Math 241, Sections 0311-0342
Fall, 2011

For last year's course, see here.

For the schedule of lectures, assignments, quizzes, and exams, please go to http://www.math.umd.edu/~jmr/241/homework.html.

Course Description

This course is the third semester in the standard calculus sequence for students majoring in mathematics, engineering, and the physical sciences. The prerequisite is MATH 141 or 141H at UMCP or equivalent advanced placement or transfer credit from elsewhere. Some background in physical sciences (at the level of high-school physics) is useful but not required. Whereas first-year calculus deals basically with functions of one variable and their graphs in the plane, this course deals with calculus of functions of two or more variables and of vector functions or vector fields in three-dimensional space. The course also covers multiple integrals, volume, surface area, and the classical theorems of Green, Stokes and Gauss. We will also discuss some physical applications.

The course will make use of the mathematical software package MATLAB, a product of The MathWorks. Use of the software package will be explained as we go along. As a useful byproduct of the course, you should eventually learn enough about MATLAB to be able to use it in your other science, engineering, and mathematics courses. The current version of MATLAB is MATLAB Release 2011b. If you are not already a MATLAB user, we strongly suggest that you learn on version 2011a or 2011b, on the most recent version available in a convenient university computer lab. If you already have a working copy of an earlier version of MATLAB, then you can continue to use it if you wish, but please be aware that we will not be willing to spend a lot of time telling you how to modify current MATLAB code to make it run under previous versions of MATLAB.

There are two kinds of class periods, lectures and discussions. Lectures will be held Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12:00 to 12:50, in room 0126 of the basement of Reckord Armory. Discussion sections (in classes of 20-30) will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at various times in rooms 0103 and 0109 of Hornbake Library. Some MATLAB demonstrations will be held in the lectures and discussion sections. The discussion sections will also be used for quizzes, going over homework problems, answering your questions on the material, etc. A complete schedule for the course, along with dates of quizzes and exams, may be found on the homework page.

In the event of snow or other inclement weather, class and scheduled quizzes or exams will be held unless the university is closed. Check the university web page, local radio or TV, the WTOP web page, or 301-405-SNOW for campus status.

Course Help

There is tutoring help with MATLAB in Computer Lab 37 in PG2, as well as regular tutoring help with the Ellis and Gulick topics (look for 241 in the table).

A useful resource is the math department testbank of old exams. If you search under MATH241, you will find lots of old exams to study from.

Instructors

The lecturer in these sections of MATH 241 is Professor Jonathan Rosenberg. His office is in room 2114 of the Mathematics Building, and his university phone extension is 55166. (Calling from outside the university, call 301-405-5166.) He will generally hold office hours Mondays and Wednesdays 10:00-11:00, or by appointment. He may also be reached by email for "electronic office hours" at any time at jmr@math.umd.edu.

Your TA is ...
SectionTimeClassroomTATA emailTA OfficeOffice PhoneTA Office Hours
031110 AMHBK 0103 Ioannis Markougmarkou@math.umd.eduMTH 4315  TuTh 12-1
031210 AMHBK 0109 Maxx Chomaxx@maxxcho.comCSS 4364C (301-40)58709Tu 2-3, F 11-12
032111 AMHBK 0103 Ioannis Markougmarkou@math.umd.eduMTH 4315  TuTh 12-1
032211 AMHBK 0109 Maxx Chomaxx@maxxcho.comCSS 4364C (301-40)58709Tu 2-3, F 11-12
033112 PMHBK 0103 Alexey Stepanovalex314@umd.eduCSS 4326 (301-40)53707MW 3-4
033212 PMHBK 0109 Stefan Doboszczakdoboss27@math.umd.eduMTH 4423  MTh 3-4
03411 PMHBK 0103 Alexey Stepanovalex314@umd.eduCSS 4326 (301-40)53707MW 3-4
03421 PMHBK 0109 Stefan Doboszczakdoboss27@math.umd.eduMTH 4423  MTh 3-4

Course Evaluation

Your participation in the evaluation of courses through CourseEvalUM is important to us, and helps improve teaching and learning at the University. CourseEvalUM will be open for you to complete your evaluations for fall semester courses until Wednesday, December 14. Please provide feedback on the course, the professor, and the TA before noon on Wednesday, December 14, 2011. Evaluations are anonymous and will not be available to faculty and TAs until next semester, so they cannot possibly affect your grade.

