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Math 13 Course Expectations:
One of the biggest differences between working at the high-school level and
at the college level is the following: in high school, frequently it is
enough to demonstrate a knowledge of the appropriate material; in college,
you will be expected not only to know the appropriate material, but also to
the able to articulate this knowledge, both through speaking and writing, to
an intelligent, but slightly less-well informed, listener or reader. Most
people find that the process of organizing material well enough to express
it clearly is a tremendous help in solidifying an understanding of the
material.
This has the following consequences for Math 13:
- You must know the definitions precisely. Typically, a quick
restatement in your own words, while fine at an intuitive level, will lack
the precision necessary for a correct use of the concept. You are
responsible for all definitions from class, and you may be asked to
reproduce these on exams and quizzes. For example, an exam question might
begin: "Give the precise definition of ..."
- You are responsible for understanding the theorems and proofs from
class; it is not sufficient simply to know how to apply them. A
statement of a theorem should include all the hypotheses that were present
in the statement of the theorem in class. An exam question might be:
"State and prove the fundamental theorem of Calculus".
- You must explain your work using words. Written explanation is
a crucial part of the learning process, and it is not sufficient simply to
write down a series of equations and circle a number or formula at the end.
It is important that you be able to give clear and well-organized
indications of what you are doing and why. I will try to provide examples
of this as we go.
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Comments to:
dpvc@union.edu
Created: Sep 01 1997 ---
Last modified: Sep 2, 1997 9:04:37 AM