Mathematics 16B, Fall 2015

TuTh 5:00pm-6:30pm, Room 1 Pimentel
Syllabus:  Functions of several variables, Trigonometric functions, Techniques of integration, Differential equations, Taylor polynomials and infinite series, Probability and calculus.


Professor  John Lott
Telephone: (510) 642-1299
email: lott@math.berkeley.edu
Office: 897 Evans Hall
Office hours: MWF 1:10-2:00
Course webpage:
/~lott/math16b.html

Course postings: The syllabus can always be found at this page :
/~lott/math16bsyllabus.html

Lecture notes, homework solutions and test solutions will be posted on the class bcourses page :
bcourses.berkeley.edu

There will be an optional discussion area on Piazza. The signup link is :
http://piazza.com/berkeley/fall2015/math16b
(Postings are not anonymous to me. Posting homework answers is not allowed.)

Enrollment questions:

You MUST attend the section for which you are registered.

I have no control over enrollment issues. There are presently fourteen discussion sections. Students on the wait list should look for an open section. If you are on the wait list then I recommend coming to class, finding a discussion section with free seats in its classroom, handing in the homework there and taking the quizzes there. Because some students will leave the class, some openings may arise, but there is no guarantee. Also, keep checking for openings in various sections.

If you are enrolled in a section, but would like to switch into a different section which is not full, then you can do so yourself on TeleBears. If you are enrolled in a section but would like to switch into a different section which is full, and you know somebody in the other section who would like to switch into yours, then this can be arranged if both you and the other person go together to see Thomas Brown in 965 Evans.

If you cannot get into the class, or get a discussion section at a feasible time, please keep in mind that Math 16B will be offered next semester and in the summer session.

Prerequisites: 16A or equivalent. If you are not confident of your mastery of Math 16A, you might consider getting the 16A textbook as a reference.

Textbook: "Calculus and its applications'' by Goldstein/Lay/Schneider/Asmar, Pearson Custom Publishing, Custom edition for Math 16B (13th edition). This is called the 2nd Berkeley custom edition.

If you have the 12th edition of the book then you can use it, except that some of the problems are slightly different. You will have to get the homework problems from the 13th edition.

Class meetings and sections: The class meets in 1 Pimentel during 5:00-6:30 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you take this course you are expected to attend lectures, enroll in and attend one of the discussion sections listed below, do the homework each week, and take quizzes, the two midterms and the final. All discussion sections meet on Tuesday.

Section Time Place Instructor
101
 8-9:30am
 289   CORY
A. Sherman
103
 12:30-2pm
 118 BARROWS
 T. Su
104
 9:30-11am
 385 LECONTE
 A. Sherman
105
 9:30-11am
 B51   HILDEBRAND
C. Kroener
106
 11-12:30pm
 3111  ETCHEVERRY
 A. Sherman
107
 11-12:30pm
 4   EVANS
C. Kroener
 109
 12:30-2pm
 4   EVANS
M. Farahmand-Asil
   110
  2-3:30pm
 87    EVANS
M. Farahmand-Asil
   111
  2-3:30pm
 9   EVANS
Q. Zhou
   112
  3:30-5pm
 106   WHEELER
C. Kroener
   113
  12:30-2pm
 104   GPB
Q.Zhou
   114
  9:30-11am
 71   EVANS
Q. Zhou
   115
  3:30-5pm
 109   WHEELER
M. Farahmand-Asil
   116
  2-3:30pm
 175   DWINELLE
T. Su


The office hours for the GSIs are :
Alex Sherman, 739 Evans, Th10-11 and F2-3
Tao Su, 747 Evans, F12-2
Christoph Kroener, 853 Evans, F1-3
Maryam Farahmand-Asil, 1037 Evans, W12-1 and F1-2
Qiao Zhou, 1093 Evans, W3:30-5:30

Exams:

Exams are "closed book": No notes, books, or electronic devices are permitted. For midterm and final exams, bring pencils/pens/erasers. You also need to bring a photo ID. Exam books and blank scratch paper are NOT needed or permitted. All work will be done in booklets provided by me. Scratchwork can be done in that booklet, either on a blank page provided at the end of the booklet, or on backs of any pages.

