Advice

Advice for Freshmen
Many majors and pre-professional curricula require calculus. Several Mathematics courses fulfill the School of Arts and Sciences Formal Reasoning and Analysis Requirement. Thus, most Penn undergraduates take some Mathematics courses.
On This Page
1. Description of courses: First year, Second year
2. Which course should I take?
3. Advanced Placement and Transfer Credit
4. Computers
5. Honors Calculus --NEW COURSES Fall '08/Spring '09

Pause? For most people it is unwise to take a semester off between math (or language) courses. Rust sets in and can be difficult to remove.

Description of Courses

First-year courses
There are a number of available alternatives among the first-year courses. Math 104, Calculus, Part I, the first calculus course, assumes that students have had the equivalent of AB Calculus in high school, and are familiar with calculus concepts through applications of differentiation and basic integration techniques. Students who have not passed AB Calculus or who passed but need further practice and review should take Math 103, Introduction to Calculus, which provides an introduction to Calculus. (A placement examination, for advisory purposes only, will be given in all Math 103 and 104 classes at the beginning of the semester to assist students with course selection.)

Decline Advanced Placement Credit?
It is sometimes tempting to decline Advanced Placement Credit and take the course again for an "easy A". In practice this can backfire since you don't study and, at the end of the semester know less than at the beginning. Upshot: boredom and a lower grade.
Thus, be careful before declining AP Credit (see also Changing Calculus Courses).

A non-credit course Math 101, Algebra and Trigonometry, can be used as a preparation to Math 103. Math 101 is only offered through the College of General Studies. There are two second-semester Calculus courses. Students are advised to check their major department or their program for the specific requirement. In general, Math 114, Calculus, Part II is taken by students in the natural sciences, engineering and economics. Math 114 prepares students for the more advanced Calculus courses Math 240 and 241. Those who do not plan to take Math 240 may still want to consider taking Math 114. Wharton students should take Math 114 (Wharton does not permit its students to take Math 115).
Math 116 is an Honors version of Math 114 and explores the mathematical underpinnings of the subject matter in greater depth than the standard 114 class.

Math 115, Calculus, Part II with Probability and Matrices is for students who do not plan to take more calculus such as Math 240, and want an introduction to probability and matrices.
You cannot receive credit for both 114 and 115. The credit for Math 114 satisfies requirements specifying Math 115. You may not take Math 103 if you already have credit for Math 104.

Math 170 Ideas in Mathematics.This course is intended for students who, without getting too technical, would like to know about math: what it is, what parts are new and growing and what its importance is. Prerequisite: high school algebra and geometry; no calculus required.

Math 180 Analytical Methods in Economics, Law, and Medicine. This course gives elementary applications of decision analysis, game theory, probability and statistics to issues in areas such as accounting, contracting, finance, law, and medicine. This course is suitable for both pre-law and pre-med students. Prerequisite: high school algebra and geometry; no calculus required.
Math 103, 104, 114, 115, 170 and Math 180 all fulfill the College Formal Reasoning and Analysis requirement. In addition, Math 170 fulfills the new Natural Sciences and Mathematics requirement.
Freshman Seminars Math 202: Proving Things - Analysis (Fall) and Math 203: Proving Things - Algebra (Spring) are one credit courses which are taken concurrently with Calculus; for more details see Math 202-203. These courses give an introduction to mathematical reasoning and are recommended to anyone with a serious interest in mathematics. [These courses replace the old Math 200-201 and Math 204-205 Freshmen Seminars.]
Remark: Before being admitted as a Math Major, you are required to have some experience with proofs (our calculus courses don't emphasize proofs). One way to satisfy this is to take either Math 202 or Math 203 - see the Math Major Program for more information.
Second-year courses

Math 240, and Math 241 are taught with a view toward applications in the Physical Sciences and Engineering.

Math 260 is an Honors version of Math 240 and explores the mathematical underpinnings of the subject matter in greater depth than the standard 240 class.

Which Courses Should I Take?

