Welcome to MA 113 in Spring 2023

Calculus I at the University of Kentucky

Course Description

A course in one-variable calculus, including topics from analytic geometry. Derivatives and integrals of elementary functions (including the trigonometric functions) with applications. Lecture, three hours; recitation, two hours per week. Students may not receive credit for MA 113 and MA 137. Prereq: Math ACT of 27 or above, or math SAT of 620 or above, or MA 109 and MA 112, or MA 110, or consent of the department. Students who enroll in MA 113 based on their test scores should have completed a year of pre-calculus study in high school that includes the study of the trigonometric functions. Note: Math placement test recommended

MA 113 consists of lectures and recitations. Each large lecture is divided into multiple sections for recitations. When combined, this course website and the website for lecture section 0XY comprises the syllabus for MA 113 0XY.

Course Outline

The course outline is dowloadable as a PDF file.

Learning Outcomes

Students will investigate the following "big questions" and their associated learning outcomes.

  1. What are common functions used to model the change in one quantity or value when it is determined by another quanitity or value? Students will be able to:
    1. use common functions, such as polynomials and rational functions, trigonometric functions, exponential functions, root functions, and their inverses, to model real-world phenomena.
    2. apply functional relationships such as composition, inversion, and arithmetical operations to solve problems.
    3. use various representations of functions, such as symbolic expressions, graphs, and tables, to solve problems.
  2. What functions can we use to model smoothly-changing motion? For an object in motion, how do we measure the change in position for that object at a given instant in time? Students will be able to:
    1. compute average and instantaneous velocities given information about the position of an object.
    2. learn the definition of continuous function, understand key properties of continuous functions such as the intermediate value theorem, and apply their knowledge to solve problems related to continuity.
  3. What are the important mathematical properties of functions that model smoothly-changing motion? What mathematical techniques can we use to analyze those functions and develop models with them? Students will be able to:
    1. state the definition of the derivative and explain its relationship to computing instantaneous velocity.
    2. use the derivatives of common functions to solve problems.
    3. state properties of derivatives, such as the product and quotient rules and chain rule, and use these properties to solve problems.
    4. use implicit differentiation to find tangent lines of a curve
    5. state and apply the mean value theorem.
    6. state and apply L'Hopital's theorem.
  4. What phenomena can we model using derivatives and elementary functions? Students will be able to:
    1. solve problems involving exponential growth and decay.
    2. solve problems involving related rates.
    3. solve optimization problems.
  5. For an object that is continuously changing position, how do we determine the total change of position during a period of time? How do we compute the area of a two-dimensional figure with a curved boundary? Students will be able to:
    1. use Riemann sums to approximate net change and areas of curved figures.
    2. find antiderivatives for elementary functions.
    3. state the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
    4. evaluate definite integrals using (i) limits of Riemann sums and (ii) the evaluation of anti-derivatives.
    5. Evaluate indefinite and definite integrals using substitution.
  6. How can we use polynomials to approximate more complicated functions? Students will be able to:
    1. find the linear approximation to a function at a point and use it to solve real-world problems.
    2. use linear and quadratic approximations to approximate values of functions

Students will improve with regard to the following mathematical practices.

  1. Students will make sense of problems and be persistent while solving them.
  2. Students will engage in productive struggle with mathematics problems.
  3. Students will productively collaborate with others.
  4. Students will communicate through mathematical writing.

Course policy regarding supportive discourse. Students should not make negative comments about themselves or their mathematical ability, at any time, for any reason. Here are example statements that should not be used, along with acceptable replacement phrases.

  • I can't do this -> I am still learning how to do this
  • That was stupid -> That was a productive mistake
  • This is impossible -> There is something interesting and subtle in this problem
  • I'm an idiot -> This is going to take careful thought
  • I'll never understand this -> This might take me a long time and a lot of work to figure out
  • This is terrible -> I think I've done something incorrectly, let me check it again
The suggested language helps to remind us that an important part of learning mathematics is making mistakes, taking the time to understand why our first (or tenth) attempt was not successful and using that information to find a better approach.

