Math 161
Fall 2022
Week 14 Update
We spent this week mostly on project presentations. We also had the following quizzes:
On Wednesday we had our Implicit Differentiation first attempt.
On Friday we had our Integrals B third attempt.
Next week we will continue project presentations. Here's the schedule of presentations:
Wednesday, Section 7: Allison; Paris; Jun and Shania; Catalina and Paige
Wednesday, Section 8: David; Ryan N. and Lindsay
Friday, Section 7: Ajay, Caleb, and Ben; Sasha; Nisan and David
Friday, Section 8: Elle and Matthew; Lucas and Steven; Julia and Syd
And here are your deadlines:
The second attempt for Implicit Differentiation will be on Wednesday.
There is no MyOpenMath assignment this week.
There is no reflection assignment this week.
There are many other important announcements today:
There is no class on Monday.
There are no office hours on Monday and Tuesday. There will be additional office hours on Wednesday from 9-10 AM. (Thursday's office hours will happen as normal.)
On Friday, please bring a laptop to class if you have one. We will be doing course evaluations and also I will be having you fill out an online survey about your study plan for the final. If you do not have a laptop, a phone will work ok for these activities, but it will be a lot easier to type your responses on a computer.
The final is December 14 from 4-7 PM in Hugel 100.
I will be having office hours after classes are over in the days leading up to our final. There will also be some Calculus Calvary sessions during this time. I will update you on the times for these once they are scheduled.
If you ever have anything you want to share anonymously, feel free to fill out this comments form.
Reminders/Announcements
I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving break. A couple of announcements heading into this week:
Going into project presentations, I want to remind you that you need to be respectful of the time and effort your classmates have put into their projects. This means attending class and listening attentively while they are presenting.
Tomorrow all we are doing in class is watching 2 presentations. This will not take all of class time. You may leave after the presentations but I highly encourage you to stay and spend the rest of class time working on your projects (I will stay and can answer any questions you have).
Remember that in addition to project presentations, we have the Implicit Differentiation first attempt on wednesday and the Integrals B third attempt on Friday
.Class and office hours will be cancelled on Monday 12/5. Tuesday's usual office hours on 12/6 will be rescheduled to Wednesday 12/7 from 9-10 AM.
See you tomorrow!
Week 12 Update
Here is a summary of what we did this week:
On Monday we had our Integrals C first attempt and learned about implicit differentiation.
On Wednesday we had our Integrals A second attempt and learned about related rates.
On Friday we had our Integrals B second attempt and continued practicing related rates.
Next week we only have class on Monday and it will be a retake day. You should come if you want to retake any of the following (you may retake as many of these as you would like on Monday):
Limits A
Derivatives A
Integrals A
Integrals C
The week following Thanksgiving we will start having project presentations. Here's the schedule of presentations:
Monday, Section 7: Ryan; Anthony
Monday, Section 8: Sam; Ryan K.
Wednesday, Section 7: Alina, Brynnlan, and Abby; Ella and Nick
Wednesday, Section 8: Tim, Dan, and Jackson; Olivia C. and Lorelei
Friday, Section 7: Matthew and Gianna; Allison
Friday, Section 8: Liz, Olivia H., and Olivia K.; Leah and Ajani
And here are your deadlines for the week after Thanksgiving:
The first attempt for Implicit Differentiation will be on Wednesday.
The last MyOpenMath homework is due Wednesday at 10 PM.
The third attempt for Integrals B will be on Friday.
There is no reflection assignment this week.
Some other important announcements:
Have a good Thanksgiving!
If you ever have anything you want to share anonymously, feel free to fill out this comments form.
Week 11 Update
Here is a summary of what we did this week:
On Monday we had our Derivatives Applications D second attempt and learned about the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus(!).
On Wednesday we had our Integrals A first attempt and learned about u-substitution for indefinite integrals.
On Friday we had our Integrals B first attempt and learned about u-substitution for definite integrals.
Here are the topics we have coming up next week:
Monday: Implicit Differentiation (Section 2.6)
Wednesday: Related Rates (Section 2.8)
Friday: Related Rates (Section 2.8)
And here are your deadlines for next week:
The first attempt for Integrals C will be on Monday.
