MATHEMATICS 206

Applied Calculus

John Travis
MCC 206
925-3817 (voice mail)
travis@mc.edu (email)
DAILY TOPICS | Class Photos
Textbook | Course Description | Course Meetings | Grading

Textbook: Applied Mathematics for the Managerial, Life, and Social Sciences (Tan), 5th edition

Online Homework: Webassign using Class Key "mc 5394 4080" and Webwork (set up my teacher)

Requirement:  Scientific or graphical calculator and a computer with internet access. Students may use the computer labs on campus if they do not own a suitable computer for doing the assignments. In this case, students should plan ahead and not wait till the last minute to do their assignments since these labs may be closed or otherwise unavailable at times.

Prerequisite: MAT 205 or equivalent

Course Description: One may represent many real life situations in the form of an equation or a set of equations called a mathematical model.  Appropriate mathematical methods must be utilized in order to solve these problems.  Applied calculus is designed to give non-mathematics majors an introduction to the tools and concepts of calculus primarily through applications.  The emphasis of the course is on the mechanics of computation and the interpretation and effective use of limits, derivatives and integrals.  These concepts can be widely used in business as well as in the life and social sciences.  Applications will be drawn from all of these disciplines.  Calculators and computers will be used throughout the course to facilitate understanding.

This course carries 3 hours of academic credit.
 

From the college catalog:  A study of the applications of calculus for disciplines outside of mathematics such as business, economics, management, computing and information systems and the life and social sciences.  Topics include differentiation, integration and multivariate calculus and applications.


Learning Objectives: This term, the student will demonstrate an understanding of the following concepts and methods:


In aiming at these target ideas, we will use graphical calculators and computers to promote better intuition, greater understanding and increased proficiency in doing mathematics.

The downloadable software:  Graphmatica , Winplot

Meetings: The format of class meetings will consist of lectures by the instructor. Student participation will be encouraged via classroom discussions as well as problem sessions where the student will present their work.

This class meets as scheduled. You are expected to be in class on time.  University policy states that a student cannot miss more than 25% of class meetings and receive credit for the course. Further, attendance will be necessary in order to understand the material and make a good grade. The student is responsible for work and material missed when absent. Cheating in any way will be properly rewarded according to University policy.

If you need special accommodations due to learning, physical, psychological, or other disabilities, please contact the Counseling and Career Development Center.

Grading: There will be at least three exams during the semester.  Also, there will be a daily grade coming from an average of homework performed online and a some assigned projects (time permitting). Any daily work missed will be awarded a grade of zero. Your final average will be computed by taking an average of the exam grades for 90% of your final grade and the daily grade counting for the final 10%.

Near the end of the term, an out-of-class, comprehensive makeup exam will be given for any student missing an exam(s) for an excused absence. There will be no makeups for quizzes.

The grading scale is

A=90-100
B=80-89
C=70-79
D=65-69
F=0-64
Aim now for the desired grade.

All graded work will be returned to the student for keeping. If there were any question later about your grade, you would be expected to show these papers.