MATH 1271 (Calculus I)     INSTRUCTOR: SCOT ADAMS
(gateway, Spring 2014)

The Gateway Exam is now open.
    YOU MUST COMPLETE IT SUCCESSFULLY BY WEDNESDAY 12 MARCH.
You may take it several times, but there's an enforced 12 hour delay between attempts. You only need to pass once. A passing score is 8 (out of 10) or higher.

Note that the last day to drop our course (without petition) is Friday 14 March; for more information click here. If you don't complete the Gateway by Wednesday 12 March, you should drop the course immediately, since you will not receive a passing grade in the course. So please start on the Gateway as soon as you can. This is one situation where procrastination can really lead to disaster.

• Go to roy.math.umn.edu.
• Click on 'math-1271-s14-adams'.
• Log in with your x.500 id and your gateway password. (WARNING: YOUR INITIAL GATEWAY PASSWORD IS NOT YOUR x500 PASSWORD; it's your 7-digit student ID number. BE SURE TO TYPE YOUR X500 IN ALL SMALL LETTERS.) After the initial log in, you may change your password.

• Click on 'Take Differentiation Gateway test'.
• After you have clicked on 'Take Differentiation Gateway', a clock will appear in the upper right corner, counting down from 50:00.
• You should enter your answers in the spaces provided. You may use scratch paper to work out the answers by hand before entering them on the computer. You do not need to simplify your answer, but doing so may save you some typing.
• At any time during the exam, you may hit 'Preview Test'. This will not end your test, but will show you how the computer is interpreting your answers. You may go back and make corrections until...
• When you are ready to end the test, hit 'Grade Test'. YOU SHOULD DO THIS BEFORE THE CLOCK GETS TO 0:00. In fact, you should leave a little time (say 1 minute) so that even if your internet connection is slow, your info gets to the server before the clock expires. Once you have clicked 'Grade Test', your test will be scored. You will not be allowed to change your answers at this point. You will be told immediately what your score is.

If your score is 8 or more out of 10, well done, you have passed. If your score is 7 or less, you must take the test again. You must wait 12 hours before attempting the test again.

If and when you retake Gateway, you'll be given the option of looking at your old attempts, and click on those links if you want to review what you've already done. On the other hand, if you want to retake the test, then be sure to click on the link that reads 'Take Differentiation Gatewate test'. Specifically, try clicking on the word 'Take'. If that word isn't there, then you have the wrong link.

You don't need to inform the instructor (or anyone) when you receive a passing score. He'll be monitoring each student's progress by running electronic reports. He'll also send out occasional messages to those who have not passed, reminding them that there's work to do. Once you do pass, you might want to print out the result, just so that you have a record, in case of any confusion. (See "If you want to see your Gateway Exam score ..." below.)

Your total course points (on Moodle) are unaffected by your performance on the Gateway Exam, EXCEPT :
     If you don't pass by the deadline, then your total course points will be set to zero, and you will be unable to pass the course.
Therefore, if you receive an 8 or higher on Gateway, then, at that point, there is no direct advantage to retaking Gateway. You may choose to retake it for practice, but a higher score will not increase your total course points, and a lower score will be ignored. WeBWorK will always show the instructor your highest score (among all of your attempts). So, if you pass on one attempt, but don't pass on later practice attempts, you've still passed Gateway.

• Go to roy.math.umn.edu.
• Click on 'math-1271-s14-adams'.
• If necessary, log in with your x.500 id + Password. (BE SURE TO TYPE YOUR X500 IN ALL SMALL LETTERS.)
• Look in the column headed "TestScore". This will not just show your most recent Gateway Exam score, but all of your Gateway Exam scores.
• If your highest Gateway Exam score is 8/10 or more, then you've passed. You may want to save or print a screen shot, as certification that you've completed this course requirement.

NOTE: WeBWorK does not send out a confirmation of a passing grade, so, if you're worried about that, then you should follow the directions above, in lieu of a confirmation message.

• Start the exam as soon as possible. Each time you take it, there's a 12 hour delay before you can take it again. SO THE STRATEGY OF "PULLING AN ALL NIGHTER" THE DAY BEFORE THE DUE DATE WON'T WORK HERE.
• If you have time, it really pays to DOUBLE CHECK YOUR ANSWERS. Also, PREVIEWING your answers can help you to see if you've mistyped, or if you have an answer that's not in proper syntax. NOTE: Previewing does NOT cause the exam to be graded.
• It's a good idea to enter parentheses in pairs, viz: () , and then back up and insert what belongs inside.
• If you're doing a Quotient Rule problem, you might start with: (()()-()()) / ()^2 , and then fill in the various expressions that go between pairs of parentheses. Similarly, I recommend beginning a Product Rule by typing ()() + ()() .
• To compute (d/dx) of, say, sin(x^3+4x^2+8), I would start the Chain Rule by typing
                                          (cos())(),
  and then would back up and fill in x^3+4x^2+8, and then 3x^2+8x between the proper pairs of parentheses, ending up with
                      (cos(x^3+4x^2+8))(3x^2+8x).
• If you have trouble, see the professor or your TA. Best to bring a printout of your last effort at the test, so that we can go over the work and understand the mistakes.
• To enter a square root, you can use: ( )^{1/2} . Alternatively, sqrt( ) will work.
• To indicate the number π = 3.14159..., simply type " pi ". Anything else is not likely to work. For 2π, type " 2 * pi ".
• WeBWorK does not understand sin^2(x). Instead use (sin(x))^2.
  WeBWorK does not understand cos^2(x). Instead use (cos(x))^2.
  WeBWorK does not understand tan^2(x). Instead use (tan(x))^2.
  Similar remarks apply to sin^n, cos^n, tan^n, cot^n, sec^n, csc^n, for all n not equal to -1.
• WeBWorK does not understand sin^{-1} or Sin^{-1}. Instead use either arcsin or asin.
  WeBWorK does not understand cos^{-1} or Cos^{-1}. Instead use either arccos or acos.
  WeBWorK does not understand tan^{-1} or Tan^{-1}. Instead use either arctan or atan.
  WeBWorK does not understand cot^{-1} or Cot^{-1}. Instead use (\pi/2) - arctan.
• WARNING: WeBWorK interprets sin x^2 as (sin x)^2, and NOT as sin(x^2). Same for other trigonometric functions. Same for ln, and, indeed, for any function.
• Sometimes, in some browsers, WeBWorK will not show the top horizontal bar on its square root sign, making it hard to know exactly what the question is asking. However, if you use the cursor to highlight the problem, that horizontal bar should become visible.
• For more information about how to enter answers in WeBWorK, point to http://webwork.maa.org/wiki/Available_Functions.
• For still more information about how to enter answers in WeBWorK, point to http://webwork.maa.org/wiki/Mathematical_notation_recognized_by_WeBWorK#.US5zXEEQRX0.
• If you think any of your answers are misgraded by WeBWorK, just get a printout (or save a screenshot), and bring it to office hours for analysis.