Peter B Gilkey
202 Deady Hall,1-541-346-4717 (office phone) 1-541-346-0987 (fax) email: gilkey@uoregon.edu
Mathematics Department, University of Oregon, Eugene Oregon 97403 USA

Math 281 Fall 2015 08:00 CRN 13825

Syllabus - version 6 as of 15 April 2015

  • Office Hours Deady 202:  Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:00-10:50 or by appointment
    Gilkey will also be in his office most Sundays 10:00-10:50. Call to be let into the building (6-4717). It is best to verify in advance Gilkey will be in on any given Sunday.
  • 08:00-08:50 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday in DEA 306
  • Text: MultiVariable Calculus by James Stewart (Thomson Brooks/Cole) is the textbook. The 5th edition, the 6th edition, and the 7th edition are all equally acceptable for this course and previous editions can perhaps be obtained more cheaply on the web. Homeworks will be graded using WEBWORKS and the problems will not be specific to the particular edition used -- your account will probably not be active until classes start. You will login with your regular UO credentials (the same username and password as your UO email). The connection to the webwork server is now secure (https) so it is OK to be typing your real password to authenticate. An average well-prepared student should expect to spend about 12 hours per week on this class, but of course, there can be a lot of variation depending on background and ability.
  • Organization. Homework is probably the most important activity in the course in terms of helping you internalize the material. Homework will be due each Tuesday on the material of the previous week. The Monday class period will be a discussion section for the homework to be due the subsequent day by 0800 - there will be a quiz the last 20 minutes of class most Monday's.
  • If you have a notification letter from the Accessible Education Center, please give me a copy as soon as possible so the relevant accommodations can be finalized
  • Grades:
  • 100 points Homework and Quiz Average (The 2 lowest scores from the combined list of HW and QZ scores will be dropped)
  • 100 points Exam #1 Wednesday 21 October 2015 (Week 4)
  • 100 points Exam #2 Wednesday 18 November 2015 (Week 8)
  • 200 points Final Exam Tuesday 8 December 2015 10:15-12:15. According to faculty legislation, final exams may not be given early under any circumstances. So please do not ask for special treatment to have an early final exam as this will not be granted.
  • An incomplete can be assigned when the quality of work is satisfactory but a minor yet essential requirement of the course has not been completed for reasons acceptable to the instructor (NOTE: this grade requires a contract to be completed). Your final grade will be assigned on the basis of the total point score of 500 points. Any student getting at least a B on the final will receive at least a C- in the course; no student can pass the course unless they receive a grade of D or better on the final exam. You must bring your photo ID to all exams. You may bring a 3x5 inch index card with any formulas on it to any exam or quiz if you wish. Similarly, you may bring with you a hand held graphing calculator to any exam or quiz if you wish.
  • Teaching Associate: Ekaterina Puffini
  • See Academic Calendar

    Reading and homework Assignments

  • Course objective: Understand the geometry of space (cross product, dot product, projection formula, equations of lines and planes), understand the basic quadratic surfaces (paraboloids, hyperboloids of one sheet, hyperboloids of two sheets, ellipsoids, cylinders), be able to compute partial derivatives, obtain the best linear approximation, determine the tangent plane. Students should be able to compute with and apply the chain rule, compute directional derivatives, and understand Taylor and Maclaurin series. Students should understand the geometry of the gradient - the gradient points in the direction of maximal increase and minus the gradient points in the direction of maximal decrease - at a local minima or maxima the gradient vanishes (i.e. the function has a critical point). Students should be able to apply the second derivative test (Hessian) to find label a critical point as a local minima, local maxima, saddle point, etc. Students should be able to solve problems involving the methods of LaGrange multipliers to find local minima and maxima of functions subject to constraints.

