate with each other and make full use of the Help Room. I will be here about 15
minutes before every class, if you have questions.
I will, on occasion, give separate homework assignments for you to complete and turn in.
On some days, I will randomly select a problem from homework from the previous week and
ask the class (or a randomly selected student) how to do it. Since this counts as class
participation, I strongly urge you to keep up with the homework
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Labs: There is a weekly laboratory (Tuesdays, 8:30 AM-10:15 AM) in which you explore
various topics and applications of calculus with a graphing calculator. The lab is designed to
use a TI-83 graphing calculator, but you may use another calculator if you OK it with me.
After some labs, you will be required to submit a group report due the following week. After
others, your work on a lab will be evaluated by a quiz in the next week’s lab.
Tests: There will be 3 mid-term tests and a final block exam. The day for the mid-term
tests are set by the syllabus (February 9, March 23, April 26). The same final is taken by
all students in 32L and will be on Saturday, May 8, 2-5. Much like 31L, there is also
a Gateway Test, this one is on integration. The Gateway Test must be passed in order to
complete the class.
Missed Tests and Quizzes: Absences from test or quizzes will be excused by your dean
only for reasons such as illness, family emergency, or official university activities. If your absence is due to short-term illness, then you should complete the online “Short-term Illness Notification,” which is linked from the first-year calculus website, http://www.math.duke.edu/first year.
If your absence from a test is excused, by my choice, I will assign a grade based
either on your score on the final exam or on your other major tests or on a makeup exam. In the case of an excused missed lab, you will be required to complete the lab and
write your own report.
Group Work: Group work is essential to the course, particularly in lab. I will assign lab
groups, which I will change periodically. Each group will submit a single lab report written
together by all group members. However, if a member did not participate in the lab or in
the report’s preparation, it is a violation of the Duke Community Standard to include that
member’s name on the lab report.
Grades: Your work in this course will be weighted approximately as follows:
Homework Assignments and Class Participation
Lab Reports and Quizzes:
Midterm Tests:
Final Exam
≈ 7%
≈ 25%
≈ 12% each
≈ 32%
Assistance: The Math Department operates a Help Room where students can get assistance
on a walk-in basis. The Help Room is staffed by calculus teachers and lab assistants, and
is in room 132 in the Carr building. It is open from 6-10 on Sunday night and 1-10 on
Monday through Thursday. I will be in the Help Room from 4-6 on Monday afternoons. If
you have questions and cannot make my helproom hours, I can meet with you individually
in my office. Trinity College also provides free individual tutoring through the Peer Tutoring
Program, located on the second floor of the Academic Advising Center.
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