MATHEMATICS H161 AU 2009 MTWRF 8:30 - 9:18 in CL 0171 & 10:30 - 11:18 in BE 0192 Lecturer: Paul Nevai Office: MW 610 [231 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210-1174] Phone: +16142925310 [not recommended and rarely ever answered] Office Hours: W 11:40 - 12:20 and TR 9:40 - 10:20 E-mail: nevai@math.osu.edu [recommended but not to be overdone] Course URL: www.math.osu.edu/~nevai/H16x/ (it has non-readable files too) H1N1 (swine flu) INFORMATION: All ill students with influenza/cold-like symptoms must stay home, must see a doctor immediately, and isolate themselves from others (requested by Provost Joseph Alutto on 09/13/2009). Students following this order will not be penalized (but those who don't will be sent home from class). TEXTBOOK: Calculus with Analytic Geometry (2nd edition) by George F. Simmons, The McGraw-Hill Co., Inc. SYLLABUS: More or less Chapter 1, and then Chapters 2 through 10 (not carved into stone & may be subject to change). There will be two midterms and one final exam; see below. NOTE. You are not allowed to use calculators (or equivalent devices) during the quizzes, the midterms, and the final exam. Please check your e-mail after each class. Please make sure that you are on the MATH H16x mailing list: enyem5@math.osu.edu. Regular class attendance is expected; see the FAQ below.. Have you heard of TeX? It may be useful for you to learn the very basics of TeX which takes about an hour or so; see, e.g., www.math.osu.edu/~nevai/H16x/DOCUMENTS/ (I recommend that you download gentle-introduction.pdf). Have you heard of Mathematica or Maple? They may be useful too; google them. The homework will be collected on Wednesdays and it will be graded on a weekly basis. Homework info is at www.math.osu.edu/~nevai/H16x/4/ (it has non-readable files too). Grading policy: each of the midterms is worth 150 points, the final exam 300 points, the homework 400 points, plus you may earn up to 100 bonus points based on your participation in class discussions. The curving policy is to be determined later. Cheating is not allowed and anyone caught doing so will be prosecuted. Quizzes might be given on a regular basis. Please note that for all quizzes, midterms, and for the final examination the policy is that absolutely no credit is given for work not shown. This info is available at www.math.osu.edu/~nevai/H16x/H16x_info.txt. H161 Tutor Room: CH 129 For tutor room hours see www.mslc.osu.edu. Review & Midterm #1: after Chapter 4 Review & Midterm #2: after Chapter 7 Reviews & Final Exam: after Chapter 10 At least one week prior notice will be given before the midterms. The final exam is held in the regular classroom; see below. It is comprehensive. Final Exam for the 8:30 class at 7:30 - 9:18 am on Monday, 12/7/2009. Final Exam for the 10:30 class at 9:30 - 11:18 on Wednesday, 12/09/2008. For up-to-date info, see www.ureg.ohio-state.edu. ############################################################################# E-MAIL ADVICE Here are a couple of recommendations on e-mail usage that will improve your chances for survival in the technological age. 1. Always use appropriate subject lines. 2. Always use unformatted plain text (ASCII). Not html, not rtf, not other encoding. Just plain text. 3. When responding to an e-mail, quote the original message only as much as necessary. 4. Try to make each line less than 80 characters long. Standard computer terminals are usually 80 characters wide. 5. Use abbreviations and cute symbols such as smileys only when appropriate, never in formal e-mails. 6. Always spell-check formal e-mails although it is OK to have a couple of typos in informal communication. 7. Any e-mail you write is likely to be retrievable forever. Hence, never send off an e-mail while upset or agitated. NOTE. I might judge you on the basis of your e-mail skills or the lack of thereof. ############################################################################# MATHEMATICS H161 FAQ Q. How should I address the lecturer? A. Any way you want as long as you show respect. No "dude" please. For instance, "Professor Nevai" is fine. Q. How should I pronounce the name "Nevai"? A. Good question. I'll leave it to your discretion. Q. When does the class start and end? A. Exactly when it's scheduled at x:30:00 and (x+1):18:00 (my watch is accurate to the second). Occasionally, I might need a few more seconds to finish a line of thought after (x+1):18:00. In addition, I might start talking