The second attempt for Integrals A will be on Wednesday.
The tenth (second-to-last) MyOpenMath homework is due Wednesday at 10 PM.
The second attempt for Integrals B will be on Friday.
There is no reflection assignment this week.
Some other important announcements:
I will be giving you a third attempt before the final on Limits A, Derivatives A, Integrals A, and Integrals B (the 4 quizzes where you have to get a P or better to pass the class). The third attempts for Limits A, Derivatives A, and Integrals A will happen Monday 11/21 (as well as the second attempt for Integrals C). Since you won't have gotten your second attempt at Integrals B back in time to study for that day, the third attempt for Integrals B will take place on 12/2.
If you ever have anything you want to share anonymously, feel free to fill out this comments form.
Week 10 Update
Here is a summary of what we did this week:
On Monday we had our Derivatives Applications D first attempt and learned how to estimate area under a curve.
On Wednesday we had our Derivative Applications C second attempt and learned about what area under a curve represents.
On Friday we discussed Dr. Haunsperger's story and we learned about definite integrals.
Here are the topics we have coming up next week:
Monday: The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus!! (Section 4.3)
Wednesday: u-Substitution for Indefinite Integrals (Section 4.5)
Friday: u-Substitution for Definite Integrals (Section 4.5)
And here are your deadlines for next week:
The second attempt for Derivative Applications D will be on Monday.
The first attempt for Integrals A will be on Wednesday.
The eighth and ninth MyOpenMath homeworks are due Wednesday at 10 PM.
The first attempt for Integrals B will be on Friday.
There is no reflection assignment this week.
Some other important announcements:
Tuesday's office hours will be rescheduled to be 11AM-12PM this week.
You will be getting your detailed project assignements on Monday.
If you ever have anything you want to share anonymously, feel free to fill out this comments form.
Week 9 Update
Here is a summary of what we did this week:
On Monday we had our Derivatives Applications B second attempt and learned about optimization.
On Wednesday we had our Derivative Applications C first attempt and continued the optimization worksheet. We also talked about the final project.
On Friday we discussed Dr. Kent's story about coming out and we learned about antiderivatives.
Here are the topics we have coming up next week:
Monday: Area Problems (Section 4.1)
Wednesday: Definite Integrals (Section 4.2)
Friday: The First Fundamental Theorem of Calculus (Section 4.3)
And here are your deadlines for next week:
The first attempt for Derivative Applications D will be on Monday.
The final project sign-up form is due on Monday at 5 PM.
The second attempt for Derivative Applications C will be on Wednesday.
The eighth MyOpenMath homework is due Wednesday at 10 PM.
The reflection assignment linked to here is due before class on Friday.
Some other important announcements:
Remember that there were changes to the quiz schedule and the Integrals A first attempt is no longer on Friday of this coming week (it's on Wednesday the week after).
If you ever have anything you want to share anonymously, feel free to fill out this comments form.
Final Project Sign-Up Form and Mid-Week Announcements
As mentioned in class today, you need to fill out this form to sign up for a final project by Monday of next week (10/31) at 5 PM. I will need to adjust each project to make sure it's an appropriate amount of work for the individual/group assigned to it, so I will assign your project and give you a full description by Monday 11/7.
Since we opted to spend an extra day on optimization, the schedule of quizzes will have the following changes.Integrals A will have the first attempt on 11/9 and the second attempt on 11/16Integrals B will have the first attempt on 11/11 and the second attempt on 11/18.
On Friday, starting at 11am on the Quad side of Pardee, Glen Whitney and the math department will be building Fort Sierpinski, a 20-foot structure in the form of the Sierpinski tetrahedron. Absolutely no math background is needed to participate — if you’ve ever played with Tinkertoys, Legos, or wooden blocks, you’re qualified! Drop by for 5 minutes or an hour, even well into the afternoon, to help bring our mammoth model of this famous fractal to life. Glen is the Problem Warden of the Prison Math Project (see prisonersdilemma.org).