In general, you are not required to simplify arithmetic expressions which arise on exams. Do not multiply out or divide out expressions involving decimals. 7/9 is a better answer than 0.77777... with infinitely many dots, while a rounded approximation such as 0.77 is not equal to 7/9 and thus would not be completely correct. Expressions such as pi, e, and the square root of two should be left as is, not approximated by decimals. Expressions which can obviously simplied, such as 32/64 or the square root of 9, should be simplied. Algebraic expressions should be simplified where possible.

You should understand the statements of the theorems. You are not required to memorize the proofs.

Boxes will be provided in which answers are to be written. This is done in order to eliminate miscommunication and facilitate grading. Please write your final answer in the box in order to receive credit.

Partial credit will be given where appropriate.

Grades for exams can only be changed if there is a clear error on the part of the grader, such as adding up marks incorrectly or forgetting to grade a question. If you write a correct answer for a problem but your reasoning is incorrect or nonexistent then you will not get credit for it, except on true-false questions.

Nobody should be too surprised if many of the problems on the midterms and/or the final are similar to those in the homework. It follows that a good way to prepare for these exams is to attempt every problem in the homework assignment every single week. You will be motivated to do this in a way that is explained below.               

Exam Date Material covered
Midterm # 1   October  1, in class
 up to and including 9.1
Midterm # 2    November 5, in class
 up to and including 11.1
Final Exam    December 17, 11:30-2:30pm, Wheeler Auditorium
  up to and including 12.5


Grading:

 At the end of the term you will have five subscores, one for each of the following: homework, quizzes, the two midterms and the final exam.

Homework: 5%. 13 assignments, 3 lowest scores dropped.
Quizzes: 10%, 6 quizzes, lowest score dropped.
2 Midterms: 25% each
Final: 35%
Your quiz score, your homework score, your first midterm score, your second midterm score and your final score will be individually curved. After that, you can replace your lowest midterm score with your final score. I will do this for you automatically.

The grading will be based on a curve. However, I retain the right to determine what grade corresponds to the middle of the curve. (This can be to your advantage; if everyone does perfectly then I will be very happy to give everyone an A+.) As a guideline, in recent years the average grade for Math 16B was a B. The grade distribution was roughly as follows:  40% A,  30% B, 20% C and 10% D/F.

Very important

In computing the homework subscore, the lowest three homeworks will be dropped. In computing the total quiz subscore, the lowest quiz will be dropped.

You can replace your lowest midterm score with your final score.

There will be no makeup exams or quizzes.

Before computing the grades, each exam (the two midterms and the final) will be separately curved. In addition, the total homework scores and total quiz scores will be curved within each section, so that all of the sections have the same average homework scores and quiz scores. This will be done to ensure fairness, as some GSIs may grade more easily or more harshly than others, and may give easier or harder quizzes.

Grades of I (incomplete) are permitted only in exceptional circumstances such as serious illness, and are subject to university regulations, which require that one have kept up with coursework until such circumstances had arisen, and maintained a passing grade on work completed. Incompletes will rarely be given for nonmedical reasons. To make up an incomplete, one ordinarily takes the final exam for another Math 16B class, taught by a different instructor, at the end of a subsequent semester.

Homework:

Homework will be due in section each Tuesday (except the first week). Late homework assignments will not be accepted. (Your GSI determines what "late" means.) We will cursorily grade one problem on each assignment for 1 point, and give another point for attempting all the problems. Solutions will be posted on bcourses a few days after the homework is due. Collaboration on homework is encouraged, but you need to write up your own solutions.

