Welcome to AMSC 466. This space will be used for making course announcements. Please check it regularly.
Midterm 1 online
I just posted midterm #1 and its solutions online. Please note that many problems can be solved in more than one way. For the purpose of the problem of sketching the graphs of functions (problem #5 on Midterm #1) I will be perfectly happy with a solution that look similar to what is posted online.
Sketching graphs of functions
The problem that disappointed me the most in the first midterm was the last problem in which I asked to sketch the graphs of four functions: exp(x), log(x), 1/log(x), sin(2x). I expected everyone to be able to plot 3 out of the 4 functions perfectly. I thought that some of you will have difficulties with 1/log(x), which is somewhat more complicated. What surprised me is that many of you could not sketch the graphs of the other three functions. In order to guarantee that you will know how to solve the problem by the end of the semester, the same problem will show up from now on, on every test. It will be graded on a scale of 0 to 1. That number will multiply the total grade of the rest of the problems in every exam. You should all get it perfect! Please do not expect to pass a math course without knowing what the exponential function looks like. The nontraditional grading scheme of the remaining exams, will guarantee that this is the case. Please see me if you are not sure about how to answer this question, a question that will show up on every exam from now on.
Midterms
You will be receiving today from the TAs your first Midterm. Please read the comments, and make sure you understand your mistakes. You are welcomed to discuss the exams with the TAs and with me, but please first read them over. The median in this exam was 63/100. The average was 64/100. Both are quite low. The highest grade was 95/100. The lowest grade was 11.5/100. Only 10% of the students got more than 83/100. 20% of the students got less than 50.
Office hours on October 4
Julie Hebert will not be holding her office hours on October 4th. If you would like to meet with her at a different day/time, please email her to schedule an appointment. There are no changes planned for the office hours of the rest of the instructors during this week.
Quizzes online
I posted Quiz #2 online. The posted quizzes include the solutions. The quizzes of the other sections are very similar to those posted so posting quizzes of two sections only should be sufficient. I hope.
Quizzes
Quiz #1 is now posted online. There are 6 versions. The last two have solutions embedded in the problems.
Office hours
I will not be holding office hours on Tuesday 9/6. All other scheduled office hours for the week (Tuesday-Friday) will be held as planned.
Conquer Math Anxiety
I am not convinced that this is the best way to start the semester, but the reality is that some of us do worry about Math courses. The university provides support for students struggling with math anxiety. For more information, check the link.