One way to evaluate your own preparation is simply by looking at old Course Final Exams. These exams are also useful for removing rust and studying for our Advanced Placement Exams. Math 103 Math 104 Math 114 Math 115 Math 240 Math 241

If you are starting math without Advanced Placement (AP) credit, you may begin with Math 103, 104, 170, or 180. If you expect that your major will not require calculus and if you need only one math credit, you could choose Math 103, 170, or 180.
Math 103 or Math 104? If you are hesitant about your background, after brushing-up look at a few of the Math 103: Old Final Exams (no calculators, but you can use one 8.5×11 sheet with notes - so there is no pressure to memorize formulas). If you get at least 75% correct, then definitely take Math 104. If you get a lower score, then you can still take Math 104 -- but study a bit more to remove rust and fill-in topics you never covered.
One reason we encourage you to take Math 104 is that we fear enough of Math 103 will be old-hat to you so you'll be bored; moreover, taking Math 104 immediately will free-up one course in your schedule. If you take Math 104 and find that you are really swamped, then it is easy to drop back to Math 103 (see Changing Calculus Courses below). Part of your decision also depends on how intellectually aggressive you are.
Students with a serious interest in mathematics should consider the new for the '08-'09 academic year Honors Calculus classes: Math 116 (an analogue of Math 114) and Math 260, an analogue of Math 240.

Most freshmen must register before knowing how many AP credits they will get. You should register for the course you think you will take. If it turns out that you need to switch, the department will assist you.
If you need a year of calculus, but your major does not require Math 104-114, and if it is unlikely you will take additional calculus, you could choose Math 104-115. This is a popular choice for pre-med students. Wharton students may take only Math 114 (not Math 115).
Note: you may register for Math 114 (or 115) even if you have neither taken Math 104 nor received AP credit for it; however, for insurance we recommend that you first take - and pass - our internal AP exam for Math 104. [See also retroactive credit.]
If you plan to take more than a year of math, or if your major requires it, you should choose Math 104-114. Econ students may need Math 114. Consult your advisor or the Math Department if you are unsure of which sequence to take.
If you get one unit of AP credit, you may start with Math 114 and take Math 240 in the spring -- or just take Math 115 in the fall. If you are serious about math you should choose a math freshman seminar. (Remember that students who come in with one unit of AP credit and take a year of calculus will be nearly halfway to a math minor by the end of the first year.) Math is used increasingly in many subjects. A good rule is to take at least one math course each semester until you have all the math you need.
Prospective Math Majors should see the Math Major Coordinator shortly after arrival on campus in order to chart your course of study. In particular, to be admitted to the major program you are required to have taken one of the Freshman Seminars Math 202 or Math 203, or some related course. For more information, visit our Math Major Program web site.

Getting into the course you want: When you request a math course, you may not get the exact lecture or recitation section you want. It may take some persistence to get into the course. The Department never turns a student away because a course is full. We always fit the student in somewhere -- although not necessarily in the section or at the time the student prefers.

If you need assistance getting into a course, contact the Math Office (DRL Room 4W1 or email: rtoney AT math.upenn.edu). We will tell you which sections are open and, if none are, a permit may be issued to you.
Permits: The Math Department issues permits starting the first week of the semester. Students are advised to keep trying Penn-In-Touch prior to the start of classes. We would like to give all students adequate time to carefully consider their schedule. Someone else may drop the lecture or recitation you wish to take, thus making a place available without needing a permit.

If you need a permit for a calculus course, please come to the Math office in DRL 4W1. One important reminder: The department only issues permits; immediately after obtaining a permit you should register for both the lecture and recitation via Penn-in Touch.

Changing Calculus Courses. After the add period you may find you are taking a Calculus Course (Math. 104, 114, 115, 240, 241) that is too advanced. To give added flexibility, until the end of the drop period the Math Department also permits students in this situation to drop their current Calculus Course and add the previous course in the sequence, for example, dropping from Math 114 to Math 104. This enables you to continue with the calculus sequence without losing a semester.

If you change calculus courses after the official add period ends, you need to request the instructor for permission to get into the new class. After that, you should first go to the math office to be issued a permit, then go to your own school to be enrolled into the new class. You should also notify both your old and new T.A.'s to transfer your homework and make sure that your name is on the right class list.
NOTE: Occasionally we also permit dropping to the previous course in the same sequence until the end of the eighth week of the semester. This requires written permission of the two instructors involved.
Advanced Placement (AP) and Transfer Credit
Note: Details on our AP policy and procedures can be found at AP/Transfer Credit Information..
We strongly encourage students to master the basic material as early as possible. It is our policy to waive prerequisite course requirements for those students who can pass an examination that demonstrates that they know the material. These remarks apply especially to the first-year calculus courses. For these, a student may receive credit towards the degree (in addition to the waiving of prerequisites) by either of the following methods:
1. Passing the external Advanced Placement BC Exam administered by the College Entrance Examination Board with a score of 5 gives credit for Math 104. Lower scores on the BC Exam receive no course credit. No credit is given for the AB Exam.
2. Passing the internal Advanced Placement Examination administered in the first week of the fall and spring semesters by the mathematics department. A student may take the examination regardless of whether he or she took the external exam described under (1) above. The department keeps no record of those who do not pass, thus, if you take the exam and fail, you have lost nothing.
Near the end of the summer, the times and dates of the calculus A.P. exams given at Penn will be posted near the top of the Math Department's Undergraduate Homepage. The exams are open to all without charge and are given as follows:
The first semester calculus AP exam for Math 104, Calculus, Part I covers transcendental functions, definite and indefinite integrals, the fundamental theorem of calculus, techniques and applications of integration infinite series and Taylor's Theorem. For more details and a syllabus see Math 104.
This material is in all standard calculus texts. For instance, it is essentially covered in chapters 6,7,8,9 and 12 of Stewart (our current text) or in Chapters 5 through 8, and sections 1-3 of chapter 12, of Thomas/Finney, Calculus and Analytic Geometry (9th or alternate edition).

