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       Matlab click here for Matlab Webpage

Matlab is a software package designed for numerical computation. It has a built-in library of procedures to perform some of the computations that arise in the calculus sequence. It is used in 20D (differential equations) and 20F (linear algebra).  In many ways Matlab can be thought of as a sophisticated calculator which, in a course, can take the emphasis off performing computation and place it on understanding.  Matlab is not a computer algebra system (it is not designed to perform symbolic computations like symbolic differentiation, integration, etc.)

You will have a computer account and will be required to attend a computer lab on Tuesdays. The lab will me at the same hour at which your Thursday discussion session meets.  For our lecture the lab is in the CLICS center, North West Mezzanine.

The Matlab part of the class is conducted by the teaching assistants.  The Matlab assignments will be posted on the Internet.  You might want to bookmark the URL.

 
 
 

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Exam Schedule

 We will have two midterm exams and a final exam.  The midterms will be during the lecture hour (8:00-8:50) in the lecture room (Solis 104). The final exam will be as in the schedule of classes.  The room for the final exam will be announced, but it is usually the lecture room.    Blue books will be required unless you are notified otherwise.

Midterm 1	Friday - Oct 24	8:00 - 8:50	Solis 104
Midterm 2	Friday - Nov 21	8:00 - 8:50	Solis 104
Final	Wednesday  -  Dec 10	8:00 - 11:00	Solis 104

 
 
 
 



 

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Grading Policy

There will be two midterm exams and a final exam.  Weekly homework and Matlab assignments will also be counted.

There are two major components of my grading policy:

The first is that I feel that grades should not be competitive. There should be announced standards. Work is judged by how it meets those standards -- not on who else happens to be in the class that Quarter. Please feel free to help each other -- in any honest way you can.

The second has to do with homework.  Everyone knows that homework is really the most important part of a math course.  The problem is that homework occurs at the time students are just learning a topic. This is really not the time to evaluate accomplishment. So homework is not "graded" it is read and commented upon.  I have been pursuaded (by students) that, nevertheless, homework should be counted in the grade.  My policy is to add one point to your score for each "satisfactory" homework you turn in. This means that homework can mean the difference of a letter in your final grade.

All exams will have 100 points. Let  High be the highest of your two midterm score and Low the lowest .  Let Fin be your score on the final exam.  Your exam score, Exams, is a weighted average of these:  Exams =    (Low + 2 High + 3 Fin)/6.  Your  Score  is computed by

                         Score =  .9 Exams +  .1 Matlab  +  Hwk

The following cutoffs will not be raised.

 

A	Score >= 90
B	90 > Score >= 80
C	80 > Score >= 70
D	70 > Score >= 60

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