Math 111

First Semester Calculus

(WARNING: Students can get credit for only one of Math 108, Math 111, or Math 131)

Description of the course

Concepts covered in this course include: standard functions and their graphs, limits, continuity, tangents, derivatives, the definite integral, and the fundamental theorem of calculus. Formulas for differentiation are developed and include formulas for trigonometric, exponential, and logarithmic functions. Applications to physics, economics and geometry are highlighted.

Successful completion of Math 111 is awarded 4 semester hours of credit. The lecture sections of the course meet 3 times a week for 50 minutes or twice a week for 80 minutes. The fourth hour is a required lab session in which students work through a lab lesson with assistance from a graduate student teaching assistant (TA). Students complete the related lab exercises outside of lab time and submit these to their TA for grading. The lab content complements the lectures and examines themes that run throughout the course. The lab component accounts for 15% of the course grade.

Textbook

Single Variable Calculus with Early Transcendentals (9th edition), by James Stewart, published by Cengage Publishing. It is in the bookstore. The course covers most of chapters 1 through 5.
This book will also be used for the next course, Math 112. Contact your instructor regarding the use of WebAssign.
A student solutions manual may be purchased but is not required.
Labs can be found using the links on this site. Your instructor and/or TA will let you know what labs you are responsible for and when the lab exercises must be submitted.

Calculators

Students are encouraged to have a TI-83 or TI-84 graphing calculator for Math 111 and Math 112. Calculators are used only to complete select labs and homework.
Students can expect to take most tests and quizzes and the final exam without a calculator.

Labs

The labs for this course are found on the William & Mary Calculus Blackboard course. To access the labs, you should self-enroll in the course - search the Course Catalog on Blackboard for the course titled William & Mary Calculus with instructor Stephen Trefethen. Click the options menu next to the Course ID, and select Enroll. Each lab document consists of a lab lesson and lab exercises. Only submit the Lab Exercises for grading. Lab sessions begin on the first full week of classes.

Prerequisites

Students are expected to be proficient in the following areas that are necessary for success in calculus:

Algebra
Trigonometry
Logarithms

If you are concerned about your readiness for Math 111, you may wish to consider one or more of the following approaches:

Math 103 (Precalculus) to improve your skills. This course is designed for students who plan to take calculus but whose algebra and trigonometry backgrounds need improvement. This course does not satisfy the College's first general education requirement (GER-1). Here is a testimonial from a student who took the course before taking Math 111:

"In my opinion, there are two types of students who would benefit from taking Math 103. The first would be any student who had a year or more away from taking any Math courses. The second would be those students who have always felt that Math wasn't their "strong suit" so to speak. I fell into both of those categories and found 103 to be a tremendous help. It helped rebuild and strengthen my algebra foundation and prepared me for the new material I would encounter in Calculus. I can strongly recommend taking this course."

Enroll in a pre-calculus course in your home town the summer before you take Math 111.

Need only one course?

Math 111 satisfies the Math Proficiency requirement under the COLL curriculum. If this is the only reason you want to take the course, you might want to think about some different options that also satisfy the requirement.

Math 104: The Mathematics of Powered Flight

The goal of this course is to study mathematics in an immediately applied context. This course is primarily aimed at non-science students and fulfills the math proficiency requirement.

Math 106: Elementary Probability and Statistics

This course introduces some basic ways of thinking about uncertain phenomena. Quantitative reasoning skills and statistical literacy are emphasized. An important theme is the role of probability in statistical inference. Math 106 has no prerequisites and fulfills the math proficiency requirement.

Math 108: Brief Calculus with Applications

This course is an introduction to the calculus of polynomial, rational, exponential and logarithmic functions, including some multi-variable calculus, with applications in business, social and life sciences. This course fulfills the math proficiency requirement.

Math 109: Linear Algebra: This course introduces systems of linear equations, matrices, determinants, vector spaces, linear transformations, eigenvalues, orthogonality, least squares, singular value decomposition. Co-registration in the computational laboratory MATH 109L is required. This course fulfills the math proficiency requirement.

(Important notice: students cannot receive credit or both Math 108 and Math 111.)

For more details on individual sections of Math 111, please contact the instructor of that section.

Tutoring for Math 111 and Math 112

Free tutoring (beginning Monday of the first full week of classes) is provided by graduate assistants for Math 111 and Math 112 in Jones 112 from 5:00 until 8:00 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday evenings. Contact your instructor for details.

Math 111 History Assignment Lesson

Math 111 history assignment1.doc

Final Exam

The exam for all sections of Math 111 is administered during the math block as seen in the exam schedule. The room assignments for the final exam are posted in the Mathematics Department in Jones Hall the week before the exam.

A Previous Final Examination Paper

Any Questions?

You may direct them to Professor Trefethen at sjtrefethen@wm.edu.