MAT 223: Multivariable Calculus

Spring 2020

[ Current Week | Syllabus ]

Basic Information

Calendar

Daily/weekly schedule to be updated throughout the term; topics and exam dates are tentative and subject to change.

Before class, please read the textbook section(s) to be covered. After class, start doing the homework assigned that day as soon as possible. Unless otherwise stated, homework will be due at the beginning of next class.

WeekMondayWednesdayFriday
Unit 1: calculus of vector-valued functions
Week 1: Chapter 9 curves1. 02/03 M

Introduction

hw02: Getting started

2. 02/05 W

9.2 parametric equations

hw03: 9.2 # 5*, 17*, 20, 21, 24, 31, 32, 39, 43, 50, 51.

* 5: For odd-numbered questions, check answers in the back of the book; obviously, show your work to receive credit.

* 17: Use Mathematica; print and attach.

3. 02/07 F

9.3 calculus of parametric equations

hw04: 9.3 # 6*, 7, 14, 15, 33, 35, 36, 41, 42.

* Find an equation $y = f(x)$ for the parametric curve and compute $dy/dx$ in two ways: using Key Idea 9.3.1 and by differentiating $f(x)$.

Week 2: Chapter 10 vectors4. 02/10 M

9.4, 9.5 polar coordinates

hw05: 9.4 # 6, 8, 10, 17*, 31, 46*.

9.5 # 4, 12, 27, 31.

* 17: Use Mathematica.

* 46: In the form $r = f(\theta)$.

5. 02/12 W

10.2 vectors

hw06: 9.5 # 21, 26, 30.

10.2 # 8, 11, 13, 14, 17, 22.

6. 02/14 F

10.1, 10.5 three dimensions

hw07: 10.1 # 7, 10.

10.2 # 18, 24.

10.5 # 6, 8, 17–20.

Week 37. 02/17 M

10.3 dot products

hw08: 10.3 # 5, 7, 11, 13*, 15*, 18, 21, 26, 27, 32.

* Radians only.

8. 02/19 W

10.4 cross products

hw09: 10.4 # 7, 17, 21, 22, 23, 27–35*.

* Odd problems only.

9. 02/21 F

10.6 planes

hw10: 10.6 # 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20.

Week 4: Chapter 11 vector-valued functions10. 02/24 M

11.1 vector-valued functions

hw11: 10.5 # 9, 12.

11.1 # 11*, 15*, 18, 22, 26, 28, 31, 32.

* Use Mathematica with ParametricPlot and ParametricPlot3D.

11. 02/26 W

11.2 calculus of vector-valued functions

12. 02/28 F

Exam 1 (topics and tips)

hw13: 11.2 # 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 19*, 20*, 23–26, 29, 32.

* Use Mathematica to plot $\vec r(t)$; do the rest by hand.

Week 513. 03/02 M

11.2, 11.3, 11.5 motion and arc length

hw14: 11.2 # 34, 35, 37, 40, 41.

11.3 # 8, 12*, 25, 31, 35.

* May use Mathematica.

14. 03/04 W

11.4, 11.5 unit tangent vector and curvature

hw15: 11.3 # 15, 17, 36.

11.4 # 7, 8, 11, 12.

11.5 # 7, 10.

15. 03/06 F

11.4, 11.5 unit normal vector and motion

hw16: 11.4 # 17, 21*, 27, 28.

* Also find $\mathbf{B}=\mathbf{T}\times\mathbf{N}$ and confirm that it is a unit vector.

11.5 # 13*, 17*, 19*, 22*.

* Sketch by hand or with Mathematica.

Unit 2: calculus of multivariable functions
Week 6: Chapter 12 differentiation in several variables16. 03/09 M

12.1 multivariable functions

hw17: 11.5 # 23, 25, 29, 31.

12.1 # 8, 10, 14, 17*, 20*, 22*, 24, 26, 30.

* Use ContourPlot on Mathematica first (no need to specify $c$ values). Then, find the equations of the level curves by hand. Finally, plot those level curves with Plot (not ContourPlot) on Mathematica. Print and attach both ContourPlot and Plot output.

17. 03/11 W

12.2 limits and continuity

hw18: AQ # 1–6*.

* Find these Additional Questions posted on Moodle.

18. 03/13 F

12.3 partial derivatives

hw19: 12.3 # 6, 10–18*, 28, 32.

* Even problems only.

This one is quite short; enjoy your spring break!

