Department of Theoretical and Applied Mathematics
The University of Akron
Calculus with Business Applications
3450:210, Section 381
3 credits
Instructor: Dr. Truyen Nguyen
Main Office: 220 College of Arts and Sciences
Office: 277 College of Arts and Sciences
Phone: 330-972-7400
Phone: 330-972-2569
E-Mail: tnguyen@uakron.edu (Please provide your full name and course when writing)
Web Page: http://www.math.uakron.edu/~tnguyen/
Office Hours: M, T, Th 5:00-6:00 PM. (Other hours by appointment)
Textbook: Applied Calculus, Fourth Edition by Stefan Waner and Steven Costenoble; ThomsonBrooks/Cole, 2007
Prerequisites: 3450:141, 3450:145 (with a grade of C – or better), or mathematics placement test. You are
responsible for having the appropriate prerequisite.
Course Description: Review of functions, derivatives of functions, extrema and concavity, optimization,
logarithmic and exponential equations, extrema of multivariable functions. Graphing calculators are allowed
and recommended. This course is for business majors only.
Course Objective: To give the student 1) an understanding of the concepts of limits, continuity, derivatives
and partial derivatives, 2) the skills needed to calculate limits, derivatives and partial derivatives, 3) an
understanding of how derivatives relate to the graph of a function, 4) an understanding of the meaning of a
derivative as it is used in business applications, and 5) the skills needed to solve several optimization
problems in business.
Attendance: Students are expected to attend all class meetings. If a class is missed, you are expected to get
notes from a fellow classmate or to see your instructor during office hours.
Homework: The importance of homework cannot be overstated. The only way to gain proficiency and skill
in this class is to practice by doing homework problems. Assignments for grading will be announced on
Thursday and will be collected on the following Tuesday at the start of class. Each homework assignment is
worth 20 points. You will drop your lowest two homework grades. NO LATE HOMEWORK WILL BE
ACCEPTED!!
Missed homework is worth zero points!
The correct format for
homework consists of:





Name
Due Date of
Homework
Book section
Copy the problem &
instructions.
Show work that
justifies your answer.
Homework problems will be assigned and collected. The attached list is the suggested homework problems
for each section. You are expected to do all the suggested homework problems, however not all of them will
be collected. For each week, eight problems chosen from the list of suggested homework problems will be
collected and graded.
Quizzes: Weekly quizzes will be given every Thursday. No quizzes will be given exam weeks or during
the last week of classes. Quiz questions will be identical or very similar to homework problems. Each quiz
is worth 15 points. You will drop your lowest two quiz grades. There will be NO MAKEUP QUIZZES!!
Missed quizzes are worth zero points!
Exams: During the semester, there are 2 exams and a comprehensive final. Makeup exams are given at the
professor's discretion. You must have a valid university sanctioned excuse and you MUST CONTACT
ME PRIOR to the exam to be considered for a makeup. Make-up exams must be taken on Monday or
Tuesday of the week following the scheduled exam. The only exceptions are for extreme emergencies. The
final exam will be comprehensive; the date and location of the final will be announced at a later date.
Grading: 2 tests (100 points each)
Homework
Quizzes
Comprehensive Final Exam
TOTAL
200 pts.
75 pts.
75 pts.
150 pts.
500 pts.
A
B
C
D
F
90 - 100 %
80 - 89 %
70 - 79 %
60 - 69 %
0 - 59 %
Notice that the daily work (homework and quizzes) comprises almost one-third of your final grade.
Policies: The University of Akron has several policies that apply to this course. These include, but
are not limited to, policies regarding academic dishonesty, harassment, class attendance, withdrawal
from a course, and accommodation for students with disabilities. It is the responsibility of the student
to be familiar with these policies, which will be supported in this class.
Other: Please turn off your cell phone when you enter class.