Mathematics 181 Homepage

Fall 2025 University of Nevada Reno

181 LINEAR ALGEBRA I (3+0) 3 credits

Fundamental concepts of analytic geometry and calculus; functions, graphs, limits, derivatives and integrals. (This course satisfies the University Core Mathematics requirement.) Prerequisite(s): MATH 127 or MATH 128 with a "C" or better or ACT of 28 or SAT of 650 or ALEKS PPL of 76. 

Instructor     Course Section               Time
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eric Olson     1006 Math 181 CALCULUS I     MWF 10:00-10:50pm WRB2003

Hongyang Dai   1601 Recitation Group        TR 1:30-2:20pm    EJCH238
Hongyang Dai   1602 Recitation Group        TR 3:30-4:20pm    LP105
Hongyang Dai   1603 Recitation Group        TR 4:30-5:20pm    LP105

Course Information

Instructor:
Eric Olson
email:
Please contact me through WebCampus
Office:
MWF 11:00-11:50am in DMSC 238 and through Zoom by appointment
Homepage:
http://fractal.math.unr.edu/~ejolson/181/

Assistants:
Hongyang Dai
Please contact through WebCampus

Required Texts:
James Stewart, Calculus Early Transcendentals, Cengage, 9th Edition.

WebAssign:
https://www.webassign.net/login.html
Class Key: unr 2983 4874

Other resources:
Morris Kline, Calculus An Intuitive and Physical Approach, Dover, 2nd Edition.
Lax and Terrell, Calculus with Applications, Springer, 2nd Edition.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to

Lecture Notes

Homework

This homework is to help prepare you for the quizzes. Quiz 1 fill focus on Homework 1, Quiz 2 will focus on Homework 2 and so forth. The homework corresponding to each quiz will not be collected or graded.

Announcements

[04-Sep-2025] Quiz 1

The first quiz will be given in recitation on Thursday, September 4. Please work Homework 1 listed in the section above to prepare for the quiz. The quiz is worth 5 points but the homework will not be graded.

[27-Aug-2025] CircleIn AI Tutor

University of Nevada, Reno is proud to provide CircleIn for free to students. We're pleased to share that CircleIn is concentrating on the responsible use of AI and is introducing CircleIn's AI Tutor, supported by the National Science Foundation.

[18-Aug-2025] Welcome Fall 2025

My lecture notes should complement the notes you take in class. I'd recommend comparing the notes you take with the ones I post after class along with the relevant sections from the text. Then use these three sources of information to create a final version of your notes. In my experience reviewing the lecture in this way is important.

There will be bi-weekly quizzes during the recitation sections starting the second week of class. There will also be one midterm and one final exam as well as online homework through WebAssign.

Grading

     Midterm                  100 points
     20 Quizzes                 5 points each
     WebAssign                 20 points total
     Final                    100 points
    ------------------------------------------
                              320 points total
Exams and quizzes will be interpreted according to the following grading scale: 
    Grade        Minimum Percentage
      A                 90 %
      B                 80 %
      C                 70 %
      D                 60 %
The instructor reserves the right to give plus or minus grades and higher grades than shown on the scale if it is believed they are warranted.

Calendar

Aug 25 -- 2.1 The Tangent and Velocity Problems
Aug 27 -- 2.1 The Tangent and Velocity Problems (continued)
Aug 29 -- 2.2 The Limit of a Function

Sep 01 ***Labor Day***
Sep 03 -- 2.2 The Limit of a Function (continued)
          Quiz 1 (recitation)
Sep 05 -- 2.3 Calculating Limits Using the Limit Laws

Sep 08 -- 2.4 The Precise Definition of a Limit
          Quiz 2 (recitation)
          Webassign HW 2.1
Sep 10 -- 2.5 Continuity
          Quiz 3
Sep 12 -- 2.6 Limits at Infinity; Horizontal Asymptotes

Sep 15 -- 2.6 Limits at Infinity; Horizontal Asymptotes (continued)
          Quiz 4 (recitation)
          Webassign HW 2.2, 2.3, 2.5
Sep 17 -- 2.7 Derivatives and Rates of Change
          Quiz 5 (recitation)
Sep 19 -- 2.8 The Derivative as a Function

Sep 22 -- 3.1 Derivatives of Polynomials and Exponential Functions
          Quiz 6 (recitation)
          Webassign HW 2.6, 2.7, 2.8
Sep 24 -- 3.2 The Product and Quotient Rules
          Quiz 7 (recitation)
Sep 26 -- 3.2 The Product and Quotient Rules (continued)

Sep 29 -- 3.6 Derivatives of Log and Inverse Trig Functions
          Quiz 8 (recitation)
          Webassign HW 3.1
Oct 01 -- 3.9 Related Rates
          Quiz 9 (recitation)
Oct 03 -- 3.9 Related Rates (continued)

Oct 06 -- 3.10 Linear Approximations and Differentials
          Quiz 10 (recitation)
          Webassign HW 3.2, 3.3
Oct 08 -- 3.11 Hyperbolic Functions (optional)
          Quiz 11 (recitation)
Oct 10 -- 4.1 Maximum and Minimum Values

Oct 13 -- 4.1 Maximum and Minimum Values (continued)
          Quiz 12 (recitation)
          Webassign HW 3.4
Oct 15 -- 4.2 The Mean Value Theorem
          Quiz 13 (recitation)
Oct 17 -- 4.2 The Mean Value Theorem (continued)

