General syllabus

Course Information

All course policies, grades, announcements, documents, and this syllabus can be found on the course NYUClasses site at http://newclasses.nyu.edu.

Course Description

“The book of the universe is written in the language of mathematics.” Galileo wrote this four hundred years ago, even before Newton and Leibniz discovered calculus. The statement is as valid today as ever: We use functions in all the sciences, and calculus allows us to analyze the functions and draw scientific conclusions.

Calculus II is a second semester calculus course for students who have previously been introduced to the basic ideas of differential and integral calculus. Over the semester we will study three (related) topics, topics that form a central part of the language of modern science:

      • applications and methods of integration,
      • infinite series and the representation of functions by power series, and
      • parametric curves in the plane.

The material we take up in this course has applications in physics, chemistry, biology, environmental science, astronomy, economics, statistics, and just about everything else. We want you to leave the course not only with computational ability, but with the ability to use these notions in their natural scientific contexts, and with an appreciation of their mathematical beauty and power.

Textbooks and Course Materials

      • Cengage WebAssign subscription for Essential Calculus: Early Transcendentals, 2ed by James Stewart (details, access, and login via NYU Classes)

Lecture

Lectures will predominantly be used to introduce and deliver course content. In addition, it will also be used to review, discuss, and work together. Attending lectures and recitations and participating in class is an important aspect of this course; however, all lectures will be recorded for students who cannot attend live regularly. Lecture time will also be used to administer examinations and quizzes

Course Work

Students in this course will:

      • have regular WebAssign homework
      • have regular problem sets
      • take weekly quizzes (formative assessments)
      • take 3 midterm exams (summative assessment), and
      • take a cumulative final exam (summative assessment).

WebAssign HW

WebAssign is an online homework platform and can be accessed via NYU Classes. WebAssign requires a subscription. The due dates of each assignment will be indicated within WebAssign. The purpose of WebAssign HW is to allow students to get immediate feedback on their work. WebAssign also allows students to see more questions they don’t get to see in class or during exams.

Problem Sets HW

Problem sets will be posted on NYU Classes and/or Gradescope, and the due dates of each assignment will be indicated. These problems typically involve critical thinking, and full solutions must be presented. The purpose of the problem sets is to challenge students into applying fundamental concepts learned in class into new or unique situations they may not have seen before. In addition, the problem sets require students to fully present their fully worked solutions in a clear, logical manner.

Quizzes

Quizzes are formative assessments to test the students’ understanding of the material. The purpose of the quizzes is to ensure students are understanding the material currently being covered and discussed in class to ensure they are involved throughout the semester. In addition, the quizzes will allow students to test their understanding in an exam-like environment.

Midterm and Final Exams

Midterm exams will be given during the semester. The midterms will be summative assessments and comprehensive of the course material taught until that point. A cumulative final exam will be given at the end of the semester that tests students’ understanding of all the course material. The purpose of the exams is to test students’ understanding of the course material in a summative, holistic approach. Some problems may involve multiple concepts.

Course Grading

Grade Categories and Weights

Your exams, homework, and quizzes will be graded according to the following grade weights:

      • WebAssign, each equally weighted (10% total)
      • Written problem sets, each equally weighted (10% total)
      • Quizzes, each equally weighted (10% total)
      • Participation (5%)
      • Midterm Exams (40%)
      • Final Exam (25%)

Each category is weighted in accordance with their purposes in the course. Doing well on the exams, although weighted highly, does not make up for poor performance on quizzes or homework, as each category serves a specific purpose in the course.

Grading Scale and Letter Grades

Course letter grades will be assigned at the end of the semester. For each course work category (and subcategory), you will be given a percentage calculated from the ratio of total points earned and total points possible. Then, we will calculate the weighted average of these percentages, and assign a course letter graded according to the table below:

Letter Grade Weighted average (wa) of the percent of points earned in each category
A 93% ≤ wa ≤ 100%
A- 90% ≤ wa < 93%
B+ 87% ≤ wa < 90%
B 83% ≤ wa < 87%
B- 80% ≤ wa < 83%
C+ 75% ≤ wa < 80%
C 65% ≤ wa < 75%
D 50% ≤ wa < 65%
F wa < 50%

 

Course Policies

Missed Exams

If a student misses a midterm exam due to a documented illness, documented emergency, or university sanctioned event, the student’s final exam will carry the weight of the missed exam. Students with undocumented or unapproved absences will get a 0 on a missed exam. If a student sits for an exam, the grade they receive will be calculated in their course grade. A student cannot miss more than one midterm exam. If a student misses the final exam, or two or more midterm exams, due to a documented illness, documented emergency, or a university sanctioned event, the student may request a course grade of “incomplete.”

Missed Quizzes

If a student misses a quiz or participation assignment, it cannot be made up, unless there are extenuating circumstances approved by the professor. These circumstances typically include university sanctioned events (e.g. athletics), religious observation, or a documented illness. Missing a quiz for work or personal reasons will not be made up.

Late or Missed Homework

Late homework will not be accepted, unless there are extenuating circumstances approved by the professor.

Grade Appeals

All grade appeals for graded work must be submitted via email to the professor within 5 calendar days the grade was released to the student.

Academic Integrity

Guidelines regarding cheating and plagiarism are laid out in the College of Arts and Sciences guidelines available online at http://cas.nyu.edu/page/academicintegrity, and they will be adhered to strictly. Collaboration is permitted, in fact encouraged, for home and class assignments; however, all submitted assignments must be written up independently and represent the student’s own work and understanding.

Student Accessibility

New York University is committed to providing equal educational opportunity and participation for students with disabilities or accessibility concerns. It is the University’s policy that no qualified student with a disability or accessibility concern be excluded from participating in any University program or activity, denied the benefits of any University program or activity, or otherwise subjected to discrimination with regard to any University program or activity. The Henry and Lucy Moses Center for Students Accessibility (CSA) determines qualified disability status and assists students in obtaining appropriate accommodations and services. CSA operates according to an Independent Living Philosophy and strives in its policies and practices to empower each student to become as independent as possible. Their services are designed to encourage independence, backed by a strong system of support. Any student who needs a reasonable accommodation based on a qualified disability or accessibility issue is required to register with the CSA for assistance.