Week 8 Update
Here is a summary of what we did this week:
On Monday we had our Derivatives Applications B first attempt and learned about horizontal asymptotes.
On Wednesday we had our Derivative Applications A retake and summarized what we've learned about curve sketching. We also went over the Derivatives Applications B first attempt quiz.
Here are the topics we have coming up next week:
Monday: Optimization (Section 3.7)
Wednesday: Antiderivatives (Section 3.9)
Friday: Area Problems (Section 4.1)
And here are your deadlines for next week:
The second attempt for Derivative Applications B will be on Monday.
The first attempt for Derivative Applications C will be on Wednesday.
The seventh MyOpenMath homework is due Wednesday at 10 PM.
The reflection assignment linked to here is due before class on Friday.
Some other important announcements:
Remember there are no office hours today and no class on Friday!
On Wednesday of next week I will introduce the final project.
If you ever have anything you want to share anonymously, feel free to fill out this comments form.
Week 7 Update
Here is a summary of what we did this week:
On Wednesday we had our Derivative Applications A first attempt and learned how the sign of the first and second derivatives can tell us about the shape of a graph.
On Friday we had our Derivatives C retake and learned how to use the first and second derivative tests.
Here are the topics we have coming up next week:
Monday: Limits at Infinity and Asymptotes (Section 3.4)
Wednesday: Curve Sketching (Section 3.5)
Friday: No class
And here are your deadlines for next week:
The first attempt for Derivative Applications B will be on Monday.
The second attempt for Derivatives Applications A will be on Wednesday.
The sixth MyOpenMath homework is due Wednesday at 10 PM.
There is no reflection assignment this week.
Some other important announcements:
I have to be out of town on Friday 10/21, so class is cancelled that day.
If you ever have anything you want to share anonymously, feel free to fill out this comments form.
Week 6 Update
Here is a summary of what we did this week:
On Monday we had our Derivatives C first attempt and learned about the Mean Value Theorem.
On Friday we had our Derivatives B retake and learned using derivatives to find maxima and minima of a function.
Here are the topics we have coming up next week:
Monday: No class (Fall Break)
Wednesday: Derivatives and the Shape of a Graph (Section 3.3)
Friday: The First and Second Derivative Tests (Section 3.3)
And here are your deadlines for next week:
The first attempt for Applications A will be on Wednesday.
The second attempt for Derivatives C will be on Friday.
There is no MyOpenMath assignment this week.
There is no reflection assignment this week
Some other important announcements:
I have extended the sixth MyOpenMath homework to be due next Wednesday so that you don't have to do homework over break. The homeworks will continue to be due every Wednesday after that. In particular, the seventh MyOpenMath homework will be due Wednesday 10/19, so that assignment will be open for a week longer than normal.
I have to be out of town on Friday 10/21, so class is cancelled that day (sorry to have 3 not full weeks in a row!)
If you ever have anything you want to share anonymously, feel free to fill out this comments form.
Week 5 Update
Here is a summary of what we did this week:
On Monday we had our Derivatives A retake and learned about inverse functions and their derivatives. By the end of the lecture, we had figured out the derivative of all logarithmic and exponential functions.
On Wednesday we had our Derivatives B first attempt and learned the chain rule.
On Friday we discussed a vignette written by Dr. Robin Wilsoon about his experiences being excluded in math. We also learned how to do linear approximation and how to apply derivatives to scientific settings.
Here are the topics we have coming up next week:
Monday: The Mean Value Theorem (Section 3.2)
Wednesday: No class
Friday: Maximums and Minimums (Section 3.1)
And here are your deadlines for next week:
The first attempt for Derivatives C will be on Monday.
The second attempt for Derivatives B will be on Friday.
The fifth MyOpenMath homework is due Wednesday at 10 PM.
There is no reflection assignment this week
Some other important announcements:
I have written a form to collect some feedback from you about how the semester's going and if there are things I can change to help you succeed better. Please fill this out by the end of the weekend so I can look at it, make some decisions about the class schedule going forward, and let you know how/if the schedule in the syllabus is changing before you leave for fall break. It's not required but would be very helpful for me (if you fill it out during the week next week I'll look at it, but I may have already some of the decisions you would have been influencing).
