MATHEMATICS 161H AU 2011

       MTWRF 08:30 - 09:18 am in UH 0051 & 10:30 - 11:18 am in CL 0220

Lecturer:       Paul Nevai
Office:         MW 610 (231 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210-1174)
Phone:          +16142925310 (not recommended and rarely ever answered)
Office Hours:   W 11:35 am (only by appointment) and TR 9:35 - 10:15 am
E-mail:         nevai@math.osu.edu (recommended but not to be overdone)
Course URL:     www.math.osu.edu/~nevai/H16x/ (it has non-readable files too)

TEXTBOOK: Calculus with Analytic Geometry (2nd edition) by George F. Simmons,
The McGraw-Hill Co., Inc.

SYLLABUS: Chapters 1 through 10 (not carved into stone & may be subject to
change). Parts of Chapter 11 and additional sections/appendices might also be
covered.

There will be two midterms and one final exam; see below.

NOTE. You are not allowed to use calculators (or equivalent devices) during
the quizzes, the midterms, and the final exam, unless stated explicitly
otherwise.

Please check your e-mail after each class. Please make sure that you are on
the MATH H16x mailing list: myclass@mymail.nevai.us

Regular class attendance is expected; see the FAQ below.

Have you heard of TeX? It may be useful for you to learn the very basics of
TeX which takes about an hour or so; see, e.g.,

           www.math.osu.edu/~nevai/H16x/DOCUMENTS/

(I recommend that you download gentle-introduction.pdf).

Have you heard of Mathematica, Maple, or MATHLAB? They may be useful too;
google them.

The homework will be assigned by e-mail, it will be collected on
Wednesdays, and it will be graded on a weekly basis.

Homework info is available at www.math.osu.edu/~nevai/H16x/4/ (it has
some non-readable files too).

GRADING POLICY. Each of the midterms is worth 150 points (4 problems, 40
points each, total max 150), the final exam 300 points (6 problems, 50 points
each), the homework is worth 400 points (9 weeks, 50 points each, total max
400). Those who earn 700 (300 + 400) points prior to the final exam, might be
exempted from the latter (this policy is subject to review).

Cheating is not allowed and anyone caught doing so will be prosecuted.

Quizzes might be given on a regular basis and without prior notice.

Please note that for all quizzes, midterms, and for the final examination the
policy is that absolutely no credit is given for work not shown. Consider
this carved into stone.

This info is available at www.math.osu.edu/~nevai/H16x/H16x_info.txt.

H16x Tutor Room: CH 129

For tutor room hours see www.mslc.osu.edu or go to CH 129.

Review & Midterm #1: after Chapter 4

Review & Midterm #2: after Chapter 7

Reviews & Final Exam: after Section 10 (probably)

At least one week prior notice will be given before the midterms.

Details of the final exam are TBA.

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                E-MAIL ADVICE


Here are a couple of recommendations on e-mail usage that will improve your
chances for survival in the technological age.

1. Always use a meaningful and appropriate subject line.

2. Always use a polite salutation.

3. Always state clearly who you are in every formal communication, e.g., sign
your full name at the end.

4. Always use unformatted plain text (ASCII). Not html, not rtf, not other
encoding. Just plain text.

5. When responding to an e-mail, quote the original message only as much as
necessary.

6. Try to make each line less than 80 characters long. Standard computer
terminals are usually 80 characters wide.

7. Use abbreviations and cute symbols such as smileys only when appropriate,
never in formal e-mails.

8. Always spell-check formal e-mails although it is OK to have a couple of
typos in informal communication.

9. Any e-mail you write is likely to be retrievable forever. Hence, never
send off an e-mail while upset or agitated.

NOTE. I might and will judge you on the basis of your e-mail skills or the
lack of thereof.

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                MATHEMATICS H16x FAQ


Q. How should I address the lecturer?

A. Any way you want as long as you show respect. No "dude" please. For
instance, "Professor Nevai" is fine.


Q. How should I pronounce the name "Nevai"?

A. Good question. I'll leave it to your discretion.


Q. When does the class start and end?

A. Exactly when it's scheduled at x:30:00 and (x+1):18:00 (my watch is
accurate to the second). Occasionally, I might need a few more seconds to
finish a line of thought after (x+1):18:00. In addition, I might start
talking to the class even before x:30:00. However, the actual instruction
begins only at x:30:00.

