CLINTON
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Plattsburgh,
New York 12901
Course
Syllabus
Mat 215 Mr.
Helinger
Fall,
2006
Calculus
for Business Students
Office: Room 535 No.
Semester Hours - 4
Tues. 12:30-1:20P.M.
Wed. 10-10:50 A.M.
Thurs. 8:30-9:20 A.M.
Fri. 10:00-11:50 A.M.
Telephone:
(518) 562-4196
e-mail:
michael.helinger@clinton.edu
I. Course Description
Calculus for Business Students is a course designed to give the business student a working knowledge of the skills and techniques necessary to solve the special mathematical problems of modern businesses. The course will begin with fundamentals of modeling and will continue to study functions and their graphs, an introduction to limits, the methods of finding derivatives, the interpretation and applications of derivatives in economic terms, and finding antiderivatives with their applications in the business world.
Prerequisites: Mat 101 or the equivalent.
II. Textbook
Calculus Concepts-An Informal Approach to the Mathematics of Change by Donald R. LaTorre, John W. Kenelly, and Iris B. Fetta, 3rd edition.
Other required materials include a graphing calculator (the TI-83, TI-83 Plus, or TI-84 Plus).
III. Course Objectives
A. The student should learn the vocabulary of the calculus that is used in the business work such as
marginal cost, marginal revenue, producer’s surplus, consumer’s surplus, maximum and minimum.
B. The student will have to learn the techniques of both differential and integral calculus as they apply to
the modern business world to such problems as finding equilibrium supply and demand marginal cost,
producer’s surplus, total savings over a period of time, cost of warranty given the rate of maintenance
costs, as well as optimization theory.
C. The student must learn to use the graphing calculator as a tool for calculus.
See complete course objectives filed with Division.
IV. Course Organization and Methods
The material shall be presented by a combination of lecture together with class discussion. The final grade will be computed by taking 90% of the average of four 1-hour exams and 10% of the average of announced and unannounced quizzes.
V. Course Outline
I. Fundamentals of Modeling
A. What is Mathematical Modeling
B. The Role of Graphs
C. Modeling in Business
D. Using Model in Real Situations
II. Functions
A. Definition of a Function
B. Linear Functions
C. Equilibrium Supply and Demand
D. Some Nonlinear Functions
1. Absolute Value
2. Parabolas
3. Root Functions
E. Polynomial and Rational Functions with their graphs (including synthetic division)
F. Operations on Functions
EXAM I
III. Limits
A. The Limit of a Function
B. Properties and Theorems of Limits
C. Continuity
D. Limits to Infinity
IV. The derivative
A. Definition of the Derivative
1. Secant and Tangent Lines
2. Difference Quotient
B. Techniques of Differentiation
C. Applications of the Derivative
1. Tangential approximations
2. Marginal Cost and Revenue
D. Derivatives of Products and Quotients
E. Chain Rule of Derivatives
F. Implicit Differentiation
V. Further Applications of the Derivative
A. Optimization Theory and the First Derivative Test
EXAM 2
B. The second Derivative Test
C. Applications of the Theory of Extrema
D. Curve Sketching with First and Second Derivatives
1. Increasing and Decreasing Intervals
2. Concavity and Inflection Points
E. Newton’s Method
VI. Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
A. Exponential Functions
B. Logarithmic Functions
1. Base 10
2. Natural Logarithms
C. Applications of Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
1. Population Growth
2. Compound Interest
D. Derivatives of Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
EXAM 3
VII. Integration
A. The Antiderivative
B. Area and the Definite Integral
C. The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
D. Some Applications of Integral
1. Evaluating Constants of Integration
2. Finding Total Savings Given a Rate
3. Cost of a Warranty
E. The Area Between Two Curves
1. Producer’s Surplus
2. Consumer’s Surplus
F. Chain Rule for Integrals
G. Tables of Integrals
H. Trapezoidal Rule and Simpson’s Rule
EXAM 4
VI. Methods of Evaluation
Final Grades—90% of your final grade will come from the average of your four (4) one-hour exams. These hour-exams will be announced at lest one week in advance, and a complete outline of the hour exams will be given in class. There will also be an optional review class before each exam.
In
accordance with the College policy in the catalog, credit will be taken off for
incorrect spelling. Repeated errors
in the same word on the same exam will not be taken off more than once.
If these errors appear on Part I, they will result in loss of all credit
for that particular part of a problem.
Abbreviations will not be permitted as a substitute for correct spelling.
The next 10% of your final grade will come from your average on the numerous quizzes. These quizzes will be announced or unannounced. If it is unannounced it can only go back one week in our work. The quizzes will vary from extremely simple quizzes to very difficult quizzes to determine class comprehension and retention. Hour tests will be graded one week after the hour exam, but quizzes will be graded at the earliest convenience of the instructor, usually before the relevant hour exam.
