MATH-UA 132 006: MFE II
Fall 2023
• LECTURE: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 08:00 AM - 09:15 AM (5 Washington Pl Room 101)
• INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Julius Damarackas
– e-mail: jd4184@nyu.edu
– Office: Warren Weaver Hall, Room 720
– Office hours:
∗ Tuesdays 12:00–1:55 pm at Warren Weaver Hall, room 805;
Wednesdays 3:00–4:00 pm at Warren Weaver Hall, room 805;
– For content questions or help with the HW:
∗ Ask on the weekly Campuswire threads.
∗ See TA office hours below.
∗ Check out free tutoring options (Brightspace/Content/General Resources).
• TEACHING ASSISTANTS AND RECITATION SCHEDULE
– Seok Hoan Choi (Sections 7 and 9)
∗ Email: shc443@nyu.edu
∗ Office hours:
· Mondays 3:15–5:15 pm at Warren Weaver Hall, room 605;
· Thursdays 9:25–11:25 am at Warren Weaver Hall, room 524
– Zachary Lague (Section 8)
∗ Email: zml2020@nyu.edu
∗ Office hours:
· Tuesdays 4:00–5:00 pm at Warren Weaver Hall, room 805;
· Thursdays 11:00–12:00 at Warren Weaver Hall, room 705;
– Xujin He (Section 10)
∗ Email: xh1131@nyu.edu
∗ Office hours:
· Fridays 1:00–3:00 pm at Warren Weaver Hall, room 524;
Section TA Time and Location
7 Seok Hoan Choi Fridays 8:00-9:15AM 194M 305
8 Zachary Lague Fridays 8:00-9:15AM BOBS LL145
9 Seok Hoan Choi Fridays 9:30-10:45AM 19W4 102
10 Xujin He Fridays 9:30-10:45AM SILV 407
• COURSE DESCRIPTION AND LEARNING OUTCOMES
This is the second semester of a sequence designed to give you the intuition to think about economic
ideas in mathematical terms and interpret mathematical concepts in the context of economics. Your
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understanding of economics and mathematics both will improve after this sequence. Mathematics is
increasingly important in terms of the expression and communication of ideas in economics. A thorough
knowledge of mathematics is indispensable for understanding almost all fields of economics, includ-
ing both applied and theoretical fields. In particular, understanding of elements of calculus and linear
algebra are crucial to the study of economics, and this class is designed to provide such appropriate
mathematical tools. The formal derivations of the mathematical concepts needed will be the heart of
this class. Economic models can often be easily and precisely described in terms of mathematical nota-
tion when words and graphs would fail or mislead us. Therefore, as applications of the mathematical
concepts covered in class, examples and motivation will be drawn from important topics in economics.
Some key topics, roughly in order of their appearance in the course, include:
– multivariable functions;
– extrema and Lagrange multipliers;
– linear systems;
– matrix algebra;
– Riemann integral;
– integration techniques;
– differential equations.
By the end of Math for Economics II, students will have a complete understanding of optimization and
will be able to apply the Lagrange multipliers approach to constrained optimization problems. They will
also know how to solve systems of equations using linear algebra, and how to manipulate matrices. In
addition, they will be familiar with integration and various integration techniques. They will also under-
stand the basic concepts of differential equation and be able to find solutions of elementary differential
equations.
• RESOURCES AND PLATFORMS
– Books
∗ Required. Essential Calculus: Early Transcendentals (2nd ed.) by James Stewart. An electronic
version is included with WebAssign (see below), and you do not need to purchase a hard copy.
· Your course is participating in the Follett Access program. This is an NYU Bookstore initia-
tive that delivers required course materials at the lowest possible price. The required book
for this course, Essential Calculus by Stewart, will be delivered to you digitally through the
WebAssign platform. The cost of the platform & book is $108.00, which will be added
as a “book charge” to your bursar bill.
If you choose to find your course materials elsewhere, you must login here to the student
portal and opt out of the program by September 20th. If you do not opt out by this date,
you will be charged. *Please note - if you have paid for WebAssign & the Calculus
book through ACCESS in a previous semester you do not have to opt out, you will not
be charged.
∗ Recommended. Essential Mathematics for Economic Analysis (4th or 5th ed.), Sydsaeter & al.
