M250.002
Fall 2015
Time: M, W 17:35-19:25
Room: HW 609
Instructor: Arkady Etkin
E-mail:
arkadyetkin@yahoo.com
Website: www.aetkin.com
Office Hours: M, W 19:25-20:25, HE 924
Prerequisites
Calculus III extends the results of Single-Variable-Calculus. You must, consequently, be intimately
familiar with these results. In particular, you should have facility with the concepts of limit, derivative,
and integral as they were taught in Calc I and II. It will also be wise to review the delta-epsilon
definition of limit and the mean-value-theorem. Love for mathematics and a desire for deeper
understanding is required.
Textbook
Vector Calculus by Marsden and Tromba, 6th edition, W.H. Freeman, ISBN: 978-1-4292-1508-4.
Book Website: www.whfreeman.com
Study Guide: Student study guide with solutions, by Karen Pao and Fred Soon.
Reasons to take this course:
You are enrolled in this course, because you enjoy mathematics and have a sincere desire to learn the
theory behind mathematical concepts. Your curiosity is stronger than laziness and fear before the
terrifying theoretical beast that I will unleash upon you. In theory, you wield Calc I and II as weapons.
In practice, you are ready to grapple with this monster of many heads to the end of time (at the bare
minimum 6hrs a week).
If you are true of heart, you may count on my devoted support. I am prepared to meet with you till
exhaustion (i.e. very often) to help you in this mortal fight.
Reasons not to take this course:
You cannot expect to learn this subject without a struggle. If you are inclined to circumvent difficult
ideas rather than face them head on, then this class is not for you. I teach with the specific intention of
making transition into Linear Algebra (Math 260) as smooth as possible. This means that certain topics
will be presented more elaborately in my notes than even in the textbook itself.
This is a work-intensive class, so if you do not have the necessary background, interest, or adequate
time to devote for study, then I suggest dropping out before a single dollar of your hard-earned tuition is
taken.
Syllabus
Ch.1.1-1.5, 2.1-2.6, Ch. 3.1-3.5, Ch. 5.1-5.5 Ch. 6.1, 6.2
Homework
Regular homework will be assigned but not collected. There are approximately 18 assignments of about
20 problems each. It is highly recommended to go over every homework question thoroughly to keep
pace with the class and to develop a deeper understanding of the material.
Grading Policy:
There will be 3 in-class exams, and a final. The final exam will count as 2 exams. Of these 5 parts, the
lowest is dropped and then the best exam is multiplied by 4, the next highest score by 3, the next
highest score by 2, and the lowest by 1. These numbers are added up and then divided by 10 to obtain
the test average. Since an exam gets dropped there are no make-up exams. Though the exams are
difficult, the weighted average is highly biased towards your best scores. To receive an incomplete, you
must have taken at least three of the in-class exams, have a C average on those exams and have a
legitimate excuse for missing the final exam.
Tutoring
Drop-in tutoring and audiovisual materials are available at the Dolciani Mathematics Learning Center.
Calculators
A scientific calculator is required for the exams. Graphing calculators are not permitted for the exams.
“Hunter College regards acts of academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism, cheating on examinations,
obtaining unfair advantage, and falsification of records and official documents) as serious offenses
against the values of intellectual honesty. The College is committed to enforcing the CUNY Policy on
Academic Integrity and will pursue cases of academic dishonesty according to the Hunter College
Academic Integrity Procedures”
“In compliance with the American Disability Act of 1990 (ADA) and with Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Hunter College is committed to ensuring educational parity and
accommodations for all students with documented disabilities and/or medical conditions. It is
recommended that all students with documented disabilities (Emotional, Medical, Physical
and/or Learning) consult the Office of AccessABILITY located in Room E1124 to secure necessary
academic accommodations. For further information and assistance please call
(212-772-4857)/TTY (212-650-3230).”
Overview of Class Policy for Math 250
Attendance and Class Participation
In the course of the semester, the student is expected to achieve the learning outcomes outlined at the beginning
of the syllabus. It is at the discretion of the student whether to utilize the lecture as a vehicle for reaching this
goal. Aside from absences during exam periods, no direct penalty or grade reduction will be based on the
student’s attendance record. However, in making the decision whether to attend regular lecture hours or not, be
sure to consider the following:
Whereas not attending lectures works well for a handful of students, the overwhelming majority of
students do very poorly when they are regularly missing the class.
The student that regularly attends and participates in class discussions is more familiar to the instructor.
Participation can be a means to demonstrate your learning aptitude, motivation, and creative thinking.
Exams, Exam Make –Up, and Extra-Credit
It is the responsibility of the student to take each exam on the date when it is scheduled. A missed exam results
in an automatic score of 0 for the exam. A missed exam score is not computed into the student’s final grade
average if there is only one 0 on the record. In effect, the student is allowed to miss one test without jeopardizing
his or her final grade.
