Instructor: Mr. John Leo
Course webpage:
http://www.halfaya.org/Casti/CalculusTheory/
Free Periods: 2, 6, 7 in Room 15. Also conference
periods and before and after school. It's best to send me email to arrange
a time to meet.
The catalog description (which I wrote) says it best: This is the first course of a two-year sequence of honors precalculus and calculus. This course covers the same topics as the Introductory Calculus BC Honors course, but goes into more depth and concentrates on theoretical aspects as well as applications of calculus. Problem solving and clear written exposition are also emphasized. Topics include properties of real numbers, functions, limits, continuity, and differentiation.
The textbook for this class is Calculus by Michael Spivak. The fourth edition is best but the third edition is also fine. Much of the text of the third edition is available on Google Books.
I've gathered some information about similar courses at colleges, as well as follow-up courses you might pursue.
My plan this year is to cover the first 12 chapters of the textbook. We may do more or less depending on how fast we go. Our long period is Tuesday and I hope to spend the extra time on special topics. There will be a problem set due every other Monday, and we will go over the solutions the following Friday. If there is time left over you can start on the next problem set. The following Friday will be devoted entirely to working on the problem set due the next Monday. You are welcome and encouraged to work together, but I highly recommend trying to work on each problem on your own before you discuss them with your classmates.
I expect homework to take about one hour per class period (so 4 hours a week). I plan to assign 2 problems when there is reading, 3 problems when there is no reading, and 4 problems (often harder ones) on problem sets. We might adjust this. So expect to spend around 20 minutes per problem (and longer on the hand-in problems). If you find yourself spending too much or too little time on homework, please let me know. You are of course welcome to spend even more time on the class if you have the time and the material interests you. I'm happy to help you further explore any topic you like. The more time and effort you put into this course, the more you will get out of it.
There will be a test after every two chapters. So expect about three tests per semester, plus a final exam.
First semester: Problem sets are worth 20% of the semester grade, tests are worth 60% (20% each) and the final exam is worth 20%.
Second semester: Problem sets are worth 20% of the semester grade, tests are worth 45% (15% each), quizzes are worth 5%, challenge problems are worth 10%, and the final is worth 20%.
Daily homework is not explicitly graded but is the most important component of the class for learning the material well.
Participation is expected of everyone and is not explicitly graded. It will however affect grades in borderline cases. Everyone is expected to take turns presenting solutions, and everyone should participate in discussions.
I encourage you to work with fellow students on homework. However you should attempt each problem on your own first, and all write ups must be your own work. For any problems you hand in, you must specify any help you received, whether from another person or persons, a book, a web site, or any other source. No collaboration is allowed on tests, of course.