Course Calendar

The course calendar lists all assignments and due dates for the course. The calendar is available below or as a pdf.

Instructors

Course meeting times and locations are available from myuk.uky.edu or your Canvas shell.

Instructor, Lecture Sections 001-004: Ding Lu

  • Recitation Teaching Assistant, Section 001: Shahzad Kalloo
  • Recitation Teaching Assistant, Section 002: Shahzad Kalloo
  • Recitation Teaching Assistant, Section 003: James Ford McElroy
  • Recitation Teaching Assistant, Section 004: Edison Mucllari

Instructor, Lecture Sections 005-008: David Murrugarra

  • Recitation Teaching Assistant, Section 005: Kotaro Kajita
  • Recitation Teaching Assistant, Section 006: Kotaro Kajita
  • Recitation Teaching Assistant, Section 007: Noah Desouza Speeter
  • Recitation Teaching Assistant, Section 008: Noah Desouza Speeter

Instructor, Lecture Sections: 009-011 erica J Whitaker

  • Recitation Teaching Assistant, Section 009: James Ford McElroy
  • Recitation Teaching Assistant, Section 010: Robert Joseph Righi
  • Recitation Teaching Assistant, Section 011: Robert Joseph Righi

Textbook

The textbook for this course will be CLP Calculus volumes I and II by J. Feldman, A. Rechnitzer and E. Yeager. This book is available online as a webpage or as a pdf at no charge. There is no convenient source of printed copies. The authors of this book have made it freely available under a Creative Commons License and is also available from a website at the University of British Columbia. The UK Math Department plans to phase in the book over the the next year. So that students will use CLP Calculus in Calculus II beginning in the Spring of 2023 and in Calculus III the following semester.

Lecture Participation

The lecture portion of your grade is based on active participation in lecture (the Mon-Wed-Fri meetings). You will participate in class using your phone, laptop, or other device with an internet connection. You will need to create an iClicker polling Student account and purchase a subscription. When setting up your account, please use your university email address and either your LinkBlue ID or your student ID number without the leading 9. A 180-day subscription costs $15.99 if purchased directly through the iClicker app, or $18.00 by buying an access code from the university bookstore. If you have any difficulties with obtaining an account or with bringing a phone or laptop to class, please see your instructor. See this link iClicker polling for more information about iClicker polling.

Recitations, Worksheets, & MA 193

All students enrolled in MA 113 are expected to attend recitations. In addition to the 4 hours of credit for MA 113, the department offers one additional hour of credit as MA 193 on a pass/fail basis. MA 193 is optional for students in regular sections of MA 113, but required for students enrolled in MathExcel. You will pass MA 193 if you satisfy the following two criteria:

  • you have no more than 2 unexcused absences during MA 113 recitations
  • your receive a grade of D or better in MA 113
If you receive a grade of E in MA 113, or if you have 3 or more unexcused absences in recitation, you will fail MA 193.

Your section number for MA 193 must be the same as your section number for MA 113. If you drop or change sections of MA 113, please make sure to also drop or change sections of MA 193. It is your responsibility to do this if you change sections. If you do not change the section of MA 193 you may receive a failing grade for MA 193 because you are not on the proper class roll.

In recitation, you will practice the material of the lectures using worksheets. Most of your recitation time will be spent working in groups. For the schedule of the worksheets see the course calendar.

Recitation Worksheet Packet: The packet containing all recitation worksheets is downloadable as a single pdf file.

Beginning with second week of the semester, you will be responsible for having the recitation worksheets with you for recitation classes. If you fail to do so, then it may be counted as an unexcused absence. You may print the worksheet and bring it to recitation class or your TA might provide other options.

Calculators

You may use calculators on the homework and exams. You may not use any machine (carbon-based life form or silicon-based) that has symbolic manipulation capabilities of any sort on any exam. This precludes the use of TI-89, TI-Nspire CAS, HP 48, TI 92, Voyage 200, Casio Classpad or laptop computer. Also, you may not use your mobile phone, iPhone or Blackberry on any exam even if you forget your regular calculator. If it runs Android, GEOS, iOS, Linux, MacOS, PalmOS, DECsys, Ubuntu, Unix, Windows, or similar operating systems, you cannot use it on the exams.

