Course Description: First course in calculus and analytic geometry with applications in the sciences and engineering. Includes basic techniques of differentiation and integration with applications including rates of change, optimization problems, and curve sketching; includes exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions. Calculus is the mathematical language used to describe and analyze change. The course emphasizes how this abstract language and its associated techniques provide a unified way of approaching problems originating in disparate areas of science, technology, and society, highlighting how questions arising in different fields are connected to the same fundamental mathematical ideas. No credit for both MATH 2301 and 1350 (always keep 2301).
Prerequisites: (B or better in MATH 1350) or (C or better in 1300 or 1322) or (Math placement level 3)
Meeting Times and Locations:
Lecture Section 100 meets Mon Wed, Fri 8:35am – 9:30pm in Morton Hall 115.
Associated to Lecture Section 100 are three Recitation Sections, led by Othniel Amoako
Lecture Section 110 meets Mon Wed, Fri 2:00pm – 2:55pm in Morton Hall 115.
Associated to Lecture Section 110 are three Recitation Sections, led by Kingsley Osae
Lecture Section 120 meets Mon Wed, Fri 3:05pm – 4:00pm in Morton Hall 115.
Associated to Lecture Section 100 are three Recitation Sections, led by Gabriel Dooley
Special Needs: If you have specific physical, psychiatric, or learning disabilities and require accommodations, please let Mark Barsamian know as soon as possible so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. You should also register with the
Office of Student Accessibility Services
to obtain written documentation and to learn about the resources they have available.
Final Exam Date: MATH 2301 Sections 100, 110, 120 have a Common Final Exam on Thu Dec 11, 2025, from 7:00pm – 9:00pm in Morton Hall Room 201.
Attendance Policy:
Attendance is required for all class meetings, and your attendance (or absence) will be recorded, but attendance is not used in the calculation of your course grade.
Missing Class: If you miss a class for any reason, it is your responsibility to learn the stuff that you missed. You can do this by studying a classmate's notes, or reading the Lecture notes that Mark Barsamian posts online, and by reading the textbook. Your Instructors will not use office hours to teach topics discussed in class meetings to students who were absent.
Missing a Quiz or Exam Because of Illness: If you are too sick to take a quiz or exam, then you must do these three things:
Send Mark Barsamian an e-mail before the quiz/exam, telling him that you are going to miss it because of illness. He will arrange for a date and time for a Make-Up quiz/exam. (Generally, the Make-up for a Friday quiz/exam needs to take place on the following Monday or Tuesday. Therefore, it is important to communicate with him right away.)
Go to the Hudson Student Health Center (or some other Medical Professional) to get examined.
Later, you will need to bring Mark Barsamian your documentation from the Hudson Student Health Center (or a Medical Professional) showing that you were treated there.
Without those three things, you will not be given a make-up. (When you miss a Quiz or Exam and are not given a Make-Up, the missed Quiz or Exam will be considered your one Quiz or Exam score that gets dropped.)
(Observe that self-diagnosis of an illness is not a valid documentation of an illness. In other words, you can't just tell Mark Barsamian that you did not come to a Quiz or Exam because you were not feeling well, and expect to get a Make-Up Quiz or Exam. If you are too sick to come to a Quiz or Exam, then you should be sick enough to go to a medical professional to get diagnosed and treated.)
Missing Quizzes or Exams Because of University Activity: If you have a University Activity that conflicts with one of our quizzes or exams, you must contact Mark Barsamian well before the quiz or exam to discuss arrangements for a make-up. They will need to see documentation of your activity. If you miss a quiz or an exam because of a University Activity without notifying Mark Barsamian in advance, you will not be given a make-up.
Missing Quizzes or Exams Because of Religious Observation: The Ohio University Faculty Handbook states the following:
Students may be absent for up to three days each academic semester to take time off for reasons of faith or religious or spiritual belief system or participate in organized activities conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or other religious or spiritual organization. Faculty shall not impose an academic penalty because of a student being absent nor shall faculty question the sincerity of a student's religious or spiritual belief systems. Students are expected to notify faculty in writing of specific dates requested for alternative accommodations no later than fourteen days after the first day of instruction.
For MATH 2301, this means that if you will be missing any Fall 2025 Quizzes or Exams for religious reasons, and if you want to have a Make-Up Quiz/Exam, you will need to notify your Professor no later than Monday, Sep 8, 2025. You and Mark Barsamian will work out the dates/times of your Make-Up Quiz/Exam. (In general, if you are going to miss a Friday Quiz/Exam, your Professor will schedule you for a Make-Up on the following Monday or Tuesday.)