Remember that there is no class on Wednesday.
If you ever have anything you want to share anonymously, feel free to fill out this comments form.
Some Mid-Week Announcements
I have written a form to collect some feedback from you about how the semester's going and if there are things I can change to help you succeed better. Please fill this out by the end of the weekend so I can look at it, make some decisions about the class schedule going forward, and let you know how/if the schedule in the syllabus is changing before you leave for fall break. It's not required but would be very helpful for me (if you fill it out during the week next week I'll look at it, but I may have already some of the decisions you would have been influencing).
There's an inclusive STEM event on Thursday (tomorrow) from 5-7 pm on the quad. I attached a flyer to my email for those who are interested.
Week 4 Update
Here is a summary of what we did this week:
On Monday we had our Derivatives A first attempt and learned somoe shortcuts for taking the derivatives of polynomials.
On Wednesday we had our Limits C second attempt and learned the product and quotient rules.
On Friday we discussed vignette written by Dr. Rachel Vale about her experience with imposter syndrome and we computed the derivatives of trigonometric and exponential functions.
Here are the topics we have coming up next week:
Monday: Inverse Functions and Derivatives of Logarithmic Functions (Sections 6.1, 6.4)
Wednesday: The Chain Rule (Section 2.5)
Friday: Linear Approximation and Applications of Derivatives to the Sciences (Sections 2.7, 2.9)
And here are your deadlines for next week:
The second attempt for Derivatives A will be on Monday.
The first attempt for Derivatives B will be on Wednesday.
The fourth MyOpenMath homework is due Wednesday at 10 PM.
The reflection assignment linked to here is due before class on Friday.
Some other important announcements:
Monday's usual office hours will be moved to be from 4-5 PM instead of 9-10 AM.
Remember that you are expected to be an active participant in group work in class and that this is part of your grade. I know it's hard on a Friday afternoon, but this means talking to your group members - not just working through the problems on your own and not texting instead of listening to your group mates.
I will be looking through your end-of-week reflections this weekend and deciding based on that whether we will continue to use the boards.
If you ever have anything you want to share anonymously, feel free to fill out this comments form.
Week 3 Update
Here is a summary of what we did this week:
On Monday we had our Limits A second attempt and we went over the Limits B first attempt quiz.
On Wednesday we had our Limits C first attempt and we discussed the meaning of derivative as a rate of change as well as when a function is differentiable.
On Friday we had our Limits B second attempt and learned about the derivative function.
Here are the topics we have coming up next week:
Monday: Derivatives of Polynomials (Section 2.3)
Wednesday: Product and Quotient Rules (Section 2.3)
Friday: Derivatives of Trigonometric and Exponential Functions (Sections 2.4, 6.2)
And here are your deadlines for next week:
The first attempt for Derivatives A will be on Monday.
The second attempt for Limits C will be on Wednesday.
The third MyOpenMath homework is due Wednesday at 10 PM.
The reflection assignment linked to here is due before class on Friday.
Some other important announcements:
Office hours on this Thursday 9/22 are cancelled!
I am now scanning the notes from the lecture portion of class and posting them on the course website.
If you ever have anything you want to share anonymously, feel free to fill out this comments form. Thanks for the suggestions so far!
Limit Laws Quiz
Upon grading Friday's quizzes, I've decided it's best if we spend Friday going over them in class. We will have the second attempt on limits A for the first 15 minutes of class (only the people who want to do the retake need to come for that). We will spend the rest of the time going over Friday's quiz, so if you didn't take it because of an excused absence, you should leave after the limit A retake.
Please note that this will push us back a day, so some of the mastery assessment dates in the syllabus may change. The ones before fall break will still be as it says in the syllabus, if I want to make changes to the dates of the later ones I will let you know ahead of time.
Here is a flowchart that I made that may be helpful in your practice with limit law problems.
