Math 201 AA - Fall 2019
Course Syllabus
Math 201 AA Fall 2019 Syllabus - Course syllabus. Contains grading policy, requirements, assignments and other important info.
Video Recordings of Lectures
Click here for video recordings of the lectures posted on YouTube.
Quiz and Quiz Answer Keys
Be careful using the answers. It is often the case that students view the answers prematurely and in the end it doesn't help. Blank versions are provided here as well. If you did poorly on a quiz, do not look at the answers right away. Print out THE VERSION YOU TOOK, go over this version slowly. No help at first. If you still do poorly after going over it slowly, then use your text/notes to help. If that still doesn't go well, go see a tutor. Only after this point should you look at the answers--after you've made several attempts on your own and then got human help. At the end of this cycle, print out the OTHER version, the one you didn't take, and then go through that, no help, under timed conditions. The grade you get then will more accurately represent what you understand.
Quiz 1
Quiz 2
Quiz 3
Quiz 4
Quiz 5
Quiz 6
Quiz 7
Quiz 8
The following quizzes were not given in class, but are mock quizzes to test yourself on certain topics. Print them out, but don't look at them until you're ready to sit down and take them as if they were real quizzes. Give yourself around 20 minutes to complete each.
Mock Quiz 9 - This quiz covers Linearization/Differentials and Related Rates
Mock Quiz 10 - This quiz covers critical points, absolute extrema, and the MVT
Mock Quiz 11 - This quiz covers curve sketching with a bonus section on Optimization
Mock Quiz 12 - This quiz covers basic antiderivatives
Reviews for Tests
Test 1 Review
- FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS!!!!
Step 0:
Do NOT access the past final exams on the main Math 201 webpage. We will use these finals to review at the end of the semester. Again: Do NOT access the past final exams on the main Math 201 webpage. We will use these finals to review at the end of the semester.
Here is the review guide for the first exam. It comes to you in the form of tests. There are important differences to note between what your test will be and what is contained in the reviews.
The differences are:
Your test will be 1 hour and 15 minutes long. (The reviews range from 50 minutes to 1 hour long)
You test will include derivatives that you would want to use log differentiation for, as well as limits of indeterminate forms that you may need to re-write to use something like L'Hôpital's Rule. You will find derivatives of this kind in the bonus section of the reviews. What you can do, is add 10 minutes to whatever time the review said, and do these problems in addition to the non-bonus section.
The format will be more or less the same, but I can ask you any problem within the topics list below.
Here’s how to go about preparing for the test (assuming you did the summary of your notes as I mentioned in the class):
Step 1:
Go over the items you will be expected to be able to do on the test. These are:
Being able to find a derivative using the definition of the derivative and finding the tangent line to a function.
Know about continuity; how to change values in a function to make it continuous; how to determine where a given function is continuous.
Computing all sorts of limits using various techniques.
Stating the Intermediate Value Theorem and applying it to prove the existence of roots to an equation.
Computing derivatives using the derivative rules and formulas.
The test will have a bonus section that may include: Discussing the concavity and inflection points of a function; solving simple Related Rates problems; finding limits via the epsilon-delta definition.
WARNING: Don’t spend too much time reviewing the above! A couple hours tops. You already put in the time and effort into these topics by doing homework and studying for quizzes, you just want to hone your skills a bit, brush up and refine your summary sheet (Do NOT use your summary sheet while taking a review test!). Anything more is wasting time. You want to assess how you will do on a long form test as soon as possible, so don’t wait too long to start step 2.
Step 2:
After doing your quick brush-up of the topics, complete Test 1 Review 1 that is linked below (finish reading these instructions first!). Very Important: Do it under test conditions, time yourself and do not get help from your notes or anything or anyone. When the time is up, STOP WRITING, no matter where you are.
Step 3:
After doing the test, take a break. Then come back and assess for yourself how you did. You may also consult your classmates or see someone in the math tutoring center to go over items you feel sketchy on. I highly recommend that you do this step with other people-–either a small group of your classmates or one experienced tutor–-it is not very efficient otherwise. You can use the solutions that are posted to help you review.
It is very important that you know the only way to assess yourself as to what you understand is what you can do on your own. If you get something wrong, but when you read the solutions they seem "obvious", it is important that you realize it is actually not obvious to you, because if it was, you would not have gotten the problem wrong in the first place. Make sure you review WHY that had to be the solution and make sure you understand by testing yourself with UNFAMILIAR problems.
Step 4:
Brush up again on the topics that you assessed gave you trouble in step 3. Use unfamiliar problems to do this.
Step 5:
When you feel confident that you've filled in all your gaps. Do Test 1 Review 2. Again, under test conditions.
Step 6:
Review with other people as well as the solutions again. And fill in all your gaps once more.
Step 7:
Once you feel confident you've filled in your gaps, do Test 1 Review 3 under test conditions.
Check your solutions with others. By now you should be getting closer to the grade you want. If not, you need to keep redoing this process, along with the required follow up. You also need to find new problems to do this with. Have someone else look through the problems in the syllabus, and pick out new problems of similar difficulty for you do do, and write them in the form of one of the review test. Just print a review test, scratch out the problems and write new problems in. Have someone do this for you, if you do it yourself, it's not a fair test. A test will surprise you with questions, you won't be surprised if YOU pick the questions.
There's a difference between understanding and remembering, so always try new problems when testing your skill. Going over old problems that you recently practiced will only boost your ego, not your understanding.
Step 8:
Ask Jhevon for advice at any point after step 2.
Step 9:
When you feel like you’re absolutely ready and you’ve completed step 1 above and studied until you’ve passed out. Access the review tests below and complete them according to the instructions above.
Make sure you use these solutions as instructed in the instructions above!!!
Test 2 Review
Follow the same process described in the review for test 1.
The topics for this test are:
- Computing various antiderivatives, both definite and indefinite.
- Applying both parts of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
- Optimization
- Related Rates
- Distance-Velocity-Acceleration problems
- Linear Approximation
- Mean Value Theorem
- Extreme Value Theorem
- Approximating the area under a curve with a finite Riemann sum
- Finding the exact area under a curve using an infinite Riemann sum
- While not shown in the reviews below, your test may include a bonus problem on finding absolute maximums and minimums.
Here are the reviews, remember to use them according to the instructions above!
Here are the solutions, remember to use them according to the instructions above!
Final Review
- Coming soon!
Blank Tests and Solutions
How to use these tests and solutions
Remember, there is no substitute for your own work. If you just go straight to looking at the solutions, it will not be as helpful to you. Especially if you're not doing so well, and you feel like you didn't do so well on the test. Print out the blank versions first. Work through the version that you took and try to fill in the gaps on your own. First, work through it with no help, then you may use your notes to help you. If you still have gaps or insecurities, you can get help from a tutor. At this point, when seeing the tutor, you can print out the solutions and take them with you and have the tutor review them and help you understand them. Once you're confident your gaps are filled in, try the OTHER version under test conditions (with slightly less time), and you can check your work with the solutions then. Be sure to distinguish what you do on your own vs what you do with notes vs what you do with a tutor. Your metric of understanding is ALWAYS what you can do on your own.
Test 1
Test 2
Class Handouts
Announcements
- Remember to let me know if the email I have for you is not the best one.
- Test 1 is on October 30
- Test 2 is on December 11
- The date/time/location of the final is TBA. Keep checking for updates here