Missing Presentations, Quizzes, or Exams Because of Personal Travel: This course meets on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and attendance is required. Your Personal Travel (to home for the weekend, or out of town for vacations, etc) should be scheduled to not conflict with those class meetings. If you miss a Recitation, Quiz, or Exam because of Personal Travel (not an Offical University Activity), you will not be given a make-up. (When you miss a Quiz or Exam and are not given a Make-Up, the missed Quiz or Exam will be considered your one Quiz or Exam score that gets dropped.)
Electronic Communication Policy (For both Students and Instructors):
Policy for Electronic communication between MATH 2301 Students and Instructors
Electronic communication between MATH 2301 Students and Instructors should be done using one of these two methods:
The Official Ohio University e-mail system. That is, communications should use email addresses ending in @ohio.edu. In other words, send your emails from your OU e-mail account, and address them to a recipient's OU e-mail address. (Students: If you use the Canvas system to send an email to your Instructor, this is automatically taken care of.)
The Teams program. (Teams can be used for chat, voice calling, video calling, and video meetings. It is remarkably powerful.
Do not use a personal email address (such as a gmail address) when sending an email.
Students and Instructors should not communicate via text messages.
Students and Instructors: It is your reponsibility to check your OU e-mail every day. (Students: If you are communicating with your Instructor about a time-sensitive issue, such as trying to schedule a Make-Up Quiz or Exam after an illness, your e-mail replies need to be swift. It is not acceptable to let days pass before replying to an important e-mail message, with your excuse being that you had not checked your OU email. If you do this, you will lose the opportunity to have a Make-Up Quiz or Exam.)
It is a good practice to use a descriptive Subject line such as Regarding MATH 2301 Section XXX on your email messages. That way, the recipient will know to give the email message high priority.
It is also a good practice to use a greeting such as
Hi Elon,
on your email messages, and to identify yourself in your message. And use a closing such as
Thanks, Jeff Bezos
Policy on Cheating:
If cheat on a quiz or exam, you will receive a zero on that quiz or exam and your Instructor will submit a report to the Office of Community Standards and Student Responsibility (CSSR).
If you cheat on another quiz or exam, you will receive a grade of F in the course and your Instructor will again submit a report to the CSSR.
Syllabus: This web page replaces the usual paper syllabus. If you need a paper syllabus (now or in the future), unhide the next four portions of hidden content (Textbook Information, Exercises, Grading, Calendar) and then print this web page.
Textbook and WebAssign Information:
click to enlarge
Required Online Course Materials: Through a program called Inclusive Access, the University has negotiated with the publisher a special price for this course's Required Online Course Materials. On the first day of class, you will receive access to an an online system called WebAssign. The WebAssign system includes an eText version of the textbook and an online homework system. The cost of the Online Course Materials is a discounted Inclusive Access Price of $50. That cost will be automatically billed to your Ohio University Student Account. If you drop the course before the drop deadline (Fri, Sep 5), your student account will be credited for any amount billed. After you register, you will receive more information about the Inclusive Access program, including an option to "Opt Out" of participation in the program. To "Opt Out" means that your payment for the Online Course Materials is not handled by the Inclusive Access program. If you do that, you can still use the Online Course Materials, but in order to access them, you will be asked to make a credit card payment for the Retail Price of the materials. (Note that the Retail Price is significantly higher than the Inclusive Access Price.)
WebAssign Resources
Link to a How to video about Student Course Material Registration: Link
Phone number for Cengage Technical Support: 1.800.354.9706
Cengage Virtual Student Office Hours (through September 10th): Link
August 11-29: 10a-1p and 2p-5p EDT
September 2-5: 11a-1p and 2p-4p EDT
September 8-10: 12p-3p EDT
Information about the Textbook
Title: Essential Calculus, Early Transcendentals, Second Edition
Author: James Stewart
Publisher: Cengage (2012)
ISBN-13: 978-1133112280
Exercises:
Exercises for 2025 – 2026 Fall Semester MATH 2301 Sections 100, 110, 120 (Barsamian) (from Stewart Essential Calculus Early Transcendentals 2nd Edition)
Your goal should be to write solutions to all 392 exercises in this list.
Suggestion: WebAssign does not require that you write stuff down, but you will learn a lot by focusing on your writing. Furthermore, having good writing skills will help you succeed on Quizzes and Exams. Study by writing a complete solution to each problem before typing the answer into WebAssign. Focus on the clarity of your written solution. Keep your written solutions in a notebook. Compare your written solutions to your Instructors’ written solutions in Lectures and Recitations. Find another student, a tutor, the Recitation Instructor, or your Professor to look over your written solutions with you.
Grading:
Grading System for 2025 – 2026 Fall Semester MATH 2301 Sections 100, 110, 120 (Barsamian)
During the course, you will accumulate a Points Total of up to 1031 possible points.
