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 1:00-1:50pm 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.

The text is available from WebAssign. There is also a
download of the 8th edition on the Archive.

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.

Hardy, Orders of Infinity, Project Gutenburg, 2011

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to

Find derivatives using calculus
Solve minimization and related rates applications
Understand the fundamental theorem of calculus

Lecture Notes

Lecture 1: Tangent Lines
Lecture 2: Slope of Tangent
Lecture 3: About CircleIn AI
Lecture 4: One-sided Limits
Lecture 5: Limit Laws
Lecture 6: Limit Law Examples
Lecture 7: ε-δ Limit Problems
Lecture 8: More ε-δ Limit Problems
Lecture 9: Continuity with ε and δ
Lecture 10: Intermediate Value Theorem
Lecture 11: Limits at Infinity
Lecture 12: Derivative as a Function
Lecture 13: Rules for Derivatives
Lecture 14: More Derivative Rules
Lecture 15: The Product Rule
Lecture 16: The Chain Rule
Lecture 17: Exponentials and Logarithms
Lecture 18: Derivative of Sine
Lecture 19: Derivative of Arcsine
Lecture 20: Tangent and Arctangent
Lecture 21: Implicit Differentiation (ellipse)
Lecture 22: Related Rates
Lecture 23: Maximum and Minimum Values
Lecture 24: Mean-Value Theorem
Lecture 25: Equal Derivatives
Lecture 26: Increasing and Decreasing
Lecture 27: Sketching a Graph
Lecture 28: L'Hospital's Rule
Lecture 29: More Curve Sketching
Lecture 30: Optimization Story Problems
Lecture 31: More Story Problems
Lecture 32: Antiderivatives
Lecture 33: Sums of Rectangles
Lecture 34: Definition of Integral
Lecture 35: Sum Simplifications
Lecture 36: Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
Lecture 37: Integral Examples
Lecture 38: Change of Variables in Integrals

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.

Homework 1:: Section 2.2#4,5,6,7,8,9
Homework 2:: Section 2.3#11,12,13,14,21,22,23,24
Homework 3:: Section 2.4#3,4,19,31,32,36
Homework 4:: Section 2.4#22,29,32,36
Homework 5:: Section 2.5#35,37,39,40,53,55,56
Homework 6:: Section 2.6#15,16,19,27,31,34,35
Homework 7:: Know the limit definition of derivative.; Section 2.7#34,35,36; Find f'(x) using the limit definition for f(x)=x², f(x)=√x and f(x)=1/x.
Homework 8:: Section 2.8#21,23,26,27,29,30; Find f'(x) using the limit definition for f(x)=1/x² and f(x)=1/√x.
Homework 9:: Section 3.1#6,11,18,23,32,34
Homework 10:: Section 3.2#5,4,16,17,22,29
Homework 11:: Section 3.3#1,2,3,9,10,21,22,23
Homework 12: Section 3.4#1,5,6,12,21,28,38
Homework 13: Section 3.5#5,13,29,30,31; Section 3.6#2,7,28,29
Homework (Midterm): Section 3.9#6,17,19,22,27,30,42
Homework 14: Section 4.1#47,49,53,54,58,60,61
Homework 15: Section 4.2#19,20,21,22
Homework 16: Section 4.3#37,38,43,48,49,50,52
Homework 17: Section 4.4#13,15,16,24,27,30,46,51,53,63
Homework 18: Section 4.7#2,3,13,16,22,28,41
Homework 19: Section 4.7#14,36,37(b),48; Section 4.9#2,13,35,38
Homework (Extra Credit): Appendix E#29,30,31,32,33,34
Homework 20: Section 5.3#7,14,23,24,28,29,36,39
Homework (Final): Section 5.5#1,2,3,5,18,25,41,42,59

Announcements

[02-Dec-2025] Extra Credit Quiz

There will be an extra credit quiz covering selected problems from Appendix E on December 2 in recitation.