to the class even before x:30:00. However, the actual instruction begins only at x:30:00. NOTE. The bell might not be accurate. We go by the official US atomic time; see http://www.time.gov/timezone.cgi?Eastern/d/-5/java Q. What if I am late from the class? A. Just enter and sit down w/o causing any disturbance. Q. What if I have to leave the class early? A. Just leave w/o causing any disturbance. Q. What if I have to go to the bathroom? A. Go. Q. Do I need a calculator for this course? A. Not really, but it can't hurt to have a simple one. Q. What if I have a question? A. Raise your hand. Q. What if I have a question but I am too shy and/or I am afraid that I will end up saying something stupid? A. I promise to never make fun of you and/or humiliate you, so please go ahead and raise your hand. Q. What if the lecturer makes an error or mistake and I notice it? A. Please raise your hand immediately so I could fix it. Q. What if I can't come to a class or midterm? A. As long as you have a legitimate excuse, e-mail me prior to the class or midterm. Q. What do those frequently used abbreviations, such as FYI, AFAIAC, BTW, IMHO, N.B., etc., mean? A. For instance, google them, e.g., by using "define: IMHO". Q. What about those French, German, Hungarian, Latin, Russian, etc. proverbs, such as "repetitio est mater studiorum" or "uchitsya, uchitsya, uchitsya"? A. Exempli gratia, google them or go to wikipedia.org. Q. Are there any forbidden words and expressions that are not allowed to be used under any circumstance? A. Yes. For instance, absolutely (meaning "yes"), awesome (good? great? best? bestest?), dude (triple banned; see www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dude; originates back to 1883), cool (meaning "good"), it makes sense (meaning "I don't have the faintest idea what the heck is going on), like (what does this mean anyway?), and so forth. Q. What does "s-i-g-n" (es-i-gee-en) mean? A. It means "sign" as opposed to "sin". The are both pronounced the same way, so, in order to avoid confusion, I always spell the former. Q. What does the word "trivial" mean? A. It's obvious, isn't it? Q. What does the word "obvious" mean? A. It's trivial, isn't it? NOTE. Google these words; see, e.g., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trivial_(mathematics) (look for the word "joke" on this webpage), http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/kenny/essays/mathobvious.html and http://www.physicsforums.com/archive/index.php/t-203502.html Q. Is it permitted to switch classrooms occasionally, including the midterms and the final exam? A. Yes, as long as this privilege is not abused. Q. Eating? Drinking? Cellphones? PDAs? iPods? Laptops? Crosswords? SMS-ing? Napping/sleeping? A. Perfectly acceptable as long as (i) it is done in absolute and total silence, and (ii) it doesn't disturb anyone else. However, see the next Q. Q. What about listening to any electronic device with a headphone? A. Never. Q. TBA A. TBA ############################################################################ MATHEMATICS H161 FAQ (more) Q. What are the prerequisites for this course? A. At the minimum, you should be familiar with finite arithmetic and geometric progressions and their sums, you should know the basic trigonometric identities, and you should be able to recognize and use simple arithmetic formulas. Q. What are arithmetic and geometric progressions? A. Google them, e.g., see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arithmetic_progression and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometric_progression Q. What are the basic trigonometric identities? A. Good question; e.g., $\sin(a+b) = \dots$, $\sin(a-b) = \dots$, $\cos(a+b) = \dots$, $\cos(a-b) = \dots$, $\sin(2a) = \dots$, $\cos(2a) = \dots$, $\sin(a/2) = \dots$, $\cos(a/2) = \dots$, $\sin^2 a + \cos^2 a = \dots...$. Q. What????????????????????????? A. The above used TeX notation (google it); e.g. $\sin(a+b) = \dots$ means sin(a+b) = ... which, as you know it, is equal to sin a cos b + cos a sin b, right? Q. What arithmetic formulas do I need to know? A. Factorizations, powers, etc., e.g. $a^2-b^2$, $a^2+b^2$, $a^3-b^3$, $a^3+b^3$, or, in general $a^n-b^n$ and $a^n+b^n$. Also $(a+b)^2$, $(a-b)^2$, $(a+b)^3$, $(a-b)^3$, $(a+b)^4$, $(a-b)^4$, etc. Q. Really? A. Really. HINT. Pascal's triangle. Q. What? A. Google it. Q. TBA A. TBA ############################################################################