Recitation: 14 Tuesday Recitation Activities @ 5 points each = 70 points possible
Quizzes: Best 8 of 9 Quizzes @ 30 points each = 240 points possible
Exams: Best 2 of 3 Exams @ 220 points each = 440 points possible
Final Exam: 250 points possible
WebAssign: 31 Assignments @ 1 point each = 31 points possible (Extra Credit points)
At the end of the semester, your Points Total will be divided by \(1000\) to get a percentage, and then converted into your Course Letter Grade using the 90%, 80%, 70%, 60% Grading Scale described below.
Observe that the Total Possible Points is \(1031\), but your points total is divided by \(1000\) to get the percentage that is used in computing your course grade. This is because the \(31\) points that can be earned by doing WebAssign Homework are considered Extra Credit Points.
The 90%, 80%, 70%, 60% Grading Scale is used on all graded items in this course, and is used in computing your Course Letter Grade.
A grade of A, A- means that you mastered all concepts, with no significant gaps.
If \(93\% \leq score \), then letter grade is A.
If \(90\% \leq score \lt 93\%\), then letter grade is A-.
A grade of B+, B, B- means that you mastered all essential concepts and many advanced concepts, but have some significant gap.
If \(87\% \leq score \lt 90\%\), then letter grade is B+.
If \(83\% \leq score \lt 87\% \), then letter grade is B.
If \(80\% \leq score \lt 83\%\), then letter grade is B-.
A grade of C+, C, C- means that you mastered most essential concepts and some advanced concepts, but have many significant gaps.
If \(77\% \leq score \lt 80\%\), then letter grade is C+.
If \(73\% \leq score \lt 77\%\), then letter grade is C.
If \(70\% \leq score \lt 73\%\), then letter grade is C-.
A grade of D+, D, D- means that you mastered some essential concepts.
If \(67\% \leq score \lt 70\%\), then letter grade is D+.
If \(63\% \leq score \lt 67\% \), then letter grade is D.
If \(60\% \leq score \lt 63\%\), then letter grade is D-.
A grade of F means that you did not master essential concepts.
If \(0\% \leq score \lt 60\%\), then letter grade is F.
There is no grade curving in this course.
Two things that are not part of your Course Grade
Attendance: Attendance is recorded but is not part of your course grade
Written Solutions to Homework Exercises: There is a list of Homework Exercises on this web page. To succeed in the course, you will need to do lots of them (preferrably all of them), writing the solutions on paper. Those written solutions are not graded and are not part of your course grade. (Your scores on the online WebAssign homework will be part of your course grade.)
Mon Aug 25: Course Intro; Section 1.3: The Limit of a Function; Diagnostic Test
(Class Drill on Limits)
Tue Aug 26: Recitation R01
Instructions for Recitation R01, Tue Sep 26, 2025
Students will work on the problems in the packet called Recitation R01 Problems. (The Recitation Instructor will hand out printed copies at the beginning of the Recitation session.)
Students should work in groups of two.
If there is an extra student, there can be one group of three.
There should be no students working alone.
The Recitation Instructor will hand out one copy of the packet to each group.
All the students in the group should print their names on the packet.
Students should complete as much of the packet as they can, and then hand the packet to the Recitation Instructor at the end of the Recitation period.
Eight Problems to Be Done in Recitation R02 for MATH 2301 (Barsamian)
[1] A limit that is an Indeterminate Form and that require no trick, just messy work
(This problem is similar to book exercise 1.4#15, which is not assigned. It is also similar to Book Section 1.4 Example 2)
Find the limit
$$\lim_{t\rightarrow -2}\frac{t^2-t-6}{2t^2+5t+2}$$
Show valid steps that lead to your answer.
[2] Another limit that is an Indeterminate Form and that require no trick, just messy work
(This problem similar to homework exercise 1.4#25)
Find the limit
$$\lim_{x\rightarrow -5}\frac{\frac{1}{5}+\frac{1}{x}}{5+x}$$
Show valid steps that lead to your answer.
[3] A limit that Involves Rationalizing
(This problem is similar to homework exercise 1.4#21 and Book Section 1.4 Example 5)
Find the limit
$$\lim_{h\rightarrow 0}\frac{\sqrt{9+h}-3}{h}$$
Show valid steps that lead to your answer.
[4] A Limit that involves the Absolute Value
(This problem is similar to homework exercise 1.4#38, and similar to Book Section 1.4 Example 7)
Find the limit
$$\lim_{x\rightarrow -4}\frac{3x+12}{|x+4|}$$
Show valid steps that lead to your answer.