[24-Oct-2025] Sample Midterm

The midterm will cover up to Setion 3.9 and held in class on Friday. Here is a sample exam to help you study.

Sample for the Midterm

[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 -- 2.4 The Precise Definition of a Limit (continued)
          Quiz 3
Sep 12 -- 2.5 Continuity

Sep 15 -- 2.5 Continuity (continued)
          Webassign HW 2.2, 2.3, 2.5
Sep 17 -- 2.6 Limits at Infinity; Horizontal Asymptotes
          Quiz 4 (recitation)
Sep 19 -- 2.7 Derivatives and Rates of Change

Sep 22 -- 2.8 The Derivative as a Function
          Quiz 5 (recitation)
          Webassign HW 2.6, 2.7, 2.8
Sep 24 -- 3.1 Derivatives of Polynomials and Exponential Functions
          Quiz 6 (recitation)
Sep 26 -- 3.2 The Product and Quotient Rules

Sep 29 -- 3.2 The Product and Quotient Rules (continued)
          Quiz 7 (recitation)
          Webassign HW 3.1
Oct 01 -- 3.4 The Chain Rule
          Quiz 8 (recitation)
Oct 03 -- 3.6 Derivatives of Log

Oct 06 -- 3.3 Derivatives of Trigonometric Functions
          Quiz 9 (recitation)
          Webassign HW 3.2, 3.3
Oct 08 -- 3.6 Derivatives Inverse Trig Functions
          Quiz 10 (recitation)
Oct 10 -- 3.5 Implicit Differentiation

Oct 13 -- 3.9 Related Rates
          Quiz 11 (recitation)
          Webassign HW 3.4
Oct 15 -- 3.10 Linear Approximations and Differentials
          Quiz 12 (recitation)
Oct 17 -- 4.1 Maximum and Minimum Values

Oct 20 -- 4.2 The Mean Value Theorem
          Webassign HW 3.5, 3.6, 3.9
          Quiz 13 (recitation)
Oct 22 -- Review
Oct 24 -- Midterm

Oct 27 -- 4.3 What Derivatives Tell about a Graph
          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 11 ***Veterans Day***
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 -- 5.2 The Definite Integral
          Quiz 18 (recitation)
Nov 21 -- 5.2 The Definite Integral (continued)

Nov 24 -- 5.3 The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
          Quiz 19 (recitation)
          Webassign HW Appendix E
Nov 26 -- 5.4 Indefinite Integrals and Net Change
Nov 28 ***Family Day***

Dec 01 -- 5.5 The Substitution Rule
          Quiz Extra Credit (recitation)
          Webassign HW 5.1, 5.2, 5.3
Dec 03 -- 5.5 The Substitution Rule (continued)
          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, (775) 784-4433; University Tutoring Center, (775) 784-6801; and University Writing & Speaking Center, (775) 784-6030. 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.

Statement of Disability Services

Any student with a disability needing academic adjustments or accommodations is requested to speak with me or the Disability Resource Center (Pennington Achievement Center Suite 230) as soon as possible to arrange for appropriate accommodations. This course may leverage 3rd party web/multimedia content, if you experience any issues accessing this content, please notify your instructor

Mental Health Support Statement

There are times when you may experience difficulties in life, and you may benefit from seeking help. Mental health services are available to you as a student at no additional cost through Counseling Services at the Pennington Student Achievement Center. This includes same-day in-person and tele mental health initial consultations, brief individual counseling, and group counseling sessions. Limited same-day appointments can be scheduled online via Counseling Services or by calling 775-784-4648. Additional brief drop-in "Let's Talk" student consultations are also available in the Counseling Services Annex located at the southwest corner of Great Basin Hall.

Veteran Statement

Veterans, Reservists, National Guard and military connected family members may wish to check the office of Veteran Services for benefits and support. Besides processing VA educational benefits, the department offers a variety of programs year-round to support student academic and personal success while transitioning to higher education and throughout your educational experience. They welcome inquiries regarding VA benefits and assist in navigating resources, the campus, and in the Reno community.

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