It has been the instructor’s experience that excuses for missed exams, requests for make-ups, and requests for
extra-credit work almost exclusively come from the students that are not adequately motivated to learn the
material of the course. For this reason, no make up exams or extra-credit work will be accepted from the
student, unless that student has earned at least one exam score in the 90 - 100 range. A student with the
necessary prerequisites is eligible for one make-up exam at the end of the semester. The make-up exam will be
Russian-style:
1. A list of problems consisting mostly of theorems, theoretical results, and derivations will be accumulated
during the semester.
2. Participating students will draw 4 randomly selected tickets from the ballot and work on problems from
the list that correspond to the numbers on the selected tickets. Each problem will be worth 25 points.
3. The make-up exam will replace the lowest midterm grade.
No other form of extra-credit work will be accepted.
Homework and Other Assignments
Regular online homework will be assigned. The online homework is due 7 days after the
corresponding topic is covered. There will not be extensions to this deadline, unless there is a
delay in the presentation of the topic. Students with missing or incomplete homework
assignments will be given 14 days at the end of the semester to complete the work. No
requests for other extensions will be considered.
Review material for exams will be posted on my website http://www.aetkin.com.
Expected Work Outside of Class
Mathematics requires many hours of practice. A good student is expected to spend a
minimum of 6 hours a week in addition to the 4 hours of lecture grappling with the
concepts. Spoon-feeding is not an effective technique for learning mathematics and the
student should have the maturity to know how to read the textbook and ask for clarifications
on things he or she doesn’t understand. Just like with weight training, you cannot anticipate a
growth in your muscle mass if the trainer is lifting the weights for you, so it is with the
strength of your brain; You must struggle to achieve results!
Office Hours and Other Sources for Help
The student is strongly encouraged to attend office hours at the slightest sign of falling behind
or not understanding the lecture. The office hours give the instructor additional opportunity
to learn about the academic strengths of his students. This familiarity is vital when it comes to
writing a good evaluation letter.
Another great source for help is the DMLC math-learning center. The center provides walk-in
tutoring support as well as weekly problem sessions, which are organized by topic. Further
information about the center is provided on the website http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/dolciani.
Academic Honesty and Conduct
Identical or very similar solutions on the exam are consistent with cheating. The most severe
form of cheating is copying the solutions from a fellow student’s exam. Another form of
cheating is memorizing mathematical facts without due understanding. It occurs most
frequently in advanced undergraduate classes, when the student is asked for the recital of
some problem or the justification of a theorem that was presented in class. Broadly speaking,
the instructor defines cheating as the attempt to pass the subject without learning the contents
of the course.
The instructor expects his students to understand the material conceptually. Students
suspected of copying another person’s exam will be summoned to a surprise test, where
they would have to prove their knowledge. Failure to take this test or failure in passing the
test will result in the grade 0 for the exam in which the student was suspect.
The following are suggested ways to avoid suspicion:
Demonstrate understanding through class participation and office hour discussions.
Demonstrate consistent work on the online homework assignments.
Submit optional work and show resolve to understand the more rigorous aspects of
the course.
Staying or Withdrawing from the Course
With all the best intentions, failing rate in calculus is 25 to 30 percent. That means that, in a
class of 35 students, approximately 10 students will receive a failing grade if they do not
withdraw from the course in time. The deadline for withdrawing from the course without the
grade “W” appearing on record is Wednesday, September 2. The final deadline to withdraw
from the course is Wednesday, September 16. Students that decide to stay in the class beyond
this date without doing passing work should not expect leniency. Each semester, a number of
students approach the instructor with outlandish and uncomfortable requests. Last semester,
for instance, a student doing failing work announced that he is on a work-study visa and
insinuated that he will be deported if he fails the class. There are many more stories of similar
nature and the instructor wishes to be spared their sequels.
Overtallies
The instructor takes on a greater workload with each overtally signed. Typically, there are
more than 10 overtally requests per each class the instructor is assigned to be teaching. By
granting access to all interested students, the instructor in effect accepts the responsibility of
teaching an extra class. The fact of the matter is that it is easier to lecture to 500 good students
than it is to deal with two poor ones. Students whose overtally request is granted shouldn’t
tempt their fate.
On the other hand, those students that are registered in the class should not be warming seats.
Give your place up to someone that deserves it.
Recommendation Letters
The instructor receives a high volume of requests for recommendation letters. Unfortunately,
a large presence of under-prepared students leads to the watering down of the course. Many
students receive grades that over-appreciate their achievement. Students that wish to receive
excellent evaluations are advised to take the following measures:
Get good overall grades.
Show signs of intellectual curiosity.
Demonstrate consistent effort to acquire conceptual understanding.
Demonstrate creativity and mathematical thinking.
Do assigned work on time.
Submit solutions to optional work.