Mid-semester Grades—Your mid-semester grade will be based on a straight percentage of the points accumulated thus far from both quizzes and hour tests. For example, if there had been a one-hour exam and fifty points of quizzes by mid-semester, the total possible would be 150. To get an “A” at mid-semester you would need 90% or 135 points in any combination. Thus, you could get 85 on the hourly and 50 points on the quizzes and have an “A” for mid-semester.
VII. ATTENDANCE
POLICY
The College policy on attendance states:
“When a student misses more than 15% of the class meetings for a particular course, his or her absence will be considered excessive. Excessive absence may result in a student being involuntarily withdrawn from the course by the Registrar upon recommendation of the instructor and may in turn affect financial aid. In such cases, the student will receive a grade of “WY.”
In this course, students exceeding 15% absence will be required to meet with the instructor in his office to discuss reasons for absences and to evaluate the student’s situation and progress. If possible, a strategy for completing the course will be jointly drawn up and signed. Failure to comply with this procedure may result in the student’s being involuntarily withdrawn with a grade of “WY.” When a student comes more than 10 minutes late, or leaves early for any reason, it will be counted as 1/3 of an absence. When a students misses more than ½ of the class it will be counted as an absence.”
In general, I do not give “WY’s” past mid-semester grades. If you disappear or exceed 15% absence after mid-semester grades, you can rest assured that you have an “F” for the semester. According to the Fall 2005 Administrative Calendar, the last day to drop without penalty is November 3, 2006. If you don’t want an “F” for a final grade, but have an average below 60%, you must accept the responsibility to WITHDRAW BY November 3, 2006.
IF CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND YOUR CONTROL PREVENT YOU FROM COMING TO AN EXAM OR QUIZ, YOU MUST NOTIFY ME BEFORE THE TIME OF THE EXAM OR QUIZ OR AS SOON THEREAFTER AS POSSIBLE, SO THAT, IN GENERAL, YOU CAN TAKE THE EXAM OR QUIZ BEFORE THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED EXAM. MAKE-UPS WILL BE GIVEN ONLY FOR DOCUMENTED ACADEMIC CONFLICTS (e.g. field trips, athletic buses officially leaving before the exam) OR DOCUMENTED MEDICAL EMERGENCIES (e.g. I must see receipt signed by Doctor’s office stating you were there on the day and time of the exam), or DOCUMENTED MECHANICAL EMERGENCIES (e.g. a receipt from the tow truck that jump started your car or towed it out of the ditch that indicates that your vehicle was not in service on the day and time of the exam). APPOINTMENTS FOR MAKE-UPS MUST BE REQUESTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BUT NOT LATER THAN YOUR FIRST DAY BACK TO CLASS AFTER THE EXAM. IF YOU NOT REQUEST THE MAKE-UP BY THE END OF YOUR FIRST DAY BACK TO CLASS, THE CONSEQUENCE WILL BE A ZERO,0, FOR THE EXAM.
No more than one appointment will be scheduled per person per make-up, whether it is for an hour test or a quiz. If you miss your appointment for a make-up, you receive a zero for the grade.
VIII. Academic
Honesty
All students are expected to behave with academic honesty. It is a serious matter (please see College catalog - "Academic honesty is expected of all Clinton Community College students. It is academically dishonest, for example, to misrepresent another person’s work as one’s own, to take credit for someone else’s work or ideas, to accept help on a test, to obtain advanced information on confidential test materials, or to intentionally harm another student’s chances for academic success.").
In this class students caught cheating will have three choices.
1. The student may take an immediate grade of “F” for the course.
2. The student may withdraw from the course immediately.
3. The student and I will go immediately to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and I will hand him or his secretary a copy of the evidence. I will then follow the recommendation of the Vice President in deciding the penalty.
IX. Grading
Scale
Numerical equivalents of letter grades for this course.
Letter Grade Numerical Interval
A 90-100
A- 87-89
B+ 84-86
B 80-83
B- 77-79
C+ 74-76
C 70-73
C- 67-69
D+ 64-66
D 60-63
X.
Special Reminders
If you have, or suspect you may have, any type of disability or learning problem that may require extra assistance or special accommodations, please speak to Laurie Bethka, Room 420M in the Tutoring Center, for further assistance.
Please remember to turn off all cell phones before coming to class. CELL PHONES MUST BE TURNED OFF BEFORE COMING INTO THE CLASSROOM. The first time a cell phone rings in the classroom the entire class will be warned. From then on, when a cell phone rings, that person will be required to leave for the remainder of the class. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Also, please be advised that I consider carrying on private conversations on cell phones or in person during class as disruptive behavior, and therefore, a violation of the Code of Student Conduct. Such behavior can result in suspension from class.