Week 7: spring break(Spring break)(Spring break)(Spring break)
Week 8: spring break(Spring break)(Spring break)(Spring break)
Week 919. 03/30 M

12.4, 12.7 differentiability

hw20: 12.4 # 6, 12, 16, 18, 20, 22.

12.7 # 18, 20.

AQ # 7, 8.

20. 04/01 W

12.5 chain rule

hw21: 12.5 # 8, 10, 14, 16, 20–30 evens.

21. 04/03 F

12.6 gradient and directional derivatives

hw22: 12.6 # 8–28 evens.

12.7 # 22, 24.

Week 1022. 04/06 M

Quiz 2

12.8 extreme values

hw23: 12.8 # 6–14 evens.

AQ 9, 10.

23. 04/08 W

12.8 constrained optimization

hw24: 12.2 # 7–10, 12, 13.

12.8 # 16, 18.

AQ 11, 12.

(Good Friday)
Week 11: Chapter 13 multiple integration(Easter Monday)24. 04/15 W

12.9 Lagrange multipliers

hw25: Exercises # 2, 3*, 5*, 7*, 8, 10.

AQ # 13, 14.

* Check answers.

25. 04/17 F

13.1 iterated integrals

Week 1226. 04/20 M

Exam 3 (topics and tips)

hw27: 13.1 # 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16.

27. 04/22 W

13.2 double integrals

hw28: 13.2 # 5, 8, 14, 18, 20, 22, 23, 26.

28. 04/24 F

13.6 triple integrals

hw29: 13.6 # 6, 14, 18–20.

Unit 3: calculus of vector fields
Week 1329. 04/27 M

13.4 center of mass

hw30: 13.4 # 11, 12, 14, 19, 20.

13.6 # 24.

30. 04/29 W

14.2 vector fields

hw31: 14.2 # 6–18 evens.

31. 05/01 F

14.1, 14.3 line integrals

hw32: 14.1 # 5, 7, 9, 12*, 14*, 15, 17, 19.

* Set up by hand, evaluate using Mma or calculator, write the answer; no need to print/attach Mma output.

Week 14: Chapter 14 vector analysis32. 05/04 M

14.3 conservative vector fields

33. 05/06 W

Exam 4 (topics and tips)

hw34: 14.3 # 7, 8, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 20.

34. 05/08 F

14.4 Green's theorem

hw35: 14.4 # 13–15, 17, 18.

Week 1535. 05/11 M

13.3 integrating in polar coordinates

13.7 cylindrical and spherical coordinates

hw36: 13.3 # 6, 10*, 12*, 14*.

13.7 # 6, 26, 32.

* Set up by hand, evaluate using Mma or calculator, write the answer; no need to print/attach Mma output.

36. 05/13 W

change of variables

hw37: Handout on Moodle.

37. 05/15 F

(catch-up)

Final Exam: 05/21 Thursday 14:45–16:45 (topics and tips)

Course Information

Topics

Multivariable Calculus is a continuation of what you learned in first-year Calculus. We will take the concepts of functions, differentiation, and integration and will extend them to higher dimensions. That is, we will analyze what happens when there is more than one independent and/or dependent variable.

Objectives

I will guide you in learning to:

Grading

Your grade will be determined by a weighted arithmetic mean of various components with weights listed in the table on the right.
componentweight
Attendance and participation5%
Homework and quizzes30%
Midterm exams45%
Cumulative final exam20%
The total score will be converted to a letter grade whose lower bounds are: 93% A, 90% A-, 87% B+, 83% B, 80% B-, 76% C+, 70% C, 66% C-, 63% D+, 58% D, 0% F.

Note that there is no preset curve of how many of each letter grade will be given. If you all do A-level work, you will each get an A. As such, you are encouraged to help each other in the pursuit of perfection.

In many courses I intentionally make one exam harder than others, which gives me information (in a mathematical sense) in separating an A performance from an A- performance. Typically, I will let you know and adjust that exam scores upward. What this means is that you should NOT care about how hard an exam is. If you do A-level work, you will get an A, regardless of the raw numerical score prior to adjustment.

Besides possibly adjusting scores upward for difficult exams, I also reserve the right to lower the grade cutoffs. Both of these help you. I will not hurt you by adjusting your exam scores downward or increasing the grade cutoffs.

Requirements

Attendance and participation. I expect you to attend class. You may not notice me taking attendance during class meetings, but I will notice if you are not in class. Occasional absences will not impact your grade because what I look for is not mere attendance, but engagement and participation.

