Monthly
Schedule
(AP
Calculus AB, Period D)
|
M
11/1/04 |
Day of rest. HW due: Read §4.1 and start working
on the assignment for tomorrow. |
|
|
T
11/2/04 |
HW due:
Read §4.1 if you have not already done so; write §3.9 #2-40 even, 47-50 all. Please note: 1.
Despite what
the book says, you may not use NDER (by which the authors mean MATH 8) to
find the answers for #1-40. However, by plugging in a random value for x, you can perform a “confidence test”
on your final answer. (Do not choose a round value such as 0 or 1 when
picking x; pick something really
ugly, like 3.1854.) If your answer passes the confidence test, it is probably
correct, though that is by no means a proof. 2.
You should
write out all the problems and do the algebraic manipulations by hand. For
example, here is the complete work for #7: 3.
Since you have had
4 days to do this assignment, I expect it to be complete. You do not need to
write out the confidence test each time. However, write out at least 2 or 3
of the confidence tests, so that you can prove to me (and to yourself) that
you know how to check your answer. 4.
The better
students already know that a great technique to solve the even-numbered
problems is to work the odd-numbered problems and check answers in the back
of the book. You can often use a “reverse engineering” approach to deduce
what the missing steps are. 5.
Hint for #50: ex and ln x are inverses. For one of them to
approach a horizontal asymptote means that the other must . . . (oops, I may
have given too much away). |
|
|
W
11/3/04 |
No additional written HW
due today. Please use your time (35 minutes, minimum) to patch up old HW. If
you literally have no old assignments that need to be revisited or improved,
then you may begin working on tomorrow’s assignment, but that would not be my
first suggestion. Surely nearly everyone would benefit from the freedom to
revisit some existing problems and to catch his breath in this hurried time. |
|
|
Th
11/4/04 |
HW due:
Read §4.2; write §4.1 #35, 36, and as many of #11-30 as time permits. The more
you can do, the better. However, getting adequate sleep is more important.
Stop when you are getting the hang of things. Remember, finding extrema is a
skill you need to be able to perform quickly,
without a calculator, on the AP exam. Please use your calculator as
little as possible; on the problems where you can get by with using the
calculator only as a check at the very end, please do so. (The problems are
easy if you use a calculator—that’s not the point.) |
|
|
F |
No school
(faculty meetings). |
|
|
M |
HW due: Close up all the gaps and placeholders in your §3.9 and §4.1
problems; read and take notes through the end of §4.2 if you have not already
done so. |
|
|
T |
HW due: Patch up, especially, the discrepancies in §3.9 that were exposed by
yesterday’s class. You should be thoroughly proficient in the exponential
transformation that we discussed in class, namely q > 0 Þ qr = er ln q, as well as the
process of logarithmic differentiation. |
|
|
W |
HW due: Yesterday’s practice quiz was certainly a learning experience for
all of us. Be prepared to state the MVT correctly at the beginning of class
today. The hypotheses—namely, f
continuous on [a, b] and differentiable on (a, b)—are
essential for a complete statement of the theorem. You should know what can
go wrong if either condition is violated. |
|
|
Th |
HW due: §4.2 all QR problems, plus Exercises #1-14 all. If you have extra time,
please do #17 and 18 as well. |
|
|
F |
HW due: Patch your §4.2 problems, including #17 and #18. Based on how many
stumbles we had yesterday, it seems clear that most students need another day
on this. Also perform the following exercise with a study buddy: |
|
|
M
11/15/04 |
HW due: In
§4.3, read pp. 194-197, the paragraph beginning with “Inflection points have
applications...” on p. 199, and the Second Derivative Test on p. 200. You may
omit the rest of the reading in this section. Write QR 1-10 (mostly by
inspection, without calculator), #2-16 even. As always, work the odd-numbered
member of a pair and check the answer if you cannot make any progress on the
even-numbered problem. |
|
|
T
11/16/04 |
HW due:
Read §4.4; write §4.3 #43, 44. Prepare for chalkboard presentation: #45-48
all. (Writing #45-48 on your HW paper is optional but perhaps recommended if
you are nervous.) |
|
|
W
11/17/04 |
No additional HW due. Use
your 35 minutes (minimum) to rework/patch old problems. Read or reread §4.4
if you have not already done so. |
|
|
Th 11/18/04 |
HW due:
§4.4 #6, 11, 20. Use the notation provided at the end of class yesterday. |
|
|
F
11/19/04 |
HW due:
Redo #11 and #20 from scratch. Based on what I saw during yesterday’s spot
check, the amount of work “lost” in so doing will be minimal. For #20, since
nobody came to see me during Math Lab, I presume that you were able to figure
out that d = rt is the key to the problem. By writing appropriate expressions
for the time required, you should therefore have been able to create a
suitable objective function. No credit will be given for the “giant question
mark” type of solution this time around. |
|
|
M
11/22/04 |
HW due:
Read §4.5; write §4.5 #1-10 all. You may omit problems that are virtually
identical after you have demonstrated proficiency
with the concept. For example, you do not need to do all parts of #8 if you
can prove that you have the idea early on. |
|
|
T
11/23/04 |
HW due:
Write §4.5 #15-18 all, 43, 45. |
|
|
W
11/24/04 |
No school. |
|
|
Th
11/25/04 |
No school. Happy
Thanksgiving! |
|
|
F
11/26/04 |
No school. |
|
|
M
11/29/04 |
HW due:
§4.5 #45 (revisit based on 11/23 class discussion of #43), §4.6 #3-24 mo3.
You may find the textbook reading helpful, but the related rates tutorial and practice
problems (see “Links Based on Class Discussions”) may prove to be even
more helpful. I will let you judge for yourself. Reading notes are optional
this time. |
|
|
T
11/30/04 |
No additional HW due.
Completion is expected, however. |
|
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Last updated: 30 Nov 2004