While we allow the use of calculators on exam, we still believe that an understanding of mathematics includes the ability to carry out standard calculations by hand. Thus we will ask to see your work on some assignments in this course and solutions that are simply the result of a calculator routine may receive little or no credit on exams and written assignments. It is appropriate to use a calculator (or other software) to carry out tedious arithmetic computations, to check your answers, or to produce a graph to develop understanding before carrying out a computation.

Policies

Attendance. Attend lectures and recitations regularly. Be on time and remain until dismissed. Do not leave in the middle of class. Instructors may reduce your participation score for coming late or leaving early. If you cannot come to lecture or recitation and would like to request an excused absence, inform the instructor as early as possible. Make every effort to attend all exams at the scheduled times. Be prepared to document excused absences for exams.

Excused absences. Students need to notify the instructor of absences prior to class when possible. Senate Rules 5.2.4.2 defines the following as acceptable reasons for excused absences: (a) serious illness, (b) illness or death of family member, (c) University-related trips, (d) major religious holidays, (e) interviews for full-time job opportunities post-graduation and interviews for graduate or professional school, and (f) other circumstances found to fit “reasonable cause for nonattendance” by the professor. Students anticipating an absence for a major religious holiday are responsible for notifying the instructor in writing of anticipated absences due to their observance of such holidays no later than the last day in the semester to add a class. Two weeks prior to the absence is reasonable, but should not be given any later. Information regarding major religious holidays may be obtained through the Ombud (859-257-3737).

Per Senate Rule 5.2.4.2, students missing any graded work due to an excused absence are responsible: for informing the Instructor of Record about their excused absence within one week following the period of the excused absence (except where prior notification is required); and for making up the missed work. The professor must give the student an opportunity to make up the work and/or the exams missed due to an excused absence, and shall do so, if feasible, during the semester in which the absence occurred.

Students may be asked to verify their absences in order for them to be considered excused. Senate Rule 5.2.4.2 states that faculty have the right to request “appropriate verification” when students claim an excused absence because of illness, or death in the family. Appropriate notification of absences due to University-related trips is required prior to the absence when feasible and in no case more than one week after the absence.

Students may withdraw from the class if more than 20% of the classes scheduled for the semester are missed (excused) per University policy.

Note that classes meet as indicated in the course calendar, including on the day following exams.

Use of electronic devices. Electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops and tablets should be put away or used only as part of class activities during lectures and recitations as directed by the instructor. Instructors may prohibit their use during class and students should avoid distractions that prevent them from giving their full attention to class. Students who are not participating in class may be marked absent. Mobile phones, laptops, and computers may not be used during exams.

Students with disabilities. If you have a documented disability that requires academic accommodations, please see your instructor as soon as possible. In order to receive accommodations in this course, you must provide your instructor with a Letter of Accommodation from the Disability Resource Center. The Disability Resource Center coordinates campus disability services available to students with disabilities. It is located on the corner of Rose Street and Huguelet Drive in the Multidisciplinary Science Building, Suite 407. You can reach them via phone at (859) 257-2754 and via email at drc@uky.edu and at the DRC website.

Assignment deadlines and alternate exam policy. In order to be fair to all students, dates for exams and homework assignments are as listed on the course calendar. Missed work and exams may be made up only due to illness with medical documentation or for other unusual (documented) circumstances. If you have a university excused absence or a university-scheduled class conflict with uniform examinations please contact your lecturer as soon as possible, but at least two weeks before the exam, so that an alternate exam can be arranged for you.

University Policy on Academic Integrity. Per University policy, students shall not plagiarize, cheat, or falsify or misuse academic records. Students are expected to adhere to University policy on cheating and plagiarism in all courses. The minimum penalty for a first offense is a zero on the assignment on which the offense occurred. If the offense is considered severe or the student has other academic offenses on their record, more serious penalties, up to suspension from the University may be imposed. Plagiarism and cheating are serious breaches of academic conduct. Each student is advised to become familiar with the various forms of academic dishonesty as explained in the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities. Complete information can be found at the Ombud website. A plea of ignorance is not acceptable as a defense against the charge of academic dishonesty. It is important that you review this information as all ideas borrowed from others need to be properly credited.