    Learning outcomes

    Note Learning outcomes are brief statements identifying the major skills, abilities, and concepts a student is expected to acquire from your course. The word "outcomes" can be used interchangeably with "goals" or "objectives" as long as the abilities in question are meaningfully evaluated using exams, papers, and other accepted means. The point is to make your expectations more transparent by articulating what may be only implicit in your course description, lesson topics, and assignments. Three to six short sentences or bullet points will suffice. Active verbs (evaluate, analyze, demonstrate, etc.) concretize expectations better than vague ones (appreciate, study, learn, etc.). And, of course, to invent non-verbs like "concretize".

    Students should be able to compute the cross product and the dot product of vectors in space, to determine the projection of a vector on a line, to determine the equations of lines and planes, and to be able to recognize, distinguish between, and graph the basic quadratic surfaces (paraboloids, hyperboloids of one sheet, hyperboloids of two sheets, ellipsoids, cylinders). They should be able to compute partial derivatives, obtain the best linear approximation, and to determine the tangent plane. Students should be able to compute with and demonstrate understanding of the chain rule, to compute directional derivatives, and demonstrate understanding of and compute specific examples of Taylor and Maclaurin series. Students should be able to demonstrate understanding of the geometry of the gradient - the gradient points in the direction of maximal increase and minus the gradient points in the direction of maximal decrease - at a local minima or maxima the gradient vanishes (i.e. the function has a critical point). Students should be able to apply the second derivative test (Hessian) to find label a critical point as a local minima, local maxima, saddle point, etc. Students should be able to solve problems involving the methods of LaGrange multipliers to find local minima and maxima of functions subject to constraints.

    Mathematics Department Undergraduate Grading Standards (November 2011). There are two important issues that this grading policy recognizes.

    1. Mathematics is hierarchical. A student who is given a grade of C- or higher in a course must have mastery of that material that allows the possibility of succeeding in courses for which that course is a prerequisite.
    2. Some mathematics courses are primarily concerned with techniques and applications. In such courses student success is measured by the student's ability to model, successfully apply the relevant technique, and bring the calculation to a correct conclusion. The department's 100-level courses and most calculus courses are examples in this category although these are not the only examples.
    Rubric for the course: Modeling, in mathematical education parlance, means the process of taking a problem which is not expressed mathematically and expressing it mathematically (typically as an equation or a set of equations). This is usually followed by solving the relevant equation or equations and interpreting the answer in terms of the original problem.

    Detailed interpretation of the rubrics depends on the content and level of the course and will be at the discretion of instructors. Whether to award grades of A+ is at the discretion of instructors.


    Academic dishonesty

    Academic Misconduct: The University Student Conduct Code (available at conduct.uoregon.edu) defines academic misconduct. Students are prohibited from committing or attempting to commit any act that constitutes academic misconduct. By way of example, students should not give or receive (or attempt to give or receive) unauthorized help on assignments or examinations without express permission from the instructor. Students should properly acknowledge and document all sources of information (e.g. quotations, paraphrases, ideas) and use only the sources and resources authorized by the instructor. If there is any question about whether an act constitutes academic misconduct, it is the studentsŐ obligation to clarify the question with the instructor before committing or attempting to commit the act. Additional information about a common form of academic misconduct, plagiarism, is available at http://library.uoregon.edu/guides/plagiarism/students/index.html see also http://uodos.uoregon.edu/StudentConductandCommunityStandards/AcademicMisconduct/tabid/248/Default.aspx.

    Title IX

    Under Title IX, The instructor has a duty to report relevant information. The UO is committed to providing an environment free of all forms of prohibited discrimination and sexual harassment, including sexual assault, domestic and dating violence and gender-based stalking. Any UO employee who becomes aware that such behavior is occurring has a duty to report that information to their supervisor or the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity. The University Health Center and University Counseling and Testing Center can provide assistance and have a greater ability to work confidentially with students. Note: UO employees also have a duty to report child abuse. For those classes and/or processes in which students have historically reported information regarding child abuse, the language can be expanded to provide that notice as well by adding the following statement: All UO employees are required to report to appropriate authorities when they have reasonable cause to believe that any child with whom they come in contact has suffered abuse or any person with whom they come in contact has abused a child.