Quizzes:

Quizzes will be written by your GSI. They will test your understanding of the homework assignments. The quiz schedule is below. Most of the quiz questions will be on material since the last quiz, including the homework assignment that you hand in that day. Up to one quiz question may be drawn from earlier assignments, to make sure that you are remembering what you've learned. The lowest quiz score will be dropped.

General information concerning the syllabus:

  1. You are requested to do the assigned reading before each lecture. Note that mathematical texts are not meant to be read like novels: very often you will come across passages that must be read many times before they make sense to you. In fact, you may find yourself stuck on one sentence for 30 minutes or longer. This does not happen often, but when it does, don't be unduly alarmed. Being stuck there means there is probably a gap in your understanding. Just be glad you find this out now instead of during an exam.
  2. Never fall behind in this course, either in the reading assignments or in the homework assignments. Mathematics has the peculiar characteristic that each step is built on the preceding one, so the failure to understand one step would likely mean the failure to understand all the steps that follow.
  3. Problem sets get rather heavy at times. This is intentional. Sometimes there is simply no substitute for repetitive drills.
  4. Any necessary announcements will be made in class and/or on bcourses.

Things to know:

  • Do not take this class if you have a conflict in the final exam schedule (check the ``exam group numbers'' of your classes in the Schedule of Classes) or if for any other reason you cannot be present at the final. This class is in exam group 14: Thursday, December 17, 11:30-2:30pm.
  • The last day to drop the class is Friday, September 25.

    Daily schedule and homework:

    Following is the list of daily topics and homework assignments. The lectures do not cover all the course material, so you also need to read and understand the sections from the book. Reading ahead of the lectures should help a lot.

    I cannot promise that I am going to cover all topics with the same level of detail. You are responsible for all of the material in the sections listed below.

    Reading the book CAREFULLY (there is no other way to read mathematics or science) is necessary to master this material. A good approach is to try to explain the material to your friends: only then will you realize that this is good for you, too. I encourage you to form discussion groups.

    Daily lecture schedule

    		Date
    		Content
    1
    		 8/27
    		 7.1 
    2
    		9/1
    		 7.2
    3
    		9/3
    		 7.3
    4
    		9/8
    		 7.4
    5
    		9/10
    		 7.6
    6
    		9/15
    		 8.1,8.2
    7
    		 9/17
    		 8.3,8.4
    8
    		 9/22
    		 9.1
    9
    		9/24
    		 9.2
    10
    		 9/29
    		 9.3
    11
    		 10/1
    		 Midterm 1, up to and including 9.1
    12
    		 10/6
    		 9.6
    13 10/8
    		 10.1
    14 10/13
    		 10.2
    15
    		 10/15
    		 10.3
    16
    		 10/20
    		 10.4
    17 10/22
    		 10.6
    18 10/27
    		 11.1
    19
    		 10/29
    		 11.3
    20
    		 11/3
    		 11.4
    21 11/5
    		 Midterm 2, up to and including 11.1
    22
    		 11/10
    		 12.1
    23 11/12
    		 12.2
    24 11/17
    		 12.3
    25 11/19
    		 12.4
    26
    		 11/24
    		 12.5
    27
    		12/1
    		 Discussion, Chapters 7-11
    28 12/3
    		 Discussion, Chapter 12
    -- 12/17
    		  Final Exam, 11:30-2:30pm, Location TBA

