Math 31, MWF 2:15 (#52616) in A&S
135 Farris
Calculus for Business II Fall
2009–10
Scope of our course In this course we continue the study of calculus
you began in Math 30. Calculus for
Business I is an absolute prerequisite for this course: You must have passed
that course with a C- or better, and you must demonstrate that you understand the material. (This means Chapters
1 through 5 in our text, Applied Calculus, SCU edition, by Waner
& Costable.) On the second
day of class you will demonstrate your understanding of some basic Math 30
skills on a short diagnostic test.
If you have not already
done so, familiarize yourself with the website for our book, www.appliedcalc.com . (Click through to the site for the 4th
edition, on which the SCU edition is based.
Look for the tab that says “Everything for Calculus.”) You can practice your skills in online
tutorials and download Excel spreadsheets keyed to the text. In Math 31, we will study Chapters 6 through
8, and also a chapter called Chapter P, which is about probability.
Course objectives We connect calculus to the world of finance,
economics, and other fields of business.
Your success will be measured by your ability to apply specific
techniques to real-world problems. These
techniques include 1) finding antiderivatives,
2)
evaluating definite integrals, 3) computing partial derivatives, 4) optimizing
functions of several variables, with and without constraints, and 5) computing
probabilities in situations that involve continuous random variables. Specific applications include salary
accumulation, consumers’ surplus, the Gini index, present value of future
income, optimization of profit, minimization of costs, and risk analysis. You
will also be asked to show mastery of various logical relationships among
quantities, especially those at play in the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. All these areas bring together the three basic
areas of mathematics: analysis, algebra, and geometry; in our text, these
appear as numerical, algebraic, and graphical points of view.
Assessment Graded examinations and non-graded surprise
quizzes will test how well you meet these objectives. On exams, especially the final, you will be
asked to solve problems that are not exactly like ones you have seen before,
showing your ability to apply your knowledge in novel situations. Partial credit is given liberally for work
that is partly correct, but in order to pass the class, you must do at least
something entirely correctly.
My best advice is that you must think for yourself. It is sometimes easy to let someone else
solve a problem for you; that results in the problem being solved, but will be
of no help to you when you are tested by another problem. Please help others to help you by asking,
“What’s wrong with my approach here?” or “Give me a hint,” rather than “What is
the answer?”
Course
requirements — the fine print — Required
Homework (100 points) is due at
almost every class meeting. This is
where you put your knowledge into action, solving problems for yourself. See the homework rules and partial homework
schedule below. Expect one short project using Excel.
Exams (100 points each) will
be Wednesday, October 14 and Wednesday, November 18. According to department
policy, exams can be taken only at
these times. Bring a small (5 by 8.5
inches) blank blue book, available
at the bookstore. About a week before
each exam, you will receive a set of Practice Problems to help you prepare;
please do your best to solve these completely on your own. On the first or second class period after
each exam, there will be a short retest,
where you will have another chance to demonstrate your command of the
material. The retests give you a chance
to improve your score: the sum of the scores on your two retests (each out of
50 points) will replace your lowest exam score, if it is higher. Everyone should take all the retests as a
matter of course. (Watch your calendar
for possible retest dates!)
The final exam (200 points) will be Wednesday,
December 9 at 1:30 PM in our regular classroom.
Bring a large (8.5 by 11 inches)
blue book. According to university policy, the exam must be taken at this time. The exam will be comprehensive, and will test
your technical facility, your skills with applied word problems, and your broad
understanding of our course concepts.
Academic
integrity:
If you were to behave dishonestly, by cheating on an exam or by presenting the
work of others as your own, that would be grounds for failing this course. Please do your best to preserve my high
opinion of your honesty. Here is a
detail worth mentioning: You may work
with others on homework or our computer projects, but the paper you turn in
must reflect your own understanding and effort; I am particularly concerned
that you think about the difference between working with a friend on homework,
and copying from someone else. SCU policy appears at http://www.scu.edu/provost/policies/upload/Academic-Integrity-Protocol.pdf
.
Calculators and computers: Often it is helpful to use
a machine of some kind for assistance with messy computations. You are welcome to do this on your homework;
for some problems it is quite necessary.
However, exam questions are designed to test your knowledge of concepts,
rather than tax your ability to do arithmetic.
On exams, you will have to do arithmetic at the level of 60 x 70 = 4200,
and calculators will not be allowed.
