Instructor: Rick Zhou
email: riczw@iastate.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday 2:00 - 4:00 pm,
Office: 499 Carver
Thursday
2:00 - 4:00 pm, or other times by appointment.
Website: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~riczw/
Schedule of Classes: M, T, Th, F, 1:10 - 2:00 pm (In PEARSON 1115)
Texts & Calculator: Calculus and Difference Equations for the Life
Sciences by Stephen J. Willson (Available in bookstore)
Course Objectives: The goal of this course is to discuss and learn the
mathematics and calculus necessary for life sciences while engaging in the
scientific process of inquiry and mathematical modeling of data. Students will
acquire and apply mathematical tools and demonstrate understanding of the
underlying mathematical concepts of functions, derivatives, and
integration.
Grading: Students' final grades will be
determined based on the following components.
·
Quizzes 240 points (12 times)
·
Group Projects 110 points (2 times)
·
2 Exams 200 points
(Ex1: 2/22), (Ex2: 4/4)
·
Final Exam 150 points
·
[90,100]: A, [88,90): A-, [85,88): B+, [80,85): B, [75,80):
B-, [70,75): C+, [65,70): C, [55, 65): D, [0, 55): F
Attendance: Since much of the learning of
this class occurs, students are expected to attend and participate in class
daily. I encourage you to attend the class to learn instead of staying in apartment
or somewhere else.
Practice problems: Daily assignments will be
given. Assignments will not be collected; however, they will be shown up the
quizzes and testes.
Quizzes:
A quiz will be given every week on Friday to ensure that the practice
problems have been completed. Quizzes
may not be made up (except for excused absences). An excused absence includes
illness with a doctor's note, university excused absence, funeral verifiable by
obituary, and weather creating hazardous driving conditions (for commuting
students; verifiable by the canceling of the public schools). There will be no
quizzes in the week of exams. Each quiz will contain 3 to 5 problems, and will
last for 25-30 minutes.
Group Projects: There are
group projects scheduled in given weeks, you will do on regular class.
For each group project, a group report will be assigned to each group.
A typical task may consist of the resolution of an exercise from the
textbook, the explanation of an example from the textbook or the preparation of
a brief report on the history of a famous theorem.
Exams: Two in-class exams plus a
comprehensive final will be given throughout the semester. The exam dates will
be announced. All students are required to take the final.
Makeup Exams: Makeup exams will be given
only in the case of an excused absence, so basically it is unlikely to have a
makeup exam.
Cheating: Cheating
will not be tolerated. If you are caught cheating, you will receive a
zero on the exam and quiz.
I would like to hear from anyone who has a disability, which
may require some modification of seating, testing, or other requirements so
that appropriate arrangements may be made. Please see me after the class
or during my office hours.
For any problems or concerns related to this class, please
discuss the issue first with me; I will make every effort to find a
satisfactory solution. If not happy with my solution, and a second
instance is required, please contact the Department Chair (Professor Justin
Peters, 400 Carver, 294-1752).
The Math Help Room is open Mon.-Fri. from 9am-4pm in
room 385 Carver.
The above policies are subject to change. Any
changes will be announced in class and posted on the Web page.
1.
Slope. Equations of lines (quickly go over)
2.
Functions. Quadratic functions. Quadratic equations.
3.
Regression: linear, quadratic.
4.
Derivative: intuitive definition (rate of change,
velocity), mathematical definition (limits), rules for differentiation.
5.
Derivative applications: increasing and decreasing functions,
relative/absolute maxima and minima, applied problems, the chain rule.
6.
Difference equations: cascading equations, population
growth model, properties of exponents, properties of logarithms, equilibrium,
nonhomogeneous difference equations, deriving the difference equation from
data, second-order difference equations, nonhomogeneous second-order difference
equations.
Tentative Semester Schedule
(the schedule is highly possible to be changed)
|
week |
Date |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
|
1 |
1/14 – 1/18 |
Introduction |
Introduction |
Chap 2 |
Chap 2 and Quiz 1 |
|
2 |
1/21 –1/25 |
No Class |
Chap 2 |
Chap 2 |
Chap 2 and Quiz 2 |
|
3 |
1/28 – 2/1 |
Chap 2 |
Chap 3 |
Chap 3 |
Chap 3 and Quiz 3 |
|
4 |
2/4 – 2/8 |
Chap 3 |
Chap 3 |
Chap 3 |
Chap 3 and Quiz 4 |
|
5 |
2/11 – 2/15 |
Chap 3 |
Chap 3 |
Chap 3 |
Chap 4 and Quiz 5 |
|
6 |
2/18 – 2/22 |
Chap 4 |
Review |
Exam 1 |
Chap 4 Group Project |
|
7 |
2/25 – 2/29 |
Chap 4 |
Chap 4 |
Chap 4 |
Chap 4 and Quiz 6 |
|
8 |
3/3 – 3/7 |
Chap 4 |
Chap 4 |
Chap 4 |
Chap 4 and Quiz 7 |
|
9 |
3/10 – 3/14 |
Chap 4 |
Chap 5 |
Chap 5 |
Chap 5 and Quiz 8 |
|
10 |
3/17 – 3/22 |
Spring Break |
|||
|
11 |
3/24 – 3/28 |
Chap 5 |
Chap 5 |
Chap 5 |
Chap 5 and Quiz 9 |
|
12 |
3/31 – 4/4 |
Chap 5 |
Chap 5 |
Chap 5 / Review |
Exam 2 Group Project |
|
13 |
4/7 – 4/11 |
Chap 5 |
Chap 5 |
Chap 6 |
Chap 6 and Quiz 10 |
|
14 |
4/14 – 4/18 |
Chap 6 |
Chap 6 |
Chap 6 |
Chap 6 and Quiz 11 |
|
15 |
4/21 – 4/25 |
Chap 6 |
Chap 6 |
Chap 6 |
Chap 6 and Quiz 12 |
|
16 |
4/28 – 5/2 |
Chap 6 |
Chap 6 |
Sample test |
Review |
|
Final |
5/5 – 5/9 |
Final Week |
|||