Syllabus for MATH 147

Calculus I for the Biological Sciences

Instructor: Dr. Peter Howard, Blocker 620D

Phone: 862-3459

Email: phoward@math.tamu.edu

Textbook: Calculus for Biology and Medicine, 2nd Edition, by C. Neuhauser, Pearson (2004). 

Prerequisites: Math 150 or equivalent.

Course Goal: The goal of this course is to introduce students to differential calculus in a context that emphasizes applications in the biological sciences.

Exams: There will be three evening exams during the semester as well as a comprehensive final. 

Grades: Final grades will be determined in the following manner: Homework assignments: 15%; Quizzes: 15%; In-class exams: 15% each; Final exam: 25%.  Grade ranges will be standard: 89.50-100, A; 79.50-89.49, B; 69.50-79.49, C, 59.50-69.49, D; below 59.50, F.

Make-up policy: Make-ups for exams will only be given if the student can provide a documented University-approved excuse (see University Regulations). According to University Student Rules students are required to notify an instructor by the end of the next working day after missing an exam. Otherwise the student forfeits his or her right to a make-up.

Scholastic Dishonesty: Copying work done by others, either in-class or out of class, is an act of scholastic dishonesty and will be prosecuted to the full extent allowed by University policy. "An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do." Please refer to the Honor Council Rules and Procedures, available at the Office of the Aggie Honor System.

Students with Disabilities: The following statement was provided by the Department of Student Life: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities.  If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Department of Student Life, Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD), in Room 126 of the Koldus building or call 845-1637.

Class Schedule: We will cover the following material from Calculus for Biology and Medicine, 2nd Edition, by C. Neuhauser, Pearson (2004). 
Week
Material Covered
Week 1
Chapter 1: Preliminaries, Elementary Functions, and Graphing
Week 2
Section 2.1: Exponential Growth and Decay
Section 2.2: Sequences
Week 3
Section 2.3: More Population Models
Section 3.1: Limits
Section 5.6: Difference Equations: Stability (Optional)
Week 4
Section 3.2: Continuity
Section 3.3: Limits at Infinity
Section 3.4: The Sandwich Theorem and Some Trigonometric Limits
Week 5
Section 3.5: Properties of Continuous Functions
Exam 1
Week 6
Section 4.1: Formal Definition of the Derivative
Section 4.2: The Power Rule, the Basic Rules of Differentiation, and the Derivatives of Polynomials
Week 7
Section 4.3: The Product and Quotient Rules, and the Derivatives of Rational and Power Functions
Section 4.4: The Chain Rule and Higher Derivatives
Week 8
Section 4.5: Derivatives of Trigonometric Functions
Section 4.6: Derivatives of Exponential Functions
Section 4.7: Derivatives of Inverse and Logarithmic Functions
Week 9
Section 4.8: Approximations and Local Linearity
Exam 2
Week 10
Section 5.1: Extrema and the Mean Value Theorem
Section 5.2: Monotonicity and Concavity
Week 11
Section 5.3: Extrema, Inflection Points, and Graphing
Section 5.4: Optimization
Week 12
Section 5.5: L'Hospital's Rule
Section 10.1: Functions of Two or More Independent Variables
Section 10.2: Limits and Continuity
Week 13
Section 10.3: Partial Derivatives
Section 10.6: Applications (Optional)
Exam 3.
Week 14
Section 10.4: Tangent Planes, Differentiability, and Linearization
Section 10.5: More about Derivatives (Optional)