Office: Carney 371, 617-552-3758
Office Hours: Monday, 1-2, Tuesday, 1-2, Wednesday, 1-2, Friday, 3-4, and by appointment
E-mail: gross@bc.edu
Class home page: http://fmwww.bc.edu/gross/MT102
Text: Single-Variable Calculus, fifth edition, by James Stewart
The differential and integral calculus is one of the great scientific and philosophical discoveries of the last 500 years. It is a method of solving problems that changed the way that physicists, chemists, and economists (among many others) studied their subjects. In MT102, we will study the process known as differentiation. The second semester of this course, MT103, covers integration and infinite series.
Examinations and Grades
There will be four examinations during the semester, which will count 14%, 15%, 16%, and 17% respectively. The final will account for 25%. Homework will account for the remainder of your grade.
The tentative dates for the examinations are the following: Tuesday, September 28; Friday, October 22; Wednesday, November 17; and Wednesday, December 8. The final examination is Friday, December 17, at 9 AM. The final examination time is fixed by the Registrar, and will not change.
Homework
Homework will be assigned and collected frequently. Because homework will count for very little of your grade, and because the grader for this course is an underpaid and overworked student, no late homework will be accepted. If you find that your answers use more than one piece of paper, you must staple the pages together. This does not mean that you can fold the edges of the pages over; you must use a stapler or paper clip. Again, this makes grading homework simpler for the grader and me.
You are encouraged to work together on homework assignments. Note that this is a very unusual policy, and you should not assume that you can work together in your other classes unless specifically stated. It has been my experience in teaching this course that often students have difficulty with small points, and working together is a good way to get going when you are out of ideas. If you work together on homework, you should include with your answers the names of the students with whom you worked.
You are expected to familiarize yourself with the Boston College policy on Academic Integrity, which is available in the Boston College Catalog and on-line at
http://www.bc.edu/offices/stserv/academic/resources/policy/#integrity
Miscellaneous
There will be no class on Friday, September 17.
Tutoring is available in Carney 309 on a walk-in basis, from 11-3 on Monday through Thursday. The tutoring program usually begins in the second week of classes, and ends the last full week of classes. In addition, the Academic Development Center, in O'Neill Library, offers tutoring most afternoons and evenings, but you must sign up for those sessions in advance.
A graphing calculator is helpful for this course. Most students purchase one of the models made by Texas Instruments, but that is not required.