Week 2 Update
I know that the quiz today was hard. I want to remind everyone that I have office hours listed in the syllabus and am happy to work on problems with you and answer your questions there. There is also the Calculus Calvary peer tutoring that offers drop in hours Sundays - Thursdays. Another great way to practice is by doing problems from the book or practicing with the practice problem sets on MyOpenMath.
Here is a summary of what we did this week:
Remember that any information you need can usually be found on the course webpage (this is a different website from the MyOpenMath page).
On Monday we had our Limits A first attempt and we learned how to use limit laws to compute limits algebraically.
On Wednesday we discussed a vignette by Dr. Taalman in Living Proof and we learned about continuity.
On Friday we had our Limits B first attempt and learned the definition of a derivative.
Here are the topics we have coming up next week:
Monday: Rates of Change and Differentiability (Section 2.1/2.2)
Wednesday: The Derivative Function (Section 2.2)
Friday: Derivatives of Polynomials (Section 2.3)
And here are your deadlines for next week:
The second attempt for Limits A will be on Monday. If you are not retaking this quiz, you can come to class 15 minutes late.
The first attempt for Limits C will be on Wednesday.
The second MyOpenMath homework is due Wednesday at 10 PM.
The second attempt for Limits B will be on Monday (you will again have 20 minutes rather than the usual 15 for this one).
Some other important announcements:
Now that we are in the derivatives section, you no longer need to justify all your steps taking limits with limit laws. However, you will still need to do this on the remaining limits mastery quizzes.
Remember that you will be in the same groups for Monday's and Wednesday's classes that you were in today.
If you ever have anything you want to share anonymously, feel free to fill out this comments form.
Week 1 Update
Great job the first week! I hope you are all getting settled in and into the rhythm of the semester.
Here is a summary of what we did this week:
Remember that any information you need can usually be found on the course webpage.
On Monday we investigated average and instantaneous velocity and the relationship between them.
On Wednesday we did precalc review.
On Friday we discussed this blog post about virtual/hybrid learning and learned the basics of limits.
Here are the topics we have coming up next week:
Monday: Calculating limits algebraically (Section 1.5)
Wednesday: Continuity (Section 1.8)
Friday: Derivatives (Section 2.1)
And here are your deadlines for next week:
We have our first mastery quiz, Limits A, on Monday. It will take place the first 15 minutes of Monday's class. The syllabus has details about what will be covered on the quiz.
The reflection assignment linked to here is due before class on Wednesday.
The first homework, which you can find on the MyOpenMath system, is due Wednesday at 10 PM.
Our second mastery quiz, Limits B, will be on Friday. This one is a little bit longer than most, so you will have 20 minutes instead of the usual 15.
Some other important announcements:
There is class on Monday (even though it's Labor Day)!
Remember that you will be in the same groups for Monday's and Wednesday's classes that you were in today.
If you ever have anything you want to share anonymously, feel free to fill out this comments form.
8/31 Announcements
Thank you for a great first few days of class. We will be starting to learn new material on Friday, so come prepared to learn about limits. We will also have our first reflection assignment and discussion on Friday, so please follow the directions on this form and fill it out before class Friday's class.
Also, unrelatedly, I forgot to mention that on Wednesday 10/5 class will be cancelled.
Week 0 Update
Hello and welcome to Math 161!
A couple of bookkeeping things before the semester officially starts. The course webpage is now live so feel free to check that out if you wish. In addition there are 3 things you should do before class on Monday (if possible, I know it's a short turnaround):
Fill out this survey so I can get to know a little bit more about you and how to best help you throughout the semester.
Sign up here for a 10 minute time slot to meet with me at office hours the first week of classes. Note that the times listed on the spreadsheet are only the office hours times for the first week, not for the rest of the semester (those are listed on the syllabus). You will need to be signed in to your Lafayette account to sign up.
Add yourself to the course on MyOpenMath by following these steps:
Go to https://www.myopenmath.com/.
Create an account using your Lafayette email address. (If you already have an account, skip this step.)
Log in and select "Enroll in a new class."
Add yourself to the course using:
Course ID: 159128
Enrollment Key: calc1lafayette
See you on Monday!