– WebAssign
The class will use WebAssign for weekly assignments. WebAssign is an online platform that provides
computational exercises with immediate feedback. It can be accessed via Brightspace. WebAssign
requires a subscription that you can pay via the link on Brightspace. The subscription includes the
e-book. You can purchase an access code from the bookstore. By buying from the bookstore, you
can bill to your student account and use financial aid. You have three options: pay for one term,
pay for multi-term (if you intend to take MFE III), or pay for Cengage Unlimited, which is unlimited
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access to all of Cengage’s texts. You will have a 2-week grace period to purchase and activate a
WebAssign license. If you already have a multi-term subscription from MFE I, you should be able
to use it.
– Campuswire
All communications will be handled through Brightspace and Campuswire. Announcements and
information on assignments will be posted there, so make sure to check both very regularly. You
should also ask any question regarding the class there (this can be anonymous). Your professor
and TA will periodically offer some input, but it should first and foremost remain a platform for you
and your classmates. For personal questions, you can send your professor or your TA a DM there.
Please allow up to two workdays for responses. Campuswire is accessible through Brightspace. You
will first need the code which is available by the Campuswire link on Brightspace.
– Gradescope
All assignments and some assessments will be administered through Gradescope. You will be able
to see your graded assignments and comments from the grader there. Gradescope is available
through Brightspace: you should use your NYU email address to register.
– Communication
The syllabus, course calendar, homework problem sets, and solutions will be uploaded to Brightspace.
All other communications will be handled through Campuswire, so make sure to check it very reg-
ularly. You should also ask any question regarding the class there (this can be anonymous). Your
professor and TA will periodically offer some input, but it should first and foremost remain a plat-
form for you and your classmates. For personal questions, send your TA or your professor a DM
there. As a general practice, please check your email a couple of times a day. For our course, make
sure you check Campuswire regularly, to make sure that your question hadn’t been answered there.
When messaging, please practice professional etiquette, including complete sentences and correct
grammar.
• GRADING POLICY
– Grading Scale1
Grade Score Range
A 93–100%
A– 90–92.99%
B+ 87–89.99%
B 83–86.99%
B– 80–82.99%
C+ 75–79.99%
C 65–74.99%
D 50–64.99%
F 0–49.99%
– Grade Distribution (Quick Reference)
1Incomplete Grades: University policy states that an incomplete grade may be awarded if the student is unable to complete their
work on time due to circumstances beyond their control. Please refer to the academic policies page for more information.
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Part Weight
Attendance and Participation 10%
WebAssign 10%
Written HW 10%
Quizzes 10%
Midterm Exams 30%
Final Exam 30%
– Grade Distribution (Details)
∗ Attendance & Participation (10%)
Attendance is expected and required during lecture. This will be assessed sporadically in
lecture via real-time polls that will constitute 5% of your final grade. Those will be graded
mostly on effort and completion, and on correctness wherever applicable. More information
will be provided in lecture on the first day, but you cannot get the grade for those unless you
are present and active at the time when they are administered. However, there will be plenty of
opportunities to earn full points on this, even if you must skip class when one is administered.
In case of an impending health problems, personal issues, or religious observances, you may
skip class. You do not need to message me every time you skip class, but the total number of
absences that will not affect your attendance and participation score is 6.
In recitation, attendance is expected and required. Your TA will take attendance via a tradi-
tional sign-up sheet. You are allowed 3 free recitation absences without penalty. Every absence
after the 3rd one will result in a 0.5% deduction. No additional considerations will be made
so please use your absences wisely.
∗ WebAssign (10%)
There will be weekly WebAssign assignments for the sections of the textbook covered in lecture,
due by midnight on days indicated on the schedule. These exercises are usually computational,
and to be done after attending lecture and/or watching the available optional videos. You only
need to submit one answer, and you get feedback immediately. There are at least 3 attempts
for each question, and the lowest WebAssign grade will be dropped. No further extensions or
considerations are given, no exceptions.
∗ Written HW (10%)
There will be a total of 6 weekly written homework assignments with deadlines posted on the
course schedule, typically midnight on some Mondays. You can find the assigned exercises
and due dates on Brightspace. Please upload the HW by the deadline via Gradescope. Late
assignments will be accepted based on the policy stated on the cover page of each HW (the
same for every Written HW, but not for WebAssigns). In addition, the lowest Written HW grade
will be dropped. No further exceptions are made. See the HW guidelines at the end of this
document.