Senate Rules 6.3.1 (see Senate Rules for the current set of Senate Rules) states that all academic work, written or otherwise, submitted by students to their instructors or other academic supervisors, is expected to be the result of their own thought, research, or self-expression. In cases where students feel unsure about a question of plagiarism involving their work, they are obliged to consult their instructors on the matter before submission. When students submit work purporting to be their own, but which in any way borrows ideas, organization, wording, or content from another source without appropriate acknowledgment of the fact, the students are guilty of plagiarism.

Plagiarism includes reproducing someone else's work (including, but not limited to a published article, a book, a website, computer code, or a paper from a friend) without clear attribution. Plagiarism also includes the practice of employing or allowing another person to alter or revise the work, which a student submits as his/her own, whoever that other person may be. Students may discuss assignments among themselves or with an instructor or tutor, but when the actual work is done, it must be done by the student, and the student alone. When a student's assignment involves research in outside sources or information, the student must carefully acknowledge exactly what, where and how he/she has employed them. If the words of someone else are used, the student must put quotation marks around the passage in question and add an appropriate indication of its origin. Making simple changes while leaving the organization, content, and phraseology intact is plagiaristic. However, nothing in these Rules shall apply to those ideas, which are so generally and freely circulated as to be a part of the public domain.

Non-Discrimination Statement and Title IX Information. The University of Kentucky faculty are committed to supporting students and upholding the University's non-discrimination policy. Discrimination is prohibited at UK. If you experience an incident of discrimination we encourage you to report it to Institutional Equity & Equal Opportunity (IEEO) Office, 13 Main Building, (859) 257-8927.

Acts of Sex- and Gender-Based Discrimination or Interpersonal Violence: If you experience an incident of sex- or gender-based discrimination or interpersonal violence, we encourage you to report it. While you may talk to a faculty member or TA/RA/GA, understand that as a "Responsible Employee" of the University these individuals MUST report any acts of violence (including verbal bullying and sexual harassment) to the University's Title IX Coordinator in the IEEO Office. If you would like to speak with someone who may be able to afford you confidentiality, the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) program (Frazee Hall – Lower Level; http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/VIPCenter/), the Counseling Center (106 Frazee Hall, http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/Counseling/), and the University Health Services (http://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/uhs/student-health/) are confidential resources on campus.

MA 113 policy regarding collaboration. Mathematics is an inherently collaborative and social activity. Students are encouraged to work together to understand a problem and to develop a solution. However, the solution you submit for credit must be your own work. In particular, you should prepare your solutions to the written assignments independently and you should submit your answers for web homework independently. Copying on exams and usage of books, notes, or communication devices during examinations is not allowed. Cheating or plagiarism is a serious offense and will not be tolerated. Students are responsible for knowing the University policy on academic dishonesty.

MA 113 mid-term grade policy. Mid-term grades will be posted in myUK by the deadline established in the Academic Calendar. All requests for corrections to grading should be addressed to your instructor. Requests should be made shortly after you receive the paper back and must be made within one day of the paper being returned.

Recording in the Classroom. Video and audio recordings are not permitted during the class unless the student has received prior permission from the Professors. If permission is granted, recording of other students is prohibited. Any distribution of recordings is also probhibited. Students with specific recording accommodations approved by the Disability Resource Center should present their official documentation to the professor. All content for this course, including handouts, assignments, and powerpoint lectures are the intellectual property of the instructors and cannot be reproduced, sold, or used for any purpose other than educational work in this class without prior permission from the professor.

Expectations for Student Work

For any written solutions to problems in this course, students are expected to submit work that is clear, legible, and well-written. Students should show all their work in an organized manner, using complete sentences to explain their solutions and justify their computations. To illustrate our expectations for written work, we have included here three sample solutions to a problem: one of these is a correct solution that meets our expectations; one of these is a solution having the correct answer yet it is not sufficiently well-written to receive full credit; and one of these is a solution that is ungradable and will receive zero credit, even though it appears that the correct answer might have been found.