    Ethical Standards

    From the President's Office 2 May 2014: The University of Oregon is a community of scholars dedicated to the highest standards of academic inquiry, learning, and service. We are also committed to the highest standards of ethics as we work to fulfill our mission. We all share responsibility for ensuring that we conduct our transactions in ways that are ethical, honest, and reflect sound fiduciary practices. To accomplish this, it is important that all UO employees review, understand, and consistently practice the standards included in the following laws, rules, and policies including:
    1. ORS Chapter 244, which codifies ethics and conflict of interest policies that you are required to follow as you conduct University of Oregon business. See the guide for public officials here.
    2. The Oregon University System (OUS) has a responsibility to prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse and to hold accountable those who engage in it. The OUS Fraud, Waste, and Abuse policy sets forth guidelines for reporting known or suspected fraud, waste, or abuse within any OUS institution.
    3. If you are aware of fraud, waste, or abuse occurring at the UO or within the OUS, matters can be reported to campus management, OUS Internal Audit Division, or OUS Financial Concerns Hotline. Additional information is also available on the UO Business Affairs and UO vice president for finance and administration webpages.
    4. The OUS information security policy and UO information security policy set forth your responsibilities relating to the security of electronic information systems and confidentiality of data. A more comprehensive listing of state laws and rules that guide our operations is available here.
    5. The UO will continue a similar focus on these important issues under our new governance structure. We will communicate any changes to reporting protocols after July 1. We are all responsible for understanding and complying with ORS 244, applicable government regulations and policies. We also have a responsibility to raise compliance and ethics concerns through established channels. I appreciate your commitment to integrity and honesty, as it is an essential element in maintaining an ethical and secure UO workplace environment for everyone.

    Statement on Final Exams

  • 1. In the week preceding final examination during fall, winter, and spring terms: No examination worth more than 20% of the final grade will be given, with the exception of make-up examinations. No final examinations will be given under any guise. No work that will be evaluated for grades/credit will be due unless it has been clearly specified on the class syllabus within the first two weeks of the term.
  • 2. Take-home examinations will be due no earlier than the day of the formally assigned final examination for the class in question.

    This action clarifies and extends earlier faculty legislation (1911 Faculty Assembly archives) prohibiting the giving of final examinations earlier than officially scheduled.

    In addition, you should be aware of the Faculty Advisory CouncilŐs statement on students with multiple exams:

    Examination schedules are listed each term in the Time Schedule. Students who are scheduled to take more than three examinations within one calendar day may take the additional examination(s) as makeup examination(s) later in the examination week. The instructor(s) of record for the course(s) beyond the third examination, counting in the order the examination(s) are scheduled, will arrange for (a) makeup examination(s).

    The following procedures were approved by the Undergraduate Council to address rare circumstances of competing exam times. Students with examination conflicts may contact the Office of Academic Advising for assistance.

    In the case of two examinations scheduled at the same time, the course with the largest enrollment must provide an alternate examination. For conflicts between regular courses and combined examinations, the combined examination course must provide the alternate examination. For combined examinations with conflicts, the largest combined enrollment course must provide the alternative examination.

    Questions and concerns regarding this policy should be directed first to the relevant instructor, then the department head, and finally the dean if necessary. You may also find reference to the policy on the Academic Affairs website. If additional input is needed, please contact srviceprovost@uoregon.edu.


    To rest on the blue of the day, like an eagle rests on the wind, over the cold range, confident on its wings and its breadth.

    Web page spun on 29 April 2015 by Peter B Gilkey 202 Deady Hall, Department of Mathematics at the University of Oregon, Eugene OR 97403-1222, U.S.A. Phone 1-541-346-4717 Email:peter.gilkey.cc.67@aya.yale.edu of Deady Spider Enterprises