∗ Quizzes (10%)
You will take weekly quizzes (generally timed for 30 minutes) due by midnight on Sundays as
indicated on the schedule. Your lowest 2 quiz grades will be dropped. No further extensions
or considerations, no exceptions.
∗ Midterm and Final Exams (60%)
There are 2 exams and a final in the course. Since the learning goals are different and slightly
unrelated, the weights are as follows: 15% for Midterm I, 15% for Midterm II and 30% for the
non-cumulative Final.
• COURSE POLICIES
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– Absences
There is no need to message your professor or your TA for every absence, except when that will
hinder your ability to keep up with the class for a significant amount of time. Since you have a week
to finish assignments, no extensions are given for any reason. Moreover, the drop policy for quizzes
and homework are meant to consider acceptable reasons for absences: sickness, religious holiday,
or personal emergency. If, at the end of the term, you feel like this put you at a disadvantage, feel
free to contact me and we will discuss your situation. It is also perfectly fine to miss a homework
assignment or a quiz to recuperate! You should message me in advance if you cannot attend any
midterm or final exam for a valid reason (illness, religious holiday, or family emergency). Absences
that are not communicated in advance will not be excused. A student missing a midterm, the final,
or four homework assignments might receive an F or I.
– Class Conduct
Exemplary conduct and professional attire/behavior are expected during the synchronous sessions.
You are to attend on time and stay for the entire class time, otherwise you may be counted as absent.
Points may also be taken off for inappropriate conducts that include but are not limited to: talking
randomly in class, leaving early without permission or joining very late. Each time I find improper
behavior, you may receive a 1% deduction from the final grade.
– Academic Integrity and use of Artificial Intelligence
Academic integrity is the cornerstone of the university. You assume full responsibility for the content
and integrity of the academic work you submit. The guiding rule of academic integrity shall be that
your submitted work, examinations, reports, and projects must be your own work. You are expected
to read and understand the university’s policy on academic integrity as laid out in the Academic
Integrity for Students at NYU policy. Plagiarism and cheating will be penalized and reported. A list
of tools that may lead to a violation of the academic integrity policy includes (but is not limited
to): Chegg (or any similar platform), Wolfram Alpha (or any similar platform), handheld or online
calculators, and other individuals taking the assessment in lieu of a student. Any suspicion of
cheating will be thoroughly investigated. If I suspect that a student cheated on an assessment,
I may request a meeting where said student will be expected to work through a similar problem
and/or explain their work verbally. This meeting may be done with me, a class TA, or another
faculty member. If the student is unable to explain the work, or is not willing to meet, they may
automatically get a grade of F in the class and be reported to their dean.
1. Use of AI for Homework:
∗ While the use of AI tools to aid in problem-solving is becoming increasingly prevalent, it
is important to note that relying solely on AI to complete your calculus homework is not
in accordance with the expectations of this course.
∗ The primary goal of this calculus class is to enhance your understanding of mathematical
concepts and develop problem-solving skills. Using AI tools to automatically generate solu-
tions without actively engaging in the learning process may hinder your long-term progress
and comprehension of the subject matter.
∗ It is essential to maintain academic integrity and avoid plagiarism by properly crediting
all sources of assistance in your homework. Submitting AI-generated solutions without
proper acknowledgment is a violation of ethical guidelines and academic standards.
2. Recommendations for Effective Learning:
∗ Engage actively with the course materials, including lectures, textbooks, and supplemen-
tary resources. Attempt problems independently before seeking assistance to develop a
strong foundation in calculus.
∗ Get to know your classmates and seek out opportunities for group discussions and collab-
orative problem-solving sessions. Explaining concepts to others and engaging in dialogue
can deepen your understanding and expose you to different problem-solving approaches.
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∗ If you encounter difficulties or have questions regarding homework problems, consult your
instructor on Campuswire, TA, or classmates to gain further insights and clarification. Free
ULC tutoring is also available. Discussion forums are valuable resources for additional
guidance.