Study Advice and Getting Help

Mathematics is not a spectator sport. To understand what this means, consider how well you might learn to play football by merely watching Lionel Messi or learn to sing by only listening to Aretha Franklin. Similarly, you will not learn the material in this course by only listening to the lectures and thinking to yourself - "Yes, I understand that". In order to learn, you must also actively read the textbook, work a large number of problems, talk to your classmates, and reflect on your work. The instructor's role is that of a coach or guide who will help you learn as much of the material as you desire. This being said, form good study skills from the start!

  • Come to class and take notes during lecture.
  • Read each section of the text prior to the lecture where it will be covered.
  • As you read the text, have pencil and paper handy. Work through the computations. Find examples to illustrate the theorems and results in the text. If the text tells you that every differentiable function is continuous, think of examples of differentiable functions and check if they are continuous. Think of examples of functions that are not continuous and determine if they are differentiable. Can you think of an example of a function that is continuous but not differentiable?
  • Begin the homework immediately after material is covered in class. Mathematics is cumulative. In order to benefit from Wednesday's lecture, you must understand the material covered on Monday.
  • Find classmates and form a study group. Spend time discussing problems.
  • Do not fall behind. It is very difficult to catch up in a math class after falling behind.
  • Begin preparing for exams well in advance. Read the text again to review all of the material to be covered on the exam. Be sure you are familiar with the main results and theorems and how they are used in homework. Complete all worksheet problems and check your answers against other members of your study group. Make sure you review WeBWorK questions and solutions to written assignments.
  • Work additional problems to prepare for the exam. Use old exams from previous semesters of MA 113 to take a practice test. Treat it like a test. Compare your solutions with those provided by the answer key.
  • If you are having trouble, then seek help immediately.

If you are having trouble with one or two homework problems, you can send an e-mail through the online homework system to your teaching assistant. Try to provide as much information as possible in your help request. Describe what you have attempted and give a guess as to what might be wrong.

If you are having trouble with multiple homework problems, instead of using the e-email function in the online homework system you should take one or more of the following steps.

  • Talk to your instructors before or after class or send them an email. Let them know what problems you are having, if any. They will be happy to help!
  • Go to the office hours of your instructor and teaching assistant.
  • You can also seek help in the Mathskeller that is located in room CB 063 in the basement of the classroom building. Many instructors and teaching assistants from the Department of Mathematics will hold office hours in the Mathskeller. In addition, limited drop-in tutoring is available. You can seek help from any of the instructors or teaching assistants --- not just your own. The Mathskeller is open from 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday (except academic holidays) during the semester.
  • Furthermore, you can seek help in The Study, which provides drop-in peer tutoring by undergraduate students who have successfully navigated the courses for which they tutor. A regular schedule of all tutoring is available on The Study's web site

Grading

You may access your course grades through the Canvas system, logging in with your linkblue ID and password. Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

Activity Number of points
3 Midterm Exams 300 points
Final Exam 100 points
Web Homework (WebWork) 100 points
Six Written Assignments 40 points (8 each, drop 1)
Quizzes 36 points
Recitation participation 12 points
Lecture participation 12 points
Total 600 points

Your MA 113 grade will be determined as follows.

Total Points Final Grade
At least 540 A
At least 480 B
At least 420 C
At least 360 D
Less than 360 E
See the section on MA 193 for information about determining your MA 193 grade.

We may adjust (or curve) the grade lines for exams down (but not up!). Decisions about changing the grade lines will be made by the faculty after considering the difficulty of the exams and the performance of students on the exams. Typical means for exams in previous years have been in the 70's. In computing these means, we do not include scores of students who score 30 or below.

Exams

There will be three uniform midterm exams and one final exam. Each midterm exam is 120 minutes (2 hours) and the final exam is 120 minutes (2 hours). You must bring your student identification card with you to the exams!