Indeed, coming to class is not just about showing up; it is also about being fully engaged in the learning experience. If you have a question, others in the class may also be wondering the same thing. So, please speak up and ask questions anytime you need to. Not only will you be helping yourself, but also you will be helping your peers. Attending office hours is another great opportunity to ask questions.

Be mindful of others. Refrain from using mobile phones or laptops for activities unrelated to the learning process. If you prefer to use laptops to take notes, please kindly sit in the back, as the screen may distract others. There is research that suggests taking notes by hand is better for long-term retention (P. A. Mueller and D. M. Oppenheimer, The pen is mightier than the keyboard, Psychological Science 25 (2014), 1159–1168).

Silence and put away mobile phones and do not use laptops for anything other than class-related activities.

It is my sincere hope that every one of you get all the points for attendance and participation.

Reading. Read the book! You should prepare for class by looking over the sections we will cover. Your aim is not to understand every detail, but to get a sense of where we are headed. Even a few minutes of pre-reading can help with class time. We will not have time to cover every single detail in class. As such, after class, read the sections carefully again to fill in the gaps. Keep up with the reading: reading large sections right before an exam is less effective!

Homework. Homework will be assigned most days. The goal of the homework is to give you an opportunity to continuously engage directly with the material. Some of the homework questions are meant to be challenging and to stretch you; simply put, I believe that the homework is where you will do the vast majority of your learning in this class. Grapple with the questions; talk to classmates about solution strategies if you are feeling stuck; do the homework.

Please staple your homework before coming to class and write your name, PO number, and homework number in the top right corner.

Homework is due at the beginning of the next class after it was assigned, unless otherwise stated. In general, late work is not accepted. If there are special circumstances, talk to the instructor. To alleviate your anxiety from accidentally forgetting to bring your homework to class, illness, emergencies, or other situations beyond your control, the lowest three (3) assignments will be dropped.

Because communicating results to others is an important skill, showing your work is as important as getting an answer. In many instances, credit will only be given if your work accompanies your answer. Some of the points will be given for completing the assignment; most will be awarded for showing work and correctness. You are encouraged to collaborate, but what you turn in must be your own work. See "Learning integrity" and the collaboration policy below.

Exams. There are three in-class midterm exams (see calendar for a tentative schedule), weighted equally. Subsequent exams will mainly focus on the material covered since the previous exam, but can include previous material too. There will be a final exam during the official final exam period covering the entire course.

There are no make-up exams except in circumstances recognized by the instructor as beyond the control of the student. To receive this consideration, the instructor must be notified of the problem before the exam unless this is impossible, in which case as soon as possible.

Time outside of class. I expect a typical student to spend about two to three hours outside of class for each hour in class. Some students need to spend a bit more than that (which is okay). If you are spending more than 10 hours per week on this course outside of class time, please come talk to me so we can find ways to help you learn the material without spending so much time.

Illness. You should make every effort to attend class when you are healthy. If you become ill, for your well-being and the well-being of the rest of the class, you should not come to class. (Nor should you show up to my office with your germs!) Yes, this sounds like common sense, but it is tempting to try and power through as normal so as not to fall behind. If you become ill, or know that you will need to miss class for some reason, please contact me as soon as you are able, and we will work together to plan how you will keep up and/or make up any missed work.

Policies

Learning integrity.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
- Psalm 139:23–24 NKJV
Collaborative work is an integral part of many successful ventures. As such, I expect that you should collaborate with your classmates a lot during your time in this course. However, it is important to understand that there is a big difference between thinking about and solving a problem as part of a group (which is good, both educationally and morally) and copying an answer or letting someone else copy your answer (which is bad, educationally and morally, and has punitive consequences).

In short, I trust you to maintain the utmost level of academic integrity in this course. Please do not break this trust; if you do, there will be repercussions. The formal policy below lays this out explicitly, and supplements Bethel's academic honesty policy.

Collaboration policy.

Accommodation policy. Disability-related accommodations are determined by the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (OARS). Students are responsible to contact the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services. Once OARS determines that accommodations are to be made, they will notify the student and the instructor via e-mail. Students choosing to use the disability-related accommodations must contact the instructor no later than five business days before accommodations are needed. The instructor will provide accommodations, but the student is required to initiate the process for the accommodations.

Concerns and appeals. If you have any concerns regarding the course, your grades, or the instructor, see the instructor first. If needed, see Bethel's academic appeals policy.

Getting Help

If you need help there are multitude of resources you can use: