First-Year Courses in Mathematics (Division 428)

Winter Term, 2000 (September 8 - December 22, 1999)

Elementary Mathematics Courses. In order to accommodate diverse backgrounds and interests, several course options are available to beginning mathematics students. All courses require three years of high school mathematics; four years are strongly recommended and more information is given for some individual courses below. Students with College Board Advanced Placement credit and anyone planning to enroll in an upper-level class should consider one of the Honors sequences and discuss the options with a mathematics advisor.

Students who need additional preparation for calculus are tentatively identified by a combination of the math placement test (given during orientation), college admissions test scores (SAT or ACT), and high school grade point average. Academic advisors will discuss this placement information with each student and refer students to a special mathematics advisor when necessary.

Two courses preparatory to the calculus, Math 105 and Math 110, are offered. Math 105 is a course on data analysis, functions and graphs with an emphasis on problem solving. Math 110 is a condensed half-term version of the same material offered as a self-study course through the Math Lab and directed towards students who are unable to complete a first calculus course successfully. A maximum total of 4 credits may be earned in courses numbered 110 and below. Math 103 is offered exclusively in the Summer half-term for students in the Summer Bridge Program.

Math 127 and 128 are courses containing selected topics from geometry and number theory, respectively. They are intended for students who want exposure to mathematical culture and thinking through a single course. They are neither prerequisite nor preparation for any further course. No credit will be received for the election of Math 127 or 128 if a student already has received credit for a 200- (or higher) level mathematics course.

Each of Math 115, 185, and 295 is a first course in calculus and generally credit can be received for only one course from this list. The sequence 115-116-215 is appropriate for most students who want a complete introduction to calculus. One of Math 215, 285, or 395 is prerequisite to most more advanced courses in Mathematics.

The sequences 156-255-256, 175-176-285-286, 185-186-285-286, and 295-296-395-396 are honors sequences. All students must have the permission of an Honors advisor to enroll in any of these courses, but they need not be enrolled in the LS&A Honors Program. All students with strong preparation and interest in mathematics are encouraged to consider these courses; they are both more interesting and more challenging than the standard sequences.

Math 185-285 covers much of the material of Math 115-215 with more attention to the theory in addition to applications. Most students who take Math 185 have taken a high school calculus course, but it is not required. Math 175-176 assumes a knowledge of calculus roughly equivalent to Math 115 and covers a substantial amount of so-called combinatorial mathematics (see course description) as well as calculus-related topics not usually part of the calculus sequence. Math 175 and 176 are taught by the discovery method: students are presented with a great variety of problems and encouraged to experiment in groups using computers. The sequence Math 295-396 provides a rigorous introduction to theoretical mathematics. Proofs are stressed over applications and these courses require a high level of interest and commitment. Most students electing Math 295 have completed a thorough high school calculus course. The student who completes Math 396 is prepared to explore the world of mathematics at the advanced undergraduate and graduate level.

Students with strong scores on either the AB or BC version of the College Board Advanced Placement exam may be granted credit and advanced placement in one of the sequences described above; a table explaining the possibilities is available from advisors and the Department. In addition, there are two courses expressly designed and recommended for students with one or two semesters of AP credit, Math 119 and Math 156. Both will review the basic concepts of calculus, cover integration and an introduction to differential equations, and introduce the student to the computer algebra system MAPLE. Math 119 will stress experimentation and computation, while Math 156 is an honors course intended primarily for science and engineering concentrators and will emphasize both applications and theory. Interested students should consult a mathematics advisor for more details.

In rare circumstances and with permission of a Mathematics advisor reduced credit may be granted for Math 185 or 295 after Math 115. A list of these and other cases of reduced credit for courses with overlapping material is available from the Department. To avoid unexpected reduction in credit, students should always consult an advisor before switching from one sequence to another. In all cases a maximum total of 16 credits may be earned for calculus courses Math 115 through Math 396, and no credit can be earned for a prerequisite to a course taken after the course itself.

Students completing Math 116 who are principally interested in the application of mathematics to other fields may continue either to Math 215 (Analytic Geometry and Calculus III) or to Math 216 (Introduction to Differential Equations) - these two courses may be taken in either order. Students who have greater interest in theory or who intend to take more advanced courses in mathematics should continue with Math 215 followed by the sequence Math 217-316 (Linear Algebra-Differential Equations). Math 217 (or the honors version, Math 513) is required for a concentration in Mathematics; it both serves as a transition to the more theoretical material of advanced courses and provides the background required for optimal treatment of differential equations in Math 316. Math 216 is not intended for mathematics concentrators.