If you are happy with your TA, you might also want to nominate your TA for a good teaching award. The deadline for this is December 23, 2011.

Textbooks

The textbooks for these sections are:
  1. [EG] Calculus, Sixth Edition by R. Ellis and D. Gulick (REQUIRED). Don't be confused by the textbook listing. This book is available in 3 different versions. The basic text in all three of them is the same. Any one of the three will do. They are: old version, Thomson, 2004, ISBN 978-0-7-5931379-8, new version (custom), ISBN 978-1-1-3343675-1, or new version (custom) e-book, ISBN 978-1-1-3334899-3 (cheaper and lighter, but requires a reading device). Available at the University Book Center or at Maryland Book Exchange or at BookHolders. The e-book can also be ordered online directly from the publisher at CengageBrain.com.
  2. [GM] A Guide to MATLAB: for Beginners and Experienced Users by B. Hunt, R. Lipsman, and J. Rosenberg, with K. Coombes, J. Osborn, and G. Stuck, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, 2005, ISBN 978-0-5-2161565-5. (RECOMMENDED, NOT REQUIRED). Available at the University Book Center or at Maryland Book Exchange or at BookHolders.
  3. Additional (free) on-line materials integrating MATLAB into the material of the course will also be used (REQUIRED).

Course Requirements, Grading Policy

The maximum possible number of points you can score in this course is 800. Your final grade will depend upon the total points you score on homework, quizzes, four one-hour exams, and the final exam, distributed as follows:
 
Category Total Points
MATLAB Homework 100
Quizzes (based on E&G homework) 100
Four One-Hour Exams 400
Final Exam 200

A complete list of homework assignments and due dates is available. This schedule includes the schedule of exams. Late homework (without a valid excuse) will not be accepted. Homework assignments include both problems that must be done with MATLAB, to be submitted for a grade, and other problems from Ellis and Gulick not to be turned in, for you to do either with pencil-and-paper or MATLAB. The MATLAB homework should be prepared in the form of a published M-file (or mupad notebook). Quizzes in the recitation sections will be closely modeled on the suggested Ellis and Gulick problems. Rules about collaboration on the homework are explained on the homework web site, and will be strictly enforced. Please see the university regulations on academic integrity. You are asked to write the campus Honor Pledge on your homework assignments and exams. Early warning grades will be submitted by October 13, on the basis of Exam #1 and the first few homework assignments and quizzes. They have no significance other than to give you an idea of how you are doing in the course, and do not become part of your permanent record.

The instructors will adhere strictly to the official university policy on makeup exams. Makeups will only be given for legitimately excused, documented absences. Moreover, foreseeable absences (such as those resulting from participation in university-sponsored sporting events) must be documented prior to the date of the exam that will be missed. If you have a disability that might affect your ability to take the quizzes or exams with the rest of the class, or that we should know about for some other reason, please contact the instructors as soon as possible in the semester and we will make suitable arrangements with you. This information will be treated in confidence. See the Disability Support Service for more information and assistance.

Information about computer labs where you can work on the homework assignments is available here. Look for those labs offering MATLAB, preferably those offering Release 2010a or later. (Go check the lab you want in person, because the OIT "listing by software" is not kept up-to-date.) In the labs with "dual boot" (Mac OS/Windows) machines, the Windows option works best. If you would prefer to work on your own computer, you might wish to purchase your own copy of MATLAB Student Version, available at the University Book Center or the Maryland Book Exchange or from The MathWorks web site for about $100. It may be a good investment since you can also use the software in all your other math, science, statistics, and engineering courses, and your license is valid until you graduate. The Student Version comes with the Symbolic Math Toolbox (which you'll need for this course) as well as Simulink (useful for engineering) and the Statistics Toolbox (useful for statistics courses). Still another option is to run MATLAB on the university's servers remotely from your own computer, either via ssh to the glue system or via Citrix. (Thanks to Polina Vorozheykina for this last tip.)


This page last modified September 3, 2011. If you have comments or suggestions, please send email to jmr@math.umd.edu.