[5] A Limit involving the Squeeze Theorem
(This problem is similar to homework exercise 1.4#35 and Book Section 1.4 Example 9.)
Prove that that
$$\lim_{x\rightarrow 0}\left[x^2\cos{\left(\frac{3}{x}\right)}\right]=0$$
Show valid steps that lead to your answer.
Hint: Use the Worksheet entitled Using the Squeeze Theorem to organize your work.
[6] A limit that uses the famous fact that \(\lim_{x\rightarrow 0}\frac{\sin{(x)}}{x}=1\)
(This problem is similar to homework exercises 1.4#51 and is related to book Section 1.4 Example 10)
Find the limit
$$\lim_{5\rightarrow 0}\frac{\tan{(12t)}}{\sin{(3t)}}$$
Show valid steps that lead to your answer.
Warning: Don’t be tempted to replace
\(\tan{(12t)}\) with \(12\tan{(t)}\) because \(\tan{(12t)} \neq 12\tan{(t)}\)
Hint: Replace \(tan{(12t)}\) with \(\frac{\sin{(12t)}}{\cos{(12t)}}\)
[7] Problem involving the Intermediate Value Theorem
(a) Let \(f(x)=x+\sqrt[3]{x}-1\).
Use the Intermediate Value Theorem to show that \(f(x)\) has a root
on the interval \((0,1)\). That is, show that there exists an \(x\) value, with \(0 \lt x \lt 1\), such that \(f(x)=0\).
Explain clearly.
Hint: Use the Worksheet entitled Using the Intermediate Value Theorem to organize your work.
(b) (This problem is book exercise 1.5#40, which is similar to homework exercise 1.5#39) Use the Intermediate Value Theorem to show that there is a solution of the equation
$$\sqrt[3]{x}=1-x$$
on the interval (0,1).
Explain clearly.
[8] Problem involving the Intermediate Value Theorem
(a) Let \(f(x)=\cos{(x)}-x\), where \(x\) is in radians, not degrees.
Use the Intermediate Value Theorem to show that \(f(x)\) has a root. That is, show that there exists an \(x\) value such that \(f(x)=0\).
Explain clearly.
Hint: Use the Worksheet entitled Using the Intermediate Value Theorem to organize your work.
(b) (This problem is similar to homework exercise 1.5#43) Use the Intermediate Value Theorem to show that there is a solution of the equation
$$\cos{(x)}=x$$
where \(x\) is in radians, not degrees.
Explain clearly.
Wed Sep 3:
Section 1.6: Limits Involving Infinity
Fri Sep 5:
Section 1.6: Limits Involving Infinity
(Last Day to Drop Without a W)
(Quiz Q1)
Quiz Q1 Information
Alternate Seating: There should be an empty seat between any two occupied seats.
If you need to go to the bathroom during the Quiz:
Notify your instructor.
Give your Instructor your phone.
20 Minutes at the end of class
No books, notes, calculators, or phones
Three Problems, 10 points each, printed on front & back of one sheet of paper
One problem based on Suggested Exercises from Section 1.3.
One problem based on Suggested Exercises from Section 1.4.
One problem based on Suggested Exercises from Section 1.5.
No books, notes, calculators, phones, or smart watches
The Exam will last the full duration of the class period.
Ten problems, printed on front & back of three sheets of paper (but not quite as long as three quizzes).
A problem about limits, calculating limits, infinite limits, or infinite limits, based on suggested exercises from Section 1.3, 1.4, 1.6
Another problem about limits, calculating limits, infinite limits, or infinite limits, based on suggested exercises from Section 1.3, 1.4, 1.6
Another problem about limits, calculating limits, infinite limits, or infinite limits, based on suggested exercises from Section 1.3, 1.4, 1.6
Another problem about limits, calculating limits, infinite limits, or infinite limits, based on suggested exercises from Section 1.3, 1.4, 1.6
A problem using the concept of continuity, based on suggested exercises from Section 1.5
A problem about calculating a derivative using the Definition of the Derivative, based on suggested exercises from Section 2.2
A problem involving calculating a derivative using the Derivative Rules, based on suggested exercises from Section 2.3
Another problem involving calculating a derivative using the Derivative Rules, based on suggested exercises from Section 2.3
A problem about secant lines, tangent lines or normal lines, based on suggested exercises from Sections 2.1, 2.2, 2.3
A problem about rates of change or position & velocity, based on suggested exercises from Section 2.1, 2.2, 2.3
Note that neither the Recitation Instructors nor the Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) Leader, know what problems are on Exam X1. The coverage of problems in Review Sessions and PAL Sessions is not an indication of what will or will not be on the Exam.
Mon Sep 22:
Section 2.4: The Product and Quotient Rules