A maximum total of 4 credits may be earned in Mathematics courses numbered 110 and below. A maximum total of 16 credits may be earned for calculus courses Math 112 through Math 396, and no credit can be earned for a prerequisite to a course taken after the course itself.

Section 170 and 173 Only by Permission of CSP

Credits: (4).

Course Homepage: http://www.math.lsa.umich.edu/~meggin/math115/

The sequence Math 115-116-215 is the standard complete introduction to the concepts and methods of calculus. It is taken by the majority of students intending to concentrate in mathematics, science, or engineering as well as students heading for many other fields. The emphasis is on concepts and solving problems rather than theory and proof. All sections are given a uniform midterm and final exam. The course presents the concepts of calculus from three points of view: geometric (graphs); numerical (tables); and algebraic (formulas). Students will develop their reading, writing, and questioning skills.

Topics include functions and graphs, derivatives and their applications to real-life problems in various fields, and definite integrals. Math 185 is a somewhat more theoretical course which covers some of the same material. Math 175 includes some of the material of Math 115 together with some combinatorial mathematics. A student whose preparation is insufficient for Math 115 should take Math 105 (Data, Functions, and Graphs). Math 116 is the natural sequel. A student who has done very well in this course could enter the honors sequence at this point by taking Math 186. The cost for this course is over $100 since the student will need a text (to be used for 115 and 116) and a graphing calculator (the Texas Instruments TI-83 is recommended).

Credits: (4).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

See Math 115 for a general description of the sequence Math 115-116-215.

Topics include the indefinite integral, techniques of integration, introduction to differential equations, infinite series. Math 186 is a somewhat more theoretical course which covers much of the same material. Math 215 is the natural sequel. A student who has done very well in this course could enter the honors sequence at this point by taking Math 285.

Section 001.

First-Year Seminar,

Credits: (4).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

This course introduces students to the ideas and some of the basic results in Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometry. Beginning with geometry in ancient Greece, the course includes the construction of new geometric objects from old ones by projecting and by taking slices. The next topic is non-Euclidean geometry. This section begins with the independence of Euclid's Fifth Postulate and with the construction of spherical and hyperbolic geometries in which the Fifth Postulate fails; how spherical and hyperbolic geometry differs from Euclidean geometry. The last topic is geometry of higher dimensions: coordinatization – the mathematician's tool for studying higher dimensions; construction of higher-dimensional analogues of some familiar objects like spheres and cubes; discussion of the proper higher-dimensional analogues of some geometric notions (length, angle, orthogonality, etc. This course is intended for students who want an introduction to mathematical ideas and culture. Emphasis on conceptual thinking – students will do hands-on experimentation with geometric shapes, patterns, and ideas. Grades based on homework and a final project. No exams. Text: Beyond the Third Dimension (Thomas Banchoff, 1990).

Credits: (4).

Course Homepage: http://www.math.lsa.umich.edu/courses/216/

For a student who has completed the calculus sequence, there are two sequences which deal with linear algebra and differential equations, Math 216-417 (or 419) and Math 217-316. The sequence Math 216-417 emphasizes problem-solving and applications and is intended for students of engineering and the sciences. Math concentrators and other students who have some interest in the theory of mathematics should elect the sequence Math 217-316. After an introduction to ordinary differential equations, the first half of the course is devoted to topics in linear algebra, including systems of linear algebraic equations, vector spaces, linear dependence, bases, dimension, matrix algebra, determinants, eigenvalues, and eigenvectors. In the second half these tools are applied to the solution of linear systems of ordinary differential equations. Topics include: oscillating systems, the Laplace transform, initial value problems, resonance, phase portraits, and an introduction to numerical methods. There is a weekly computer lab using MATLAB software. This course is not intended for mathematics concentrators, who should elect the sequence 217-316. Math 286 covers much of the same material in the honors sequence. The sequence Math 217-316 covers all of this material and substantially more at greater depth and with greater emphasis on the theory. Math 404 covers further material on differential equations. Math 217 and 417 cover further material on linear algebra. Math 371 and 471 cover additional material on numerical methods.