Math 51
Summer 2014

Contents

• Course Description, Prerequisites and Other Courses
• Teaching staff and meeting times
• Expectations
• Texts
• Exams
• Homework
• Grades
• Office Hours
• Additional Help
• Useful Links

Expectations

If you've heard of Math 51, you know that it is a difficult class that goes at a breakneck pace. We will be covering the same material in 8 weeks that would normally take 10, so as you can imagine that requires hard work. You can expect to learn a good deal of linear algebra, but not everything that would be covered in a full linear algebra course, either abstract or applied; and enough differential vector calculus to be able to do further learning on your own, or to succeed in classes such as physics (mechanics, or electromagnetism). You will also be introduced to "thinking like a mathematician", or, theoretical proofs.

As you may infer from the other sections, the staff, course books and websites are here as resources for you to learn. As a college student, you are expected to take responsibility for your own participation, and be pro-active in seeking help for your own benefit. That means that you must check websites, keep up-to-date on course news, and know deadlines and attend exams without needing reminders. It means I won't take attendance at classes, and I don't expect you to come if you are sick, can't concentrate, and so on. It also means that I may not check up on you: if you miss a homework, if you miss class and want to know what happened, you should come to my or Megan's office hours and/or contact me separately.

We would like to support all our students as best we can, with the hope that everyone can get something out of this course besides a grade. To that end, I must emphasize that many students struggle in the class; this can be due to lack of time to put into it, or because you fall behind a week and then are lost; it can be because they are used to learning on their own, and these course textbooks may be hard to read by yourself. So please seek out your fellow students and come to office hours. But be aware that there is only 1 instructor and 1 course assistant for 72 students, thus some of the inflexible deadlines and so on are due to the necessity of managing our work. On homework and on exam questions, it is usually not sufficient to simply answer the question: you should explain your answer. That can mean showing work in a presentable way that a classmate (and therefore an instructor) should be able to read and understand; it can mean correctly writing a proof, using a combination of mathematical symbols and words to explain your reasoning. We will give you examples to show how you can meet this standard.

Stanford has an honor code, which you and I should follow: link. When you do homeworks, you are free to work problems out with each other or check answers. However, solutions involve work, not only answers; each person should write up solutions in your own words. In addition to this being necessary for you to fairly earn your homework grade, it is useful for you to be sure that you can solve such problems on the exam, and for you to re-read your own work while studying.

Course Description, Prerequisites and Other Courses

Linear Algebra and Multivariable Calculus are two of the most widely used mathematical tools across all scientific disciplines. This course seeks to develop background in both and highlight the ways in which multivariable calculus can be naturally understood in terms of linear algebra.

This course assumes a strong understanding of differential calculus of one variable, as taught in the Math 41-42 series (or equivalent). For the linear algebra portion, we will start from the beginning and build up all concepts in lectures. However, this course is packed with information and moves very quickly. Students who are somewhat unsure of their mathematics background may want to consider courses in the 40 series. In particular, students missing the equivalent of Math 42 may find the portions of Math 51 that demand deeper conceptual understanding to be more difficult than those who have the experience of a full year of college-level calculus. (Students having quite a lot of experience with mathematical proof and who are looking for a more theoretical course may want to try Math 51H.)

For a detailed syllabus see the Syllabus page.

Teaching staff and meeting times

Office hours: 380-380L is my office, in the basement of building 380 in the Main Quad. I will stay after class on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday until 3pm, so that students can work on problems and/or ask me questions; I will also have further office hours and you may be able to make an appointment with me if necessary.

Megan Bernstein, course assistant: meganb at math dot stanford dot edu
In addition to her office hours, Megan will lead the guided practice session after class on Thursdays.

The reason this session is highly recommended is that during the regular quarters, students have 2 problem and review sessions for every 3 lectures. This session gives you a better chance to see problems demonstrated, especially as Megan is an experienced course TA and you may find her explanations a useful complement to the lectures and course work.

Texts

• Weeks 1-4: Linear Algebra, by Levandosky - Errata
• Weeks 5-8: Differential Vector Calculus (Revised 2013 Edition), by Licata

Exams

There will be one midterm exam and a final exam. Please check the exams page for dates, policies, and previous exams.

No calculators are allowed for any of the exams.

Homework

Homeworks are due at the beginning of class on Mondays of the course (first homework is due Monday, June 30). If you can't come on time to class you may have a friend turn it in for you, or you may scan it and email it to me; however, I need to have the scanned pages by noon in a PDF format for ease of printing, and I need you to email me, egoodman@math.stanford.edu or esqg@stanford.edu, by Sunday night to let me know this is your plan.

Solutions will be posted on Coursework by 4pm on Mondays after the homeworks are due. Graded homeworks will normally be given back on Thursdays, but we will have an earlier time before the midterm.

There will be 7 homeworks altogether, of which 6 homework grades will be counted: your lowest score, whether it is 0 or higher, will be dropped. This is because you really need to do the homeworks or you may not be able to keep up in the class. If an emergency situation arises, you can turn in an incomplete homework. Late homework will not be accepted.

Grades

• Homework: 18%
• Participation: 7%
• Midterm: 30%
• Final exam: 45%

Office Hours

Additional Help

Useful Links and Other Resources

• Prof Brumfiel's advice for Math 51 students
• Common Errors in Undergraduate Mathematics
• Math 51A students are part of the ACE program, short for "Accelerated Calculus for Engineers." More information about the program can be found here.
• Statement from the Registrar concerning students with documented disabilities:
  
  "Students who may need an academic accommodation based on the impact of a disability must initiate the request with the Office of Accessible Education (OAE). Professional staff will evaluate the request with required documentation, recommend reasonable accommodations, and prepare an Accommodation Letter for faculty dated in the current quarter in which the request is being made. Students should contact the OAE as soon as possible since timely notice is needed to coordinate accommodations. The OAE is located at 563 Salvatierra Walk (phone: 723-1066)."

  To apply this statement to the course precisely: I need at least a week's notice for all conflicts and for OAE letters for access needs. As soon as you know you are asking for an OAE letter, please send me (Elizabeth) an email before you receive your OAE letter. This is the "informal notice" mentioned in the syllabus, and is important so that I can schedule exams with only 2 instructors available.