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Alexander Paulin |
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me | research | teaching | CV
Calculus 1A (002 LEC) Fall 2019
Lectures: MWF, 12pm-1pm, 155 Dwinelle Hall.
Office hours : MTWTF 3pm-5pm 796 Evans Hall.
Discussion sections: One hour example class every MWF. Here is a link with further details. You may only attend the discussion section for which you are enrolled. You can attend any GSI's office hours.
(8/17)
Welcome to Calculus 1A, and if you're a first year, welcome to Berkeley! This fantastic course is a solid introduction to one of great achievements of human thought: Calculus.
Calculus is everywhere: from the motion of the stars to the behaviour of the stock market. In this course everything will be done
from first principles, so don't worry if you don't know a thing about it yet. By the end of the course you'll understand the beauty and power of the subject.
For those of you who studied calculus at high school, this course will be much more rigorous than what you'll have seen before. We'll think deeply
about core concept and theorems, rather than blindly learning computational techniques.
(8/17)
Everything related to the course will be on this website. We will not be using bCourses.
There will be weekly homework (posted below) and a quiz in discussion section
roughly every Friday. I have office hours everyday of the week so there should always be an opportunity to
get my help if you need it. If you can't make any office hours, e-mail me and we'll find another time to meet.
In addition to this, I will be posting my own videos and lecture notes on this website at the end of each week. You'll be able to link to them directly
from the detailed syllabus below.
(8/17)
As you should be aware, the department is using a new system to make sure you are adaquately prepared to take the course. It's an online AI program called ALEKS and it helps to pinpoints areas that you might need some practice in. There's an intial diagonistic assesssment that I'd like you all to do. Completion of this assessment is your first homework assignment. It will be graded purely on completion: as long as you pass you will get full marks. Please complete the assessment by the end of week one. I'd also like you to spend some time going through a few of the modules that you feel most uncertain of. Again this is a tool for you to use to feel more confident in the foundations. It's there to help.
(8/17)
Discussion sections will begin on Friday the 30th of August.
The textbook for this course is: Stewart, Single Variable Calculus: Early Transcendentals for UC Berkeley, 8th edition (ISBN: 9781305765276, Cengage).
This is a custom edition containing chapters 1-9, 11 and 17 of Stewart's "Calculus: Early Transcendentals", 8th edition. The regular edition is also fine, it just contains extra chapters covered in math 53. The 7th edition is also acceptable, but you will need to watch for differences in the numbering of assigned homework problems. In chronological order, we'll cover material in chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Homework 1 and Solutions 1
Homework 12 (Not to be submitted) Solutions 12
Homework assignments are due each Friday in section. They will be posted here a week before they are due. After homework has been submitted I'll post solutions here.
Your two lowest homework scores will be dropped. The homework corresponding to material covered during a given week is due in the following week's Friday discussion session.
Assignments will be graded on a coarse scale based on spot checks for correctness and completeness. Your two lowest scores will be dropped. You may discuss the homework problems with your classmates, but you must write your solutions on your own. Doing the work yourself is crucial to learning the material properly. Make use of discussion sections, office hours, study groups, etc. if you need assistance, but in the end, you should still write up your own solutions.
I am aware that it is not hard to find solutions manuals on the internet. Copying said solutions on a homework assignment is illegal and will result in a negative grade for that assignment, and potentially in more serious consequences. (Also, it will not help you learn the material).
The homework load for this course is heavy at times, but it is essential for learning the material. Be organized, and don't leave things for the last moment. (You cannot complete the homework assignment if you start on the night before it is due.) Work in small installments, and ask questions in section and during office hours.
Quizzes will take place on Friday roughly every week in discussion section. They will last about 15 minutes and be closely related to the homework submitted that week. Your two lowest scores will be dropped from your grade. Here is the quiz schedule:
| Quiz | When |
|---|---|
| 1 | Week 2 (9/2 - 9/6) |
| 2 | Week 3 (9/9 - 9/13) |
| 3 | Week 4 (9/16 - 9/20) |
| 4 | Week 5 (9/23 - 9/27) |
| 5 | Week 8 (10/14 - 10/18) |
| 6 | Week 9 (10/21 - 10/25) |
| 7 | Week 10 (10/28 - 11/1) |
| 8 | Week 11 (11/4 - 11/8) |
| 9 | Week 15 (12/2 - 12/6) |
There will be no make-up quizzes, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Midterm 1 (Practice 1) and Solutions
Midterm 1 (Practice 2) and Solutions
Midterm 1 (Practice 3) and Solutions
The first midterm was out of 125 marks. The mean score was 80/125.. If your overall letter grade was to be determined by the first midterm alone, then the rough grade boundaries would be as follows: The A-/B+ boundary would be at 91/125. The B-/C+ boundary would be at 70/125. The C-/D+ boundary would be at 54/125. Remember that your final grade will be decided by much more than this score alone. If you want to understand why these are the rough boundaries consult the course policy.
Midterm 2 (Practice 1) and Solutions
Midterm 2 (Practice 2) and Solutions
Midterm 2 (Practice 3) and Solutions
The second midterm was out of 125 marks. The mean score was 82/125. If your overall letter grade was to be determined by the first midterm alone, then the rough grade boundaries would be as follows: The A-/B+ boundary would be at 96/125. The B-/C+ boundary would be at 68/125. The C-/D+ boundary would be at 42/125. Remember that your final grade will be decided by much more than this score alone. If you want to understand why these are the rough boundaries consult the course policy.