    Homework assignments

    		Date
    		Discussion section activity
    		  Homework due
    		  Additional exercises you might want to try
    1
    		 9/1
    		 Review 
    2
    		9/8
    		 Quiz 7.1: 2,8,12,16 ; 7.2:2,5,6,17,23,26
    		 7.1: 1,7,13,23-26 ; 7.2:1,25,31
    3
    		9/15
    		 7.3: 2,8,11,12,23,31; 7.4: 2,5,8,10,14
    		7.3: 1,7,16,24,30; 7.4: 1,6,13,21,23
    4
    		9/22
    		 Quiz 7.6:2,8,11,12,14;  8.1: 2,5,8,18;  8.2: 2,6,11,21,22,38
    		7.6:1,7,13;  8.1: 1,13;  8.2: 1,5,37
    5
    		9/29
    		 Midterm Review 8.3: 4,12,28,35,47,48; 8.4: 3,12,27,31,32,39; 9.1: 2,3,6,29,30,53
    		8.3: 1,11,24,36; 8.4: 4,10,11,18,37; 9.1: 1,14,31
    6
    		10/6
    		 9.2:2,8,15,23,24; 9.3: 2,12,15
    		9.2:1,7,16,30,32; 9.3: 1,4,19
    7
    		 10/13
    		 Quiz 9.6: 16,17,28,29,35,36
    		 9.6:48
    8
    		 10/20
    		 10.1:2,12,13,14,21; 10.2:2,9,31,35
    		10.1:1,11; 10.2:1,14
    9
    		10/27
    		 Quiz 10.3: 7.10,11,14,21,22,28; 10.4:5,6,8,9
    		 10.3: 9,12,19; 10.4:7,13
    10
    		 11/3
    		 Midterm Review 10.6: 5,9; 11.1: 5,6,10,17,23
    		10.6: 1,25; 11.1: 8,14,19
    11
    		 11/10
    		 11.3: 3,4,15,23,27,29
    		11.3: 1,8,16,25
    12
    		 11/17
    		 Quiz 11.4: 9,14,23,24; 12.1:2,4,5,9
    		 11.4: 13,28; 12.1:1,6
    13 11/24
    		 12.2: 6,15,20,27,28; 12.3:2,9,11,14
    		 12.2: 1,7,19,25; 12.3:1,19
    14 12/1
    		 Quiz 12.4: 1,5,15,27; 12.5:1,8
    		 12.4: 23; 12.5:7

    Classroom conduct:

    Please do not check your phone, or other electronic device, during class.

    Some words of advice:

    The class will be much easier for you if you try to understand the material, rather than depending just on memorization. The exams will test both your ability to perform computations and your understanding of the material.

    You can replace your lowest midterm score by your final score. Because of this, some students think that they can be unprepared for one of the midterms, with a strategy of making it up on the final. BAD IDEA. This never works.

    Some of you may find the beginning of the class rather easy, as you may have seen some of the material before. You may be tempted to drop the ball. BAD IDEA. When we come to material that you haven't seen, you'll be lost. Stay focused from day one and you should do well in this class.

    Additional help:

    I encourage you to check out the Student Learning Center (SLC). They have many resources for Math 16B students. You can get drop-in tutoring there Monday-Thursday, 10-4, starting the third week of the semester. They also conduct a study group and exam reviews.

    Special accomodations:

    Efforts will be made to accomodate students with special needs. Students requiring special examination arrangements or note takers should please consult the DSP office and notify their GSIs. I should be notified by DSP within two weeks of the beginning of classes, so that appropriate accomodations can be arranged in time.

    Flu statement:

    Do not go to class, discussion section or office hours if you feel sick. You don't want to infect your fellow students, just as you don't want them to infect you. If you do have a fever, wait until your body temperature returns to normal for at least 24 hours before you go out.

    Academic Honesty Policy:

    Collaboration on the homework assignments is welcome. (This is a good way to learn the material.) So is the consultation of other sources, such as other textbooks. However, each student has to write up and hand in their own set of solutions.

    Some professors don't care if students cheat. I care. Any evidence of cheating on an exam or quiz will result in a score of zero (0). Cheating on the final exam results in an F for the course. Cheating includes but is not limited to bringing notes or written or electronic materials into an exam or quiz, copying off of another person's exam or quiz, allowing someone to copy off of your exam or quiz, and having someone take an exam or quiz for you. Incidences of cheating will be reported to Student Judicial Affairs, which may administer additional punishment.