NOTE. The bell might not be accurate. We go by the official US atomic time;
see

         http://www.time.gov/timezone.cgi?Eastern/d/-5/java


Q. What if I am late from the class?

A. Just enter and sit down w/o causing any disturbance.


Q. What if I have to leave the class early?

A. Just leave w/o causing any disturbance.


Q. What if I have to go to the bathroom?

A. Go.


Q. Do I need a calculator for this course?

A. Not really, but it can't hurt to have a simple one.


Q. What if I have a question?

A. Raise your hand.


Q.  What if I have a question but I am too shy and/or I am afraid
that I will end up saying something stupid?

A. I promise I will never make fun of you and/or humiliate you, so please go
ahead and raise your hand.


Q. What if the lecturer makes an error or mistake and I notice it?

A. Please raise your hand immediately so I could fix it.


Q. What if I can't come to a class or midterm?

A. As long as you have a legitimate excuse, e-mail me prior to the
class or midterm.


Q. What do those frequently used abbreviations, such as FYI, AFAIAC, BTW,
IMHO, N.B., etc., mean?

A. For instance, google them, e.g., by using "define: IMHO".


Q. What about those French, German, Hungarian, Latin, Russian, etc.
proverbs, such as "repetitio est mater studiorum" or "uchitsya,
uchitsya, uchitsya"?

A. Exempli gratia, google them or go to wikipedia.org.


Q. Are there any forbidden words and expressions that are not allowed to
be used under any circumstance?

A. Yes, plenty. For instance, absolutely (meaning "yes"), awesome (good?
great? best? bestest?), dude (triple banned; see
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dude; originates back to 1883), cool
(meaning "good"), it makes sense (meaning "I don't have the faintest idea
what the heck is going on), like (what does this mean anyway?), and so forth.

Q. What does "s-i-g-n" (es-i-gee-en) mean?

A. It means "sign" as opposed to "sin". The are both pronounced the same way,
so, in order to avoid confusion, I always spell the former.


Q. What does the word "trivial" mean?

A. It's obvious, isn't it?


Q. What does the word "obvious" mean?

A. It's trivial, isn't it?

NOTE. Google these words; see, e.g.,

         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trivial_(mathematics)

(look for the word "joke" on this webpage),

http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/kenny/essays/mathobvious.html

and

    http://www.physicsforums.com/archive/index.php/t-203502.html


Q. Is it permitted to switch classrooms occasionally, including the
midterms and the final exam?

A. Yes, as long as this privilege is not abused.


Q. Eating? Drinking? Cellphones? PDAs? iPods? Laptops? Crosswords? SMS-ing?
Napping/sleeping?

A. Perfectly acceptable as long as (i) it is done in absolute and total
silence, and (ii) it doesn't disturb anyone else. However, see the next Q.


Q. What about listening to any electronic device with or without a headphone?

A. Never.


Q. TBA

A. TBA

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             MATHEMATICS H16x FAQ (more)


Q. What are the prerequisites for this course?

A. At the minimum, you should be familiar with finite arithmetic and geometric
progressions and their sums, you should know the basic trigonometric identities,
and you should be able to recognize and use simple arithmetic formulas.


Q. What are arithmetic and geometric progressions?

A. Google them, e.g., see

         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arithmetic_progression

and

         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometric_progression


Q. What are the basic trigonometric identities?

A. Good question; e.g., $\sin(a+b) = \dots$, $\sin(a-b) = \dots$, $\cos(a+b)
= \dots$, $\cos(a-b) = \dots$, $\sin(2a) = \dots$, $\cos(2a) = \dots$,
$\sin(a/2) = \dots$, $\cos(a/2) = \dots$, $\sin^2 a + \cos^2 a = \dots...$.

Q. What?????????????????????????

A. The above used TeX notation (google it); e.g. $\sin(a+b) = \dots$
means 

                   sin(a+b) = ...

which, as you know it, is equal to

             sin a cos b + cos a sin b,

right?


Q. What arithmetic formulas do I need to know?

A. Factorizations, powers, etc., e.g. $a^2-b^2$, $a^2+b^2$,
$a^3-b^3$, $a^3+b^3$, or, in general $a^n-b^n$ and $a^n+b^n$. Also
$(a+b)^2$, $(a-b)^2$, $(a+b)^3$, $(a-b)^3$, $(a+b)^4$, $(a-b)^4$, etc.


Q. Really?

A. Really. HINT. Pascal's triangle.


Q. What?

A. Google it.


Q. TBA

A. TBA

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