The second semester AP exam for Math 114, Calculus, Part II covers these topics and in addition polar coordinates and parametric equations, functions of several variables, vector valued functions partial derivatives, multiple integrals and ordinary differential equations. For more details and a syllabus see Math 114
This material is in all standard calculus texts. For instance, in chapters 13,14,15,16,10 and 18 in Stewart and Appendix G (Complex number) and in Thomas/Finney, Chapters 9,10,12,13, and the supplemental Chapter 16 and Appendix A3 (Complex variables).

The second semester AP exam for Math 115, Calculus, Part II with Probability and Matrices covers the same topics as Math 104 and in addition functions of several variables, partial derivatives, multiple integrals, ordinary differential equations, elementary probability and statistics, linear algebra and matrices with applications to linear programming and Markov processes. For more details and a syllabus see Math 115.
This material is in many texts. For instance, it is essentially the material covered in Thomas/Finney, Chapters 12,13.1 and 6 and in Lial, Greenwell and Richey, Finite Mathematics (7th Edition), Chapters 1.3,2,3,4 and Probability and Matrices (Penn Custom Edition); Degroot and Schervish, Introduction to Probability, Conditional Probability, Random Variables, Expectations, Special Distribution and Markov Chains.

Students can also take AP exams for Math 240 and Math 241.
You will need to bring identification and a #2 pencil to the exam. The tests are multiple choice. No calculators are allowed, but students may bring in one page of notes. The note page should be no larger than 8.5 × 11 inches; it may be handwritten or printed on both sides. Students will find the syllabus, core homework problems, practice exams and old final exams for each of the calculus courses posted on the course links of the math Undergraduate Homepage.

NOTE: You can take more than one exam. For example, if you pass the first exam in Math 104, you could take Math 114 in the next exam. Your second exam will not be graded unless you passed the first.

3. Retroactive Credit: If you get a grade of C or better in Math 114, Math 115 (or a higher calculus course) at Penn, you may come to the Math Office (DRL 4W1) and receive retroactive credit for Math 104. [You cannot receive retroactive credit for Math 104 by only passing our AP exam for Math 114 or Math 115. You can, of course, receive Math 104 AP credit by passing the external or internal AP exam for Math 104.]
No retroactive credit is available for calculus courses other than Math 104.
Dropping AP credit: Students are not always prepared for all the AP credit they receive. Therefore, students are permitted to drop one unit of AP credit. To do this, come to the Math office DRL 4W1 and sign a petition before the end of the ADD period in September.

Computers
Computer literacy is an important part of a liberal or technical education. Some Calculus classes use Maple, a powerful software package that does symbolic, graphical and numerical computations. Maple assists people with mathematical work in much the same way as word processors assist writers. You will be able to run Maple in many campus computer labs (in academic buildings, libraries and residence halls). At the bookstore Maple comes bundled with the calculus text.
No previous computer experience is required for students to take Calculus with Maple. An extensive support network is available in campus computer labs, in the residence hall Mathematics Centers and via electronic mail. For more information, please check Calculus Help
For students who wish to run Maple on their own computers, the software will be available for purchase in the Computer Connection at a discounted price. In the Bookstore it is also "bundled" with the calculus text. Information on how to purchase Maple is usually sent by Penn's Computer Connection during the summer.

Honors Calculus--NEW for the '08-'09 Academic year!

Students who are interested in Math or the Sciences or other mathematically grounded subjects (e.g., Econometrics, Engineering) might also want to consider the more challenging Honors version of Calculus II and III, Math 116 and Math 260 (the analogues of Math 114 and Math 240, respectively). These courses will cover essentially the same material as 114 and 240, but in more depth and involve discussion of the underlying theory as well as computations.

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