Math 222, Fall 2001 8:50 MWF, B102 Van Vleck Hall Prof. Wilson

Welcome to Math 222! Here are a few comments on how the course will run. Check the course web site, http://outreach.math.wisc.edu/local/Courses/222fal01/math_222.htm, for the latest information.

· Course meetings: You really do need to attend both the lecture and your discussion section. They serve different purposes: In the lecture we will cover lots of new material, but in a situation where it is not practical to answer questions, and with a limited number of examples. In the discussion section you can ask questions and see worked examples. The discussion section may also include quizzes.

· Grading: There will be three midterm exams and a final exam. There will also be a grade from the discussion section. The final grade will be based on all of these. The final exam will cover the entire course with only slightly more weight given to the very last material, that which has not been covered on a previous exam. The discussion grade will definitely play a part in your final grade, possibly negative as well as positive!

· Exams: Midterm exams will take place in the evenings, so you can have more time and more room than in the lecture situation. Exams will be 5:30-7:00 PM on the following Tuesdays: October 2, November 6, and December 4. You should plan now to be free at those times. Rooms for those exams (and for the final) have not yet been assigned. The final exam time, shown on the course schedule, is the time given in the UW timetable. There should be almost no conflicts with that time. Requests for alternate exam times will not be automatically granted and, in keeping with UW policy, will never be granted for times earlier than the official time.

· At this web site you can also find the course schedule. The reading assignments should be read before we reach that point in lecture. The problems suggested are intended to let you test your own understanding of what you needed to get out of each section. Some of them may be assigned in your discussion section to be turned in for grading, but you should work through all of them. As the saying goes, “Mathematics is not a spectator sport.” You only learn it by doing it.

· You are not required to have a graphing calculator for this course. You are not required to have a scientific calculator, but you might find it helpful: Some of the assigned problems require you to do a significant amount of arithmetic.

· While the main goal of this class is the ability to understand and solve problems using the tools of calculus, that understanding may needs a theoretical base. We will definitely cover some theoretical material which you may be expected to answer questions on. If all you can do is calculate, a computer or calculator can beat you every time.

· I will post general announcements, sample problems, etc. at the course web site, which is http://outreach.math.wisc.edu/local/Courses/222fal01/math_222.htm. In addition I will send email messages to the class: Make sure your email address is correctly entered through EASI.

· My schedule, including office hours, is posted at my web site, http://www.math.wisc.edu/~wilson. My office is 411 Van Vleck Hall, where the telephone is (608) 263-5944. My email address is wilson@math.wisc.edu.