MATH 160
Survey of Calculus
 4 semester credits

Catalog Description

MATH 160 SURVEY OF CALCULUS (4-0-4)(Area III). A survey of the essentials of calculus, intended mainly for students in business and social sciences; emphasis on applications to such areas. Basic concepts and computational techniques for functions, derivatives, and integrals, with emphasis on polynomial, rational, exponential, and logarithmic functions. Very brief introduction to calculus of functions of several variables. MATH 160 cannot be taken for credit after MATH 170. PREREQ: MATH 143 or satisfactory placement score.

Prerequisites

MATH 143, College Algebra or satisfactory placement score.

Jurisdiction

This course is controlled by a departmental committee, whose members may or may not be teaching the course. All sections use the same text, which is chosen by the committee. The committee also writes a syllabus detailing which sections should be covered and how much time should be allotted to each.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, students should:
  1. Have developed a deeper understanding of the concepts of functions, relations and graphs.
  2. Have learned to use the language of mathematics correctly and effectively.
  3. Have developed an intuitive understanding of the calculus concepts: limits, derivatives, integrals.
  4. Have improved their skills with manipulative algebra; learned introductory properties of polynomial, rational and exponential functions; and acquired a basic understanding of graphs of elementary functions, relating properties of the graphs to the first and second derivatives.
  5. Be able to apply derivatives and integrals to reach business decisions and to solve other types of applications problems.
  6. Be familiar with the historical development of calculus and the role of calculus in human thought.

Assessment of Learning Objectives

Students will be assessed by evaluating their ability to do problems based on the learning objectives. The problems will occur in several contexts:
P
eriodic problem sets for homework serve both as learning and assessment tools. classroom activities may vary depending on students' performances on homework assignments.
P
roblems given on in-class examinations are designed to give students the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to apply rules and formulae to the solution of simpler problems.
I
nstructor optional take-home examinations designed to evaluate the students' ability to solve more complicated and time consuming problems. These problems give students the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to use technology to solve problems that are not amenable to simple analytic techniques.

Topics and Approximate Timeline

The following table is based on a typical class which meets four days a week. The actual amount of time spent on each topic will vary slightly from semester to semester and instructor to instructor.
Optional topics: Implicit Differentiation and Related Rates, Differential Equations
Number of
Topic Meetings
Precalculus Review 7
Limits and Derivative Definition 6
Differentiation Rules 7
Applications of the Derivative 12
Exponential, Logarithmic Functions, and Derivatives 7
Integration Techniques and Applications 11
Functions of Several Variables 3
Exams/Review 6

Text

The text for 2005-2006 is Applied Calculus, 6th ed., S. T. Tan, Brooks/Cole, 2005. Other texts used in recent years include Calculus For Business, Economics, Life Sciences, and Social Sciences, 9th ed., Barnett/Ziegler/Byleen, Prentice Hall, 2002, Calculus and its Applications, 7th ed., M. Bittinger, Addison Wesley, 2000. Mathematical Applications for the Management, Life, and Social Sciences, 4th ed., Harshbarger and Reynolds, DC Heath, 1996 and Mathematics with Applications for the Management, Life, and Social Sciences, 3rd ed., Anton, Kolman, and Averbach, HBJ/Saunders, 1988.

Format, Student Activities, and Grades

Class meetings involve a combination of lecture, questions and discussion, and sometimes small group activity; the instructor chooses the appropriate mix. Homework is an important part of the course, but consists mainly of routine problems. The instructor chooses the exact grading scheme, but a typical distribution of points might be:
Homework 10%
Hourly Tests 64%
Comprehensive Final Exam 26%
Letter grades are usually based on a standard scale in which 90% of the total possible points guarantees an A , 80% a B, and 70% a C, with the instructor having the discretion to lower these cut-offs if warranted.


File translated from TEX by TTH, version 3.66.
On 19 Aug 2005, 10:07.