Intro to Computer Alg Systems Syllabus

Instructor:	Dr. Tim Howard
Office:		215 Faculty Office Building
Phone:	        568-2292
Email:		thoward@colstate.edu
WWW:		http://www.colstate.edu/~thoward/welcome.html
Office Hours:	 Mon 12:30-1:30, 8:30-9:30 pm.  Tues 10-11 am.  Wed 12:30-1:30, 
		5:30-6 pm.  Thurs 10-11, 8:30-9:30 pm.  Fri 12:30-1:30 pm. 
		Others available by appointment


TEXT:	Maple V Flight Manual, by Ellis, Johnson, Lodi, and Schwalbe.  
Supplements will also be available through the course web page.

DISKETTE:  You will need a 3.5" high-density diskette for saving your programs 
during the quarter.

GRADING:  Your course grade will be based 80% on exercises and 20% on the 
final exam.  Opportunities for extra credit will be provided for students 
who:  
  - show me that Maple has been used to do homework assignments in other 
    courses.  The homework must state that Maple was used when turned in 
    to the other class (you must also submit a copy to me).  I’ll add one 
    point to your final course grade each time you do so with my prior 
    approval.  Maximum limit:  two points per course, or six points total.

  - find good application problems for which Maple is well-suited.  I’ll 
    add up to five points to your final course grade, depending on the 
    suitability of the problem.

Your course grade will be determined based on the following scheme:

		A:  90-100% of the maximum score
		B:  80-89% of the maximum score
		C:  70-79% of the maximum score
		D:  60-69% of the maximum score

Note, however, that you must make a passing score on the final exam to receive 
a course grade of A or B.

LATE HOMEWORK:  unless stated otherwise, all exercises 
are due by the beginning of the NEXT scheduled class.  Exercises turned in 
after the due date will be subject to a penalty of five points per week day 
that they are late.  This policy is effective as of February 12.

FINAL EXAM:  The final exam will consist of two portions -- a written exam 
and an in-lab test.  The written exam will test your knowledge of basic Maple 
syntax, and your ability to spot and correct errors in syntax.  The in-lab 
test will require you to write Maple programs using only your course notes and 
assignments, the text, and Maple’s online help facilities.  The final exam is 
scheduled for Tuesday, March 18, 4-6 pm.

ABSENTEE POLICY:  Attendance at all course meetings is mandatory.  If you have 
a problem attending, please see me BEFORE the day is missed  I reserve the 
right to lower grades or refuse to accept exercises from students who miss 
class.  If you miss two or more classes you will be assigned a grade 
of "WF".

ACADEMIC WITHDRAWALL:  The last day to withdraw from the course with a grade 
of "W" is Friday, February 7.  After that date, the Dean will not sign requests
for a "W" without sufficient documentation of extreme situations.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:  If you have a documented disability as described
by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 933-112 Section 504) and Americans 
with Disabilities Act (ADA) that may require you to need assistance attaining
accessibility to instructional content to meet course requirements, I 
recommend that you contact the Special Needs Office in the Tower Center, 
Woodall Hall suite 156 or at (706) 568-2330, as soon as possible.  It is then 
your responsibility to contact and meet with me.  The Special Needs Office can
assist us in formulating a reasonable accommodations plan and provide support 
in developing appropriate accommodations for your disability.  Course 
requirements will not be waived but accommodations may be made to assist 
you in meeting the requirements.  Technical support may also be available 
to meet your specific need.


A FINAL NOTE:  For this course to be a success, you should seek out 
opportunities to apply Maple in mathematical problems, even when that’s not 
part of the assignment.  Be on the lookout for Maple opportunities!



                       TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF TOPICS

Jan. 14	        Chapter 1, Sections 2.1 and 2.2:  overview of Maple, basic 
                arithmetic and calculations, entering expressions, factor, 
		evalf, solve, fsolve, plot, ?, and help.  

		Assignment: all exercises for the sections covered

Jan. 21	        Section 2.3 (omit "extensions"), and Sections 2.4 and 2.5.
                Defining functions & procedures, plotting multiple functions 
                on the same axes, parametric plot, implicit plot, animation.

		Assignment:  all exercises from 2.3-2.5

Jan. 28	        Section 3.1:  limits, differentiation, implicit differentiation,
                integration.

		Assignment: Chapter 3 (page 63), exercises 1-13.

Feb.  4         Server down, no class

Feb. 11		Section 3.2:  student package, sum, Taylor series, functions 
                of several variables, plot3d, limits of functions of several 
		variables

		Assignment: Page 64, exercises 14-20

Feb. 18	        Quiz over chapters 1-3 of the text.  
                Topics: for, seq, lists, and sets

Feb. 25	        Topic:  Newton's method

March 4	        Topic:  least squares