If you must miss an exam due to a conflict as defined in the University Senate Rules, you may request an alternate exam. You will need to submit your request to your lecture instructor at least two weeks in advance of the scheduled date of the exam using the MA 113 Alternate Exam Request Form. Information regarding alternate exam times will be emailed directly to the students requesting an alternate exam.

Exam Date Time
I Tuesday, 7 February 2023 5:00 - 7:00 pm
II Tuesday, 7 March 2023 5:00 - 7:00 pm
III Tuesday, 11 April 2023 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Final Exam Tuesday, 2 May 2023 6:00 - 8:00 pm

Exams 1-4 are scheduled in the following rooms.

Sections Room Building
001, 002, 003, 004 BS 107 T.H. Morgan Biological Sciences
005, 006, 007, 008 CB 118 White Hall Classroom Building
009, 010, 011 JSB 121 Jacobs Science Building

Online Homework (Webwork)

Homework is completed using WeBWorK, an open-source online homework system supported by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). To access WeBWorK go the Modules tab in your Canvas page and select the link for assignment you want to complete. It is important to always access WeBWorK through the assignment in order for your scores to be recorded correctly in Canvas.

You will access WeBWorK from Canvas and should not use a separate log in. The document Entering Answers in WeBWorK gives more information about how to enter mathematics to answer questions in WeBWorK. Please contact your lecturer or teaching assistant if you have difficulty logging in.

The due date for each of these homework assignments is given in your Canvas shell as well as the in the course calendar. For each WeBWorK assignment, there is a one day reduced scoring period after the due date. Problems that are submitted during the reduced scoring period will receive 85% of the credit earned. Occasionally, we may delay homework due dates. The due date at the WeBWorK server will be the most up-to-date information.

After the reduced scoring period answers to your WeBWorK will be available through the WeBWorK server. In addition, worked out solutions are available for many WeBWorK problems. These may be a useful resource to help understand problems that you initially found difficult. If you have an unusual situation that prevents you from completing web homework, please contact your instructor. However, in general students will be expected to complete web homework even if they are traveling.

Suggestions for working web homework:

  • Write out complete solutions of problems before attempting to submit answers. These solutions will be helpful in studying for exams and to bring to discussions with others.
  • Form a study group and meet regularly to discuss web homework and the material covered in lectures.
  • Make sure you understand your solution to each homework problem. Discuss your approach with members of your study group, your instructor, or peer tutors at the Mathskeller or the Study.
  • Do not guess. If you submit an answer and are marked wrong, look through your solution for computational and conceptual errors.
  • Near the bottom of many pages at WeBWorK, you will find a link to email your instructor. Please work to formulate clear questions in your email. We will work to answer emailed questions by the next work day. Instructors will not be able to answers questions sent the evening of a due date.

Written Assignments

Six written assignments are to be turned in through Canvas; for the due dates see the course calendar.

These assignments are intended to help you learn to communicate mathematics and to present clear, well-written solutions to problems. Your solutions will be graded by humans for mathematical correctness and for clarity of exposition. Students who wish to receive full credit should write in complete, grammatically correct sentences. You should give clear reasoning and present the steps of your solution in logical order. You will want to include figures and graphs as needed to explain your reasoning. See the section on Expectations for Student work for more advice on preparing your solutions.

Assignments should be submitted through Canvas and are due by the end of the day on the due date listed. Late assignments will be accepted, but may lose 20% credit for each day or part of a day that the assignment is late. Please speak with your lecturer if a serious illness or family emergency prevents you from completing an assignment. Students with scheduled absences (travel or authorized university excuse) should make every effort to turn in the assignment by the due date.

Quizzes

Quizzes will be given on the dates specified in the course calendar. Quizzes are administered through WeBWorK and consist of two short answer or multiple choice questions. Unlike our homework assignments, you are only allowed to submit the answer to a quiz once and there is no reduced scoring period or late submissions. The quiz grades contribute to your overall course grade as described in the grading section of this website. As with WeBWorK it is important to access the quiz through the link in Canvas for the grades to be recorded correctly.