---Spring 2013---Math 144, Business Calculus SEC#:21533
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| Course: | Math 144 Business Calculus -- SEC#21533 |
| Class Time: | 11:00-12:15 TTH, January 22 - May 17 -- Room 372 JB |
| Text: | Calculus for Business, Economics, Life Sciences, and Social Sciences- 12th edition by Barnett, Ziegler and Byleen, Prentice-Hall |
| Prerequisites: | Math 111 or Math 112 with a C or better, or equivalent high school preparation. |
| Instructor: | Prof. William H. Richardson |
| Office: | Room 322 JB |
| Phone: | (316)978-3942 |
| Email: | richardson@math.wichita.edu |
| Home Page: | http://www.math.wichita.edu/~richardson |
| Office Hours: | 9:30-10:20 TTH, 2:00-3:00 MW and by Appointment |
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This section of Math 144 will cover material from Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the assigned text, with some additions and omissions. Math 144 may appear to be quite a bit different from any other mathematics course you have taken. However, like many other courses, this course requires the student to have strong skills in algebra. Algebra is an important tool in mathematics and this is why it is considered as a basic skill requirement at WSU. Many problems in calculus are solved by first using algebraic steps to set up a function. Then a calculus operation is performed after which more algebra is used to take the result of the calculus steps and obtain the final answer. Rather than using the chalkboard, I will be using a Tablet PC for my lectures. At the end of the class period the class notes will be posted on BlackBoard under Course Documents. They can be read on Blackboard or downloaded and read using Acrobat Reader or other software that reads PDF files. In addition, each class will be recorded with video showing everything done on the computer as well as the accompanying audio. For the class movie, go to http://www.math.wichita.edu/online and then look for your section of Math 144. There will be no individual make up exams or quizzes given. Exams will be either in-class exams or take-home exams. The Final Exam, which will be a comprehensive examination, will serve as a make up for any and all missed exams and/or quizzes. The Final Examination: Thursday, May 16, from 1:00 to 2:50 PM. If you are planning to leave Wichita at the end of the Spring Semester, make your travel plans early. "I have plane reservations." is not an acceptable reason for missing the final examination.
To be successful in a mathematics course one must work problems and attend class. We consider mathematics to be a participation course, not a spectator course. You cannot learn by just watching someone else do mathematics. You should do all problems assigned. If you have difficulties with any concept or problem ask questions in class or come to my office for help. Don't be bashful!
Homework will be assigned on Course Compass/My Math Lab ( http://www.mymathlab.com). Students who attend their mathematics classes do better than those who don't! Don't hesitate to ask questions in class. This is part of the learning process.
Spring Break will be March 18-March 24.
Cell phones and pagers must be turned off during class. If
there is an emergency situation that requires you be reachable, let me
know and be sure that your phone, or pager, is immediately available so
that its ringing will not disturb the class. All Faculty are requested to add the following statement to our syllabi Definition and assignment of credit hours Federal regulations and a new WSU policy now require all faculty and course instructors to communicate to students in their course syllabi how a credit hour is defined. According to the U.S. Department of Education a "credit hour" is a measure of graduate or undergraduate academic work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that reasonably approximates not less than one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work for each week of instructional time for approximately 15 weeks for one semester, or an equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time. As an example, for a three-credit hour course, this translates to 135 hours of student work. __________________________ Please be aware of the Statement of Academic Honesty A standard of honesty, fairly applied to all students, is essential to a learning environment. Students abridging a standard of honesty must accept the consequences; penalties are assessed by the appropriate classroom instructors or other designated people. Serious cases may result in discipline at the college or University level and may result in suspension or dismissal. Dismissal from a college for academic dishonesty constitutes dismissal from the University. (WSU Student Code of Conduct) ___________________________
Graphing calculators will not be allowed on exams. However, you are encouraged to use your graphing calculator to try some of the exercises in the text that are designed for calculator use. For exam purposes you may use a non-graphing calculator. You can find non-graphing calculators that do the trigonometric functions, the logarithmic functions and the exponential functions at a very reasonable cost at Wal-Mart, Target, or similar stores. If you have a personal computer with spreadsheet software, you might investigate the power these have in solving mathematical problems. There are also computer packages called, Computer Algebra System(s) or CAS, which are usually available in student editions. Mathematica, Maple V, Derive and Matlab are four such systems that are popular. A question that is often asked is, "Why do we have to learn how to do (you put in your favorite mathematical concept here) when there are graphing calculators and computer software that will do it for us?" This is not an unreasonable question from someone without a lot of mathematical experience. However, there is a very good answer to the question. First of all, the computer software is not perfect -- after all it is written by humans. There are some very simple problems for which CAS and some graphing calculators will give wrong answers or only partial answers. If the user knows how to do the problem, then when a wrong answer is given by the technology tool the user will know that something is wrong (although the user may not know what the exact answer is, he/she knows that the answer given cannot be the correct answer) and that care must be taken. Secondly, a very common mistake with calculators is the pressing of the wrong key so that the answer given in the display is incorrect. If one has a rough notion of what the answer should be then mistakes can be caught. Unfortunately, many people believe whatever is in the display window without question. Finally, if a calculator is available, it is a tendency to use it for every calculation including multiplying two single digit numbers. This takes time, something students often complain they don't have enough of during exams. It is usually faster to compute some things by hand than it is to use a graphing calculator. For example, if you have a graphing calculator, compute f(2) for f(x) = 3x4 - 5x2 + 2x + 8 by first using the graphing calulator then by hand. ___________________________Grading
All work assigned to you for grading will be given a point value. Your grade will be determined by the percentage of the possible points you received. The following scale gives an idea of the worst grade you would receive. 100 - 94 A
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