Final (Practice 1) and Solutions
Final (Practice 2) and Solutions
Final (Practice 3) and Solutions
There will be two midterms and a final. There will be no make-up exams, unless there are truly exceptional circumstances. Because of the grading scheme, you can miss one midterm, for whatever reason, without penalty. On the other hand, missing both midterms or missing the final will seriously harm your grade and make it very difficult/impossible to pass the course. Please check the dates now to make sure that you have no unavoidable conflicts!
- First midterm: Wednesday October 2 (in class)
- Second midterm: Wednesday November 13 (in class)
- Final exam: Friday December 20 (11.30am - 2.30pm)
Calculators and notes will NOT be allowed for the exams.
To obtain full credit for an exam question, you must obtain the correct answer and give a correct and readable derivation or justification of the answer. Unjustified correct answers will be regarded very suspiciously and will receive little or no credit. The graders are looking for demonstration that you understand the material. To maximize credit, cross out incorrect work. We will be scanning all exams so you will get them back electronically.
After each midterm, there will be a brief window when you can request a regrade. In general, midterm exam grades cannot be changed. The only exception to this is then there has been a clerical error such as a mistake in adding the scores (if this is the case immediately inform your GSI) or if part of the solution has been accidentally overlooked by the grader. Regrade requests may result in a lowering of your grade. As per university policy, final exams cannot be regraded.
DSP students requiring accommodations for exams must submit to the instructor a "letter of accommodation" from the Disabled Students Program at least two weeks in advance. Due to delays in processing, you are encouraged to contact the DSP office before the start of the semester.
Cheating is unacceptable. Any student caught cheating will be reported to higher authorities for disciplinary action.
| When | What | Where |
| Week 1 (8/26 - 8/30) | 1.1 | |
| 1.2 | ||
| Week 2 (9/2 - 9/6) | 1.3 | |
| 1.4 | ||
| 1.5 | Week 3 (9/9 - 9/13) | 2.1 |
| 2.2 | ||
| 2.3 | ||
| Week 4 (9/16 - 9/20) | 2.4 | |
| 2.5 | ||
| Week 5 (9/23 - 9/27) | 2.6 | |
| 2.7 | ||
| 2.8 | ||
| Week 6 (9/30- 10/4) | ||
| Midterm 1 (10/2) | ||
| 3.1 | ||
| Week 7 (10/7 - 10/11) | 3.2 | |
| 3.3 | ||
| 3.4 | ||
| Week 8 (10/14 - 10/18) | 3.5 | |
| 3.6 | ||
| 3.7 | ||
| Week 9 (10/21 - 10/25) | 3.8 | |
| 4.1 | ||
| 4.2 | ||
| Week 10 (10/28 - 11/1) | 4.3 | |
| 4.4 | ||
| 4.5 | ||
| Week 11 (11/4 - 11/8) | 4.7 | |
| 4.9 | ||
| Week 12 (11/11 - 11/15) | Midterm 2 (on 11/13) | |
| 5.1 | ||
| Week 13 (11/18 - 11/22) | 5.2 | |
| 5.3, 5.4 | ||
| Week 14 (11/25 - 11/29) | 5.5 | |
| Week 15 (12/2 - 12/6) | 6.1 | |
| 6.2 | ||
| Week 16 (12/9 - 12/13) | ||
| Week 17 (12/16 - 12/20) | Final Exam: Friday December 20 (11.30am - 2.30pm) |
Grades are calculated as follows:
| Homework | 10% |
| Quizzes | 10% |
| First Midterm | 20% |
| Second Midterm | 20% |
| Final Exam | 40% |
Each midterm and final score will first be curved into a number on a consistent scale. More precisely, I will assign a number to each exam (midterm 1, midterm 2 and the final) reflecting their relative position in the class. As an example, if you scored 70/120 on the first midterm and exactly 60 percent of the class got this score or below, you'd be assigned the scaled score of 60/100 for that midterm. These numbers are just a reflection of your relative performance. They do not correspond to letter grades in the usual sense. Section scores will be adjusted to account for differences between GSI's in quiz difficulty and grading standards. Your lowest scaled midterm score will be replaced by the scaled final exam score if it is higher. Finally, the scaled scores will be added up (with proportions outlined above) giving a final course score between 0 and 100. This score gives an extremely accurate description of your overall relative performance.
This is not high school. For example, you do not need to get 90 or above to get an A. Your final letter grade will ultimately be decided by your ability to demonstrate a crisp understanding of the material and the ability to apply it to a diverse set of problems. Broadly speaking I will be looking for the following criteria for each letter grade:
- A-/A/A+: A clear demonstration that the central concepts have been fully understood; Computational techniques (and their many subtleties) have been mastered and can be applied accurately to a diverse problem set; A strong understanding of how the abstract concepts can be applied to many real world applications.
- B-/B/B+: Demonstration that the central concepts have been reasonably understood, but perhaps with minor misunderstandings; Core computational techniques have been reaonably understood (but generally not key subtleties) and can be applied fairly accurately to a fairly large problem set; Reasonable understanding of how the abstract concepts can be applied to some real world applications.
- C-/C/C+: Demonstration that the central concepts have been vaguely understood, but with major misunderstandings; Core computational techniques have been poorly understood and can be a applied accurately only in the most standard examples; Weak understanding of how the abstract concepts can be applied to even basic real world applications.
To be as fair as possible, I will also take into account the historic average of the class. This means that if I set an exam which is too difficult it will be taken into account in the final letter grades.
Please note: incomplete grades, according to university policy, can be given only if unanticipated events beyond your control (e.g. a medical emergency) make it impossible for you to complete the course, and if you are otherwise passing (with a C- or above).
Enrollment: For question about enrollment contact Jennifer Sixt.
The Student Learning Center provides support for this class, including full adjunct courses, review sessions for exams, and drop-in tutoring. This is a truly fantastic resource. I definitely recommend you take advantage of it.