3. Consequences on Exam Performance and Course Evaluation:
∗ The exams in this course are designed to assess your comprehension, problem-solving abil-
ities, and critical thinking skills. Relying excessively on AI tools during homework assign-
ments may result in a lack of readiness for these assessments.
∗ Over-reliance on AI can hinder your ability to apply calculus principles to new and unfa-
miliar problems, leading to potential difficulties in exams. It is important to develop and
refine your own problem-solving strategies to excel in this course.
∗ Any violation of the course’s academic integrity policy, including the misuse of AI tools,
will result in disciplinary actions, such as reduced grades, academic probation, or even
expulsion, as determined by the dean’s office.
– Accessibility
Students requesting academic accommodations are advised to reach out to the Moses Center for
Student Accessibility as early as possible in the semester for assistance.
Telephone: 212-998-4980 Website: http://www.nyu.edu/csd Email: mosescsa@nyu.edu
Remote drop in meetings with an Accessibility Specialist are available. To request a remote meeting
email mosescsa@nyu.edu and an Accessibility Specialist will reach out to you with a Zoom link.
If you are already working with the Moses Center, then please be in touch with your Accessibility
Specialist with any questions or concerns related to the provision of their services. Please note
that it is your responsibility to schedule exams at the Moses Center, and to ensure that you are
receiving all accommodations you are approved for.
– Inclusivity
As an instructor, I will strive to create a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for all students
regardless of their identity. I recognize and value diversity inside and outside of the classroom,
and recognize that each student has a unique contribution to make and brings with them different
strengths and weaknesses. I welcome your ideas for how to promote a better understanding and
deeper learning in this class as a community. I encourage you to ask questions, to participate
in discussions, and to suggest new approaches to the class content. Please also feel welcome to
raise any issue you may have in class or outside of class, including reporting incidents of bias or
discrimination, whether intentional or unintentional, either to me, to your advisor(s)/mentor(s),
or by using the NYU Bias Response Line.
• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
– Office hours
Office hours will take place in person, offered by both your instructor and your TA. You are more
than encouraged to come to office hours to ask any questions that you may have. Take all the
advantage that you can of office hours. Students who come to office hours routinely make dramatic
progress.
– Study Assistance
The book: The books are adopted or recommended because the authors do a great job explaining
everything in detail. Each section includes explanations and examples to help guide you. There
are also matched problems to each example with the answer at the end of the exercise section
for additional practice. Please check the schedule to read the relevant sections ahead of class.
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Tutoring: Take advantage of the tutoring and learning resources offered by NYU. Please check the
university learning center’s webpage for more information.
– Advice
The only material that you are expected to know is what is covered in lecture. Any exercise seen
in the WebAssign, in the homework, or in the recitation is fair material on a test. However, tests
may include other types of problems that are relevant to the material. Keep in mind that whenever
you study, you have to study actively, with a pen and a piece of paper. Math is all about practice.
Reading or watching the optional videos is not enough. This means the following.
∗ Watch the videos if you want, but attend class, and write down the definitions, formulas,
theorems...
∗ Redo the examples seen in class.
∗ Be active while learning in class and at home, especially while doing the WebAssign. These ex-
ercises are tailored so that you should be able to do most of them by yourself after going through
the videos and attending leacture. Discuss topics you have trouble with on Campuswire.
If at any point, you feel confused or do not know how to solve an exercise (WebAssign, homework),
ask questions on Campuswire, go to TA office hours or get free tutoring (available on campus). The
course is very linear and interconnected, so it matters a lot not to fall behind, and misunderstanding
a concept will hurt you more and more down the line. Many exercises of the tests will be similar to
the examples done in class or the exercises assigned. When a test is graded, check it and understand
your mistakes. One point of the course is to teach you to write clear mathematics, do quick and
correct computations, and present well-justified arguments. Therefore, except explicitly indicated,
you should always show your work and explain what you are doing. This is a careful job that
requires extensive training. For this reason, whenever you do an exercise (at home or in class), you
should always write everything down, without using shortcuts, on a clean sheet of paper, as if it
were a homework assignment. Not only will you test and hone your skills, but this will also help
you memorize the material.
– HW Guidelines
∗ Gradescope If you’ve never used Gradescope, please go to their website and watch the tutorial
videos. In all your written assignments, please abide by the following rules.
· Write your name (as on