Math 126
Information About the Midterm Exam

NOTE: Just before the test begins, I will put a test at every desk in the lecture hall. Please do not take a seat before there is a test on each seat. Thanks--it will make for less confusion.

Rules:

• Structure of the exam: There are 4 problems at 25 points each, for a total of 100 points.

• Learn your TA's name and section letters: Tests with wrong or incorrectly spelled TA names or section letters will lose 4 points.

• Notes: You may use two 8 1/2" by 11" one-sided pages (or one sheet written on both sides) of your own handwritten notes (no photocopied or printed material). You may also bring a small model of the xyz-axes to the test.

• Show your work: If your work demonstrates that you had the right idea, you might get partial credit even if your answer is wrong. On the other hand, if your answer is not justified by your work, you might lose points even if your answer is correct.

• Answers: Use the boxes for answers when possible. Measurements must be made with a ruler, and lines and vectors must be drawn with a ruler. Lines or vectors drawn without a ruler lose 4 points.

• Calculators: The test will be written so that you won't need them; we prefer that you leave numerical answers in unsimplified form. However, to be consistent with departmental policy in Math 124 and 125, I will allow you to bring a calculator to the exam to check your arithmetic. Laptop computers are not allowed.

• Simplifying: We expect you to simplify algebraic and numerical expressions in answers to the point where they can be evaluated by a student in a precalculus course with a calculator, but you do not need to take them any further. For example, a dot product such as (a, 2b+2, b^2) . (a+1, b, 0) must be worked out, but need not be simplified: (a, 2b+2, b^2). (a+1, b, 0) = a(a+1) + (2b+2)b + 0. Leave exact answers in exact form: unless you are asked to approximate an answer or to find an answer graphically, a decimal approximation to exact numbers such as 1+2 sqrt(3) or cos(5/9 pi) is incorrect.

• Asking questions: If you have a question, raise your hand and I will come to your seat.

Topics:

1. dot products, cross products, and projections (Sections 3, 7, and 8);

2. lines in the plane and space (2 and 6);

3. planes (9);

4. curves in the plane and space, tangent and normal objects (2, 10, and 11);

5. functions of 2 and 3 variables, graphs, and level objects (12 and 13).

Office hours:

The lecturer and TA's will have regular office hours during the week of October 23-27. In addition, there will be the following extra office hours:

Friday Oct. 27	11:30-1:30	J. Lee	Study Center
	1:30-3:30	A. Burago	Padelford C-8-K
	4:00-6:00	W. Pohl	Padelford C-430
Sunday Oct. 29	2:00-4:00	A. Pasquale	Study Center
	4:00-6:00	J. Huang	Study Center

There will be no office hours during the week October 30-November 3 after the exam. The regular schedule will resume on Monday, November 6.

Preparing for the exam:

• Review problems: On pages 77-80 of [LN], there are additional problems on Sections 1-9. Also, on pages 165-170, there are additional problems on Sections 10-18; among these, you can look at F.1 through F.8, which cover Sections 10-13.

• Sample test: To get an idea of what the midterm problems will be like, look at all the problems in Sample Test #1, [LN] pages 81-83, and Problems 1 and 3(a) from Sample Test #2, [LN] pages 171-174.

• Old exams: You can buy reprints of old Math 126 exams at Professional Copy 'n' Print on the Ave. Note that these exams were based on a schedule that includes two midterms, with the first midterm covering only material from Sections 1-9. Since we have only one midterm, covering Sections 1-13, you will need to look at some problems from the second midterm in each quarter. Just ignore problems that refer to gradients or directional derivatives.

• Review session: The lecture on Friday, October 27, will be a review and question-and-answer period. Come prepared with questions.

• Math Study Center: Communications B-14. Hours: Monday through Thursday 9:30 to 9:30, Friday 9:30 to 1:30, Saturday closed, Sunday 2 to 6. There are people there to help you whenever they're open.

After the exam:

• Homework Assignment #5: Note that Assignment #5, covering Sections 12 and 13, is due Tuesday, October 31, the day after the exam. However, this material will be on the exam, so you should finish it over the weekend and hand it in on Tuesday.

• Thursday Quiz: There will be a quiz as usual on Thursday, November 2 during the week after the exam. This quiz will consist of one problem taken verbatim from the exam, so be sure you learn how to do every problem on the exam. The exam problems will be covered in section on Tuesday, October 31.