Syllabus

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • investigate higher-dimensional geometry using the concept of a vector,
  • understand the concept of a function when extended to multiple inputs and outputs,
  • learn about and compute limits in higher dimensions,
  • learn about and compute derivatives in higher dimensions (partial, directional, total, gradient, divergence, curl, etc),
  • learn about and compute integrals in higher dimensions (area, volume, path, surface, flux, etc), and
  • communicate mathematically, including understanding, making, and critiquing mathematical arguments.

Class Meetings

Sections meet on Mondays and Wednesdays or on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 110 minutes each class period. A list of sections, their meeting times and locations, and their instructors can be found through the Registrar’s Course Search (enter “MATH-UA 123” in the first search field) or on the Department of Mathematics’ Course Schedules page.

Prerequisites

Students who wish to enroll in Calculus III must meet one of the following prerequisites:

  • Calculus II (MATH-UA 122) with a C or higher,
  • a score of 5 on the Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus BC test,
  • placement into Calculus III by the Department of Mathematics’ placement test, or
  • permission of the Department of Mathematics.

See the CAS Calculus Information page for more information on scores from other examination boards.

Lectures will meet twice a week for 110 minutes. 

  1. WebAssign Access
  2. Textbook (e-book is included in your purchase of WebAssign access, printed copy is not required)  Essential Calculus: Early Transcendentals, 2nd edition by James Stewart.

See this page for detailed instructions on how to access and purchase WebAssign.

 

Academic Integrity

We value hard work and integrity, and do not tolerate academic dishonesty. You are expected to uphold academic integrity as specified by the university and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Internet searches or posting, discussion with others, notebooks, textbook and calculators ARE NOT allowed during quizzes and exams. 

 

Homework

There are two media for homework in Calculus III: “WebAssign” and “Written Homeowork”.

There will be assignments administered through WebAssign (See this page for detailed instructions on how to access and purchase WebAssign.)  WebAssign problems are computational in nature and assess the mathematical techniques introduced in class. You will get immediate feedback on your progress and will get several chances to ensure it. 

In fairness to fellow students, WebAssign assignments will generally not be extended for individual students.  Your five lowest WebAssign scores will be dropped.

Written Homework

There will also be weekly written assignments to master the mathematical concepts. These assignments will require more than just procedure, might connect two or more things together, and will more closely resemble the harder exam problems. Written homework assignments will be posted to the gradescope. All written assignments are equally weighted.

 

Graders will grade the written homework promptly, and solutions will be discussed in recitation. Graders will be expecting you to express your ideas clearly, legibly, and completely, often several steps of mathematical expressions. This means you could lose points for unexplained answers.

One of the goals of this course is for you to learn how to think and communicate mathematically. This means that your homework problems should be written up with justification and explanations of your steps. See the examples in the textbook for examples of how to write up solutions to a problem well. Each problem will specify its point value. Graders will grade each part according to the following rubric (e.g. if the problem was worth 5 points):

  • 5/5: Work is completely accurate and essentially perfect. Work is thoroughly developed, neat, and easy to read. Complete sentences are used.
  • 3/5: Work is good, but incompletely developed, hard to read, unexplained, or jumbled. Answers which are not explained, even if correct, will generally receive 2 points. Work contains “right idea” but is flawed.
  • 2/5: Work is sketchy. There is some correct work, but most of work is incorrect.
  • 1/5 or 0/5: Work minimal or non-existent. Solution is completely incorrect.

If you have a question about how a problem is scored, please check the rubric above to see which line best describes your work.

If you are still unsure, contact your instructor. The instructor may confer with the grader about the score.

In fairness to fellow students and to graders, late homework will generally not be accepted.  Your two lowest Written Worksheet scores will be dropped.

By all means, you may work in groups on the homework assignments. Collaboration is a big part of learning and of scholarship in general. However, each student must turn in his or her own write-up of the solutions with an acknowledgment of collaborators. Submitting group work line by line, notation by notation as your own work is a violation of honor code.

 

A graphing calculator is only allowed for class discussion and on homework, but NOT allowed for exams or quizzes. No specific calculator is endorsed, so do not buy a new one. If you have one already, continue to use that one; if you do not, try free alternatives such as Wolfram Alpha.