# Welcome

Welcome to the course web page for the Spring 2012 manifestation of MA3540: Calculus III at Plymouth State University.

## What is this course all about?

This is the third course in the calculus sequence. Loosely speaking, Calculus III revisits the topics from Calculus I and II, but explores them in multiple dimensions. Topics include three-dimensional vectors, directional derivatives and the gradient, and multiple integrals. Some key theorems include Green's Theorem, Stokes' Theorem, and the Divergence Theorem.

For more details, see the syllabus.

## Textbook

We will be using Calculus, 6th edition (Thomson/Brooks Cole) by James Stewart. There are two different versions that you can choose from. One option is to obtain the full textbook. The second option is to obtain the multivariable version of the book, which consists of chapters of 13-18. Note: This is not the same book that I am using for Calculus I and II. I expect you to be reading the textbook. I will not be covering every detail of the textbook and the only way to achieve a sufficient understanding of the material is to be digesting the reading in a meaningful way. You should be seeking clarification about the material in the textbook whenever necessary by asking questions in class or posting questions to the course forum.

## Getting Help

There are many resources available to get help. First, I recommend that you work on homework in groups as much as possible and to come see me whenever necessary. Also, you are strongly encouraged to ask questions in the course forum on our Moodle page page, as I will post comments there for all to benefit from. To effectively post to the course forum, you will need to learn the basics of LaTeX, the standard language for typesetting in the mathematics community. See the Quick LaTeX guide for help with $\LaTeX$. If you need additional help with $\LaTeX$, post a question in the course forum on our Moodle page.

You can also visit the Math Activity Center, which is located in Hyde 351. This student-run organization provides peer tutoring services for most 1000 and 2000 level math courses and some 3000 level courses. Tutors are typically math majors interested in teaching math and practicing their instructional skills. You can drop in anytime during open hours.

Lastly, you can always .