There are many sources of help on campus. Pi Mu Epsilon, the math honor society, staffs
the Sussman room (O'Connor 31) with excellent tutors during posted daytime
hours. The
Contact
me: O'Connor 314, 554-4430, http://math.scu.edu/~ffarris, ffarris@scu.edu
Office hours: MWF
To request academic accommodations for a disability,
students must contact Disabilities Resources located on the second floor of
Benson. Phone numbers: (408) 554-4111;
TTY (408)554-5445. Students must
register and provide documentation of a disability to Disabilities Resources
prior to receiving academic accommodations.
Homework Schedule through Exam I
Each
assignment consists of three types of problems:
R problems are required, but will not be graded by our
homework grader; all are odd-numbered problems with answers in the back of the
text; do these first as a warm-up. G problems are to be graded; they are the only ones you are to turn in; most are
even-numbered problems. E problems are suggested for extra practice.
For
G problems, consider any part marked
in the text with a T for technology
as optional, unless the computations can be done with a calculator. Do not
turn in any computer-generated tables or graphs. When turning in G problems please fold your paper in
half vertically, write your name and the date on the outside and staple
multiple sheets together. Our homework
grader gives full credit only when you present correct work with reasonable
written explanations of your process.
Partial credit is given for effort beyond simply copying the
problem. Note: When hwk is due right
before an exam (the practice problems), keep
a copy to use in class.
The
date given is the date the homework is due (at the beginning of class).
Remember to keep a note
containing the particulars of any homework problem you wish to ask about in
class. I reserve the right to over-ride
this schedule if necessary, so be sure to listen in class for announcements. The assignments due 10/9 and 10/12 are on the
long side, so please plan ahead.
9/23 R
6.1/ odd #s 1 through 29; prepare for quiz about Math 30 skills, especially
sections 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3
G 6.1/ 12, 14, 16, 18, 24, 34, 40; 4.1/ 36, 58; 4.2/ 14, 36; 4.3/
54, 58
9/25 R
6.1/ 32, 41, 47, 63, 69, 73, 77, 79; G
6.1/ 42, 48, 64, 72, 74, 76 E 6.1/ 39, 49, 51, 55
9/28 R
6.2/ 1, 11, 13, 15, 19, 23, 25, 31, 33, 35, 67, 79 G 6.2/ 2, 12, 18, 20, 24,
26, 36, 68, 72, 82
9/30 R
6.2/ 5, 9, 27, 29, 41, 45, 51, 67, 71, 85; 6.3/ 1, 3, 9, 13
G 6.2/ 6, 10, 28, 30, 42, 46, 52, 68, 72, 86; 6.3/ 2, 4, 10, 14; E
6.2/ 47, 53, 55, 69, 77; 6.3/ 5, 7, 11
10/2 R
6.3/ 19, 21, 25, 27, 29, 31, 39, 43, 51, 63, 65, 67
G 6.3/ 20, 22, 26, 28, 30, 32, 40, 44, 52, 64, 66, 68; E
6.3/ 33, 35, 37, 45, 47, 57,
10/5 R
6.4/ 1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 23, 43, 45, 47, 51, 61, 73, 74, 76
G 6.4/ 4, 6, 8, 12,
14, 24, 44, 46, 52, 62; E 6.4/ 49, 55
10/7 R
6.4/ 27, 29, 31, 35, 57, 59, 67, 69; Rev
6/ 7, 9, 29, 31
G 6.4/ 26,
30, 32, 36, 58, 60, 66, 68, 70; Rev
6/ 8, 10, 30, 32 E 6.4/ 39, 41, 81; Rev 6/ 21, 27, 33
10/9 R
7.1/ 1, 3, 15, 19, 21, 34, 31, 35, 39, 41, 43, 47, 51
G 7.1/ 2, 4, 18, 20,
22, 24, 36, 40, 42, 44, 48; E 7.1/ 5, 7, 17, 54
10/12 R 7.2/ 1, 3, 5, 9, 11, 15, 25, 27, 31, 33; E
7.2/ 13, 17, 29, 35
G Practice for Exam I, p. 416-D (keep a
copy!); 7.2/ 4, 6, 10, 12, 16, 26, 28, 34
Homework for later
dates will be posted only at our course website. Follow the links from http://math.scu.edu/~ffarris .