Welcome to
Math 103

Fall 2009

Professor: Will Wylie

A2 DRL

Office: 4N34 DRL 

TR 1:30-3

Office Hours: Tues 3-4, Wed 1-2 or by appointment.


email: wylie@math.upenn.edu

 

Teaching Assistant: Priyanka Vergadia

 

Office: 4N11

email: vergadia@seas.upenn.edu            

Office Hours: Mon 11am-noon, Wed 1:30-2:30



Teaching Assistant: Andrea Kimmell
Office: 4N11
email:   kimmee@sas.upenn.edu
Office Hours:  Wed 4:30-5:30

 

Text: Calculus, 6th Ed. James Stewart, Thomson - Brooks/Cole

course webpage: www.math.upenn.edu/~wwylie/Math103/

 

Grading:

Homework

20%

Midterm 1

25%

Midterm 2

25%

Final

30%


Homework: Homework will be assigned during lecture and  posted on the course web page.  The homework assigned during the previous week will be collected on the following Thursday.  No late homework is accepted. If you are unable to complete an assignment on time for a legitimate reason (illness, family emergency, etc.) you must still do the assignment and show it to your TA.   If your TA determines that you have successfully completed the assignment you will receive an “average” and your grade will be calculated as if that assignment never existed. Homework will be graded out of 10 points.  Your lowest homework score will be dropped.

Dummy Points:  Eight of ten points on homework assignments will be awarded for the content of your work.  I call the other two points "dummy points" because you would have to be a real dummy not to get them.   To obtain your dummy points all you have to do is:

1.        Write your first and last name and the day of the week and time of your recitation section in the top right hand corner of the first page of the assignment. AND

2.       STAPLE your work if it is longer than one page. (A paper-clip is not a staple.)

Failure to do either of the above will result in two points being deducted from your score.   

Exams: There will be two midterm exams and a cumulative  final.  All exams will be common exams taken by all the Math 103 sections and will be administered in the evening outside of regular class time.  If you will not be able  to make an exam  for some reason, contact the professor immediately in the first week of classes so that we can make other arrangements.  You are not allowed calculators or any other kind of technology during an exam.     The exams are  scheduled for:


Midterm 1

Wednesday, October  14 (5:30-7pm)


Midterm 2

Wednesday, November 18 (5:30-7pm)


Final

Monday, December 21 (9-11am)

 

Blackboard:  We will use blackboard to record homework and exam grades.    Please check Blackboard regularly to ensure your grades have been recorded correctly.  No other course material will be posted on Blackboard.  All assignments and course policies will be posted on the course webpage. 

Grade changes: If you wish to have a grade changed on a midterm exam you must submit, in writing, a specific explanation of why the problem was incorrectly graded and turn your explanation and exam back to the professor within 3 weeks (21 days) of the date of the exam.  After this time no changes will be considered.  You may ask the instructor or TA to explain why you lost the points but the only way to change the grade is to make a request in writing. 

Office Hours: I actually enjoy it when you come to office hours. In addition to being fun, discussing the course material with you makes my lectures better by helping me to see the material through your eyes.   In mathematics, you should always be able to understand why each step follows from the last, if you do not then I am not doing my job, so please help me out and ask  lots of  questions!

Get Help: There are many forms of help other than asking lots of questions and coming to the instructor’s and TA’s office hours:

  1. Sunday Night Reviews DRL A8 7-9pm (each week)
  2. Math/Maple Center (Mon. - Thurs. 6:30-9:30pm)
  3. Online Help (Discussion board on Blackboard's 103 plenary site 9pm - 1am)
  4. Learning Resource Center, offered by the Weingarten Learning Resources Center, in Stouffer Commons, Suite 300, 3702 Spruce Street, Philadelphia PA 19104, tel: (215) 573-9235
  5. The Tutoring Center
  6. Math Approved Tutors

UPenn policy on secular/religious Holidays: (From Pennbook) 

The University recognizes that there are several religious holidays that affect large numbers of University community members, including Christmas, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, the first two days of Passover, and Good Friday. In consideration of their significance for many students, no examinations may be given and no assigned work may be required on these days…If an examination is given on the first class day after one of these holidays, it must not cover material introduced in class on that holiday.

The University recognizes that there are other holidays, both religious and secular, which are of importance to some individuals and groups on campus. Such occasions include, but are not limited to, Sukkot, the last two days of Passover, Shavuot, Shemini Atzerat and Simchat Torah, as well as Chinese New Year, the Muslim New Year, and the Islamic holidays Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. Students who wish to observe such holidays must inform their instructors within the first two weeks of each semester of their intent to observe the holiday.