Oct 20 -- 4.3 What Derivatives Tell about a Graph
          Webassign HW 3.5, 3.6, 3.9
Oct 22 -- Review
Oct 24 -- Midterm

Oct 27 -- 4.3 What Derivatives Tell about a Graph (continued)
          Webassign HW 3.10
Oct 29 -- 4.4 Indeterminate Forms and l'Hospital's Rule
Oct 31 ***Nevada Day***

Nov 03 -- 4.4 Indeterminate Forms and l'Hospital's Rule (continued)
          Quiz 14 (recitation)
          Webassign HW 4.1, 4.2, 4.3
Nov 05 -- 4.5 Summary of Curve Sketching
          Quiz 15 (recitation)
Nov 07 -- 4.7 Optimization Problems

Nov 10 -- 4.7 Optimization Problems (continued)
          Webassign HW 4.4, 4.5
Nov 12 -- 4.9 Antiderivatives
          Quiz 16 (recitation)
Nov 14 -- 4.9 Antiderivatives (continued)

Nov 17 -- 5.1 The Area and Distance Problems
          Quiz 17 (recitation)
          Webassign HW 4.7, 4.9
Nov 19 -- 5.1 The Area and Distance Problems (continued)
          Quiz 18 (recitation)
Nov 21 -- 5.2 The Definite Integral

Nov 24 -- 5.2 The Definite Integral (continued)
          Quiz 19 (recitation)
          Webassign HW Appendix E
Nov 26 -- 5.4 Indefinite Integrals and Net Change
Nov 28 ***Family Day***

Dec 01 -- 5.4 Indefinite Integrals and Net Change (continued)
          Webassign HW 5.1, 5.2, 5.3
Dec 03 -- 5.5 The Substitution Rule
          Quiz 20 (recitation)
Dec 05 -- 5.5 The Substitution Rule (continued)

Dec 08 -- Review
          Webassign HW 5.4, 5.5
Dec 10 ***Prep Day***

Dec 12 ***Final Exam at 10:15am***

Course Policies

Communications Policy

Lectures and classroom activities will held in person. If you wish to set up an appointment for office hours please send me a message through WebCampus. I am available to meet in my office or through Zoom.

Late Policy

Students must have an approved university excuse to be eligible for a make-up exam. If you know that you will miss a scheduled exam please let me know as soon as possible.

AI Policy

In this course you are welcome to use generative artificial intelligence/large language model tools (such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok Perplexity, etc.). Using these tools aligns with the course learning outcomes/student goals for an in-depth understanding of calculus.

Please be aware that many AI companies collect and store personal information. Please do not enter your confidential information as part of a prompt.

Also, please note that some of these large language models may make up or hallucinate information. These tools may reflect misconceptions and biases of specific data. Students are responsible for checking facts, finding reliable sources for, and making a critical examination of any work that is submitted.

Plagiarism

Students are encouraged to work in groups and consult resources outside of the required textbook when doing the homework for this class. Please cite any sources you used to complete your work including Wikipedia, other books, online discussion groups, generative AI such as ChatGPT as well as personal communications. Note that answers obtained from any source should be verified and fully understood for homework to have a positive learning outcome. In all cases your sources need to be cited.

Exams and quizzes, unless otherwise noted, will be closed book, closed notes and must reflect your own independent work.

Academic Conduct

Bring your student identification to all exams. Work independently on all exams and quizzes. Behaviors inappropriate to test taking may disturb other students and will be considered cheating. Don't send electronic messages, talk or pass notes with other students during a quiz or exam. Homework may be discussed freely. When taking a quiz or exam don't read notes or books unless explicitly permitted. Sanctions for violations are specified in the University Academic Standards Policy.

If you are unclear as to what constitutes cheating, please consult with me.

Diversity

This course is designed to comply with the UNR Core Objective 10 requirement on diversity and equity. More information about the core curriculum may be found in the UNR Catalog.

Statement on Academic Success Services

Your student fees cover usage of the University Math Center, University Tutoring Center, and University Writing and Speaking Center. These centers support your classroom learning; it is your responsibility to take advantage of their services. Keep in mind that seeking help outside of class is the sign of a responsible and successful student.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The University of Nevada Department of Mathematics and Statistics is committed to equal opportunity in education for all students, including those with documented physical disabilities or documented learning disabilities. University policy states that it is the responsibility of students with documented disabilities to speak with the Disability Resource Center during the first week of each semester to discuss appropriate accommodations to ensure equity in grading, classroom experiences and outside assignments. For assistance with accessibility, or to report an issue, please use the Accessibility Help Form. The form is set up to automatically route your request to the appropriate office that can best assist you.

Statement on Audio and Video Recording

Surreptitious or covert video-taping of class or unauthorized audio recording of class is prohibited by law and by Board of Regents policy. This class may be videotaped or audio recorded only with the written permission of the instructor. In order to accommodate students with disabilities, some students may be given permission to record class lectures and discussions. Therefore, students should understand that their comments during class may be recorded.

Final Exam

The final exams will be held in person at the time listed in the standard schedule of final exams for this section. Namely, the final exam is December 12, 2025 from 10:15am-12:15pm in WRB2003.
Last Updated: Mon Aug 18 09:34:19 AM PDT 2025