Syllabus for Calculus II - Spring 2024

Professor: Mark McClure

Course purpose

As you know, calculus is a powerful set of tools built on the notions of limit and infinity that help us analyze functions and solve many applied problems. In this course, we'll push the ideas you learned in Calculus I further to study:

• Techniques of integration: Integration is much harder than differentiation. We'll learn several techniques to make life easier.
• Applications integration: Calculus grew up with science and continues to have many applications today. We'll learn a few of these.
• Understanding of the infinite: We'll learn ways to add infinitely many numbers or functions. This will be profitable both scientifically and philosophically.

Materials

• The text: We will use the APEX Calculus textbook by Gregory Hartman et al. This is an outstanding, freely available, open source text that you can browse online. It is available in several formats:
  • HTML
  • PDF
  • Print: $16 from Amazon or in the Math Lab
  You do not need to purchase the Print version, but you may if you like having a book in your hand. The HTML and PDF versions are free and we might occasionally refer to the HTML version in class.
• MyOpenMath: We will have regular auto-graded homework using MyOpenMath. You should receive login credentials directly from me.
• Discourse: I'll setup an online discussion forum to facilitate communication. We'll also do a few assignments using this tool.
• Zoom: I'm afraid we might use Zoom a bit. We'll need to do so on our first Friday, in fact.
• Computers: In addition to accessing course materials, like the text, homework, we'll use computers for their originally intended purpose: computing.

There are some tools that we will not use:

• Calculators: While we will use computers for visualization and serious computation, the use of hand held calculators generally obscure the main conceptual points of mathematics. We will not use them on exams.
• Moodle: All material will be disseminated via our class web page.

Grades

• Exams: There will be three exams during the term worth about 100 points apiece. There will also be a final exam worth around 170 points. The likely dates for all those exams are already listed on our course calendar.
• Qizzes: We'll have three quizzes during the semester that will be worth anywhere from 15 to 25 points. Likely dates for those quizzes are listed on our course calendar.
• Homework: There will be three types of homework:
  • Textbook assignments, which will not be collected but offer important practice
  • Online, automatically graded HW, and
  • Forum assignments, which give us an opportunity to collaborate.
• In class problems: We will often work on problem sheets in class together. Quiz and exam problems will be closely related to these sheets. In addition, you will gain points simply for participating regularly.
• Final grades: I will determine final grades using a scale not more stringent than the standard 90-80-70-60 scale. You will be apprised of your standing as the term progresses.
• Late work: In general, I don't accept late work.
• Cheating: I don't deal with cheating. If I suspect cheating strongly enough, I simply refer you to the provost and fail you for the class.

Your rights and responsibilities

It's worth understanding your rights and responsibilities as a student at UNCA. One of my responsibilities is to make sure you have the information that you need to do that. Since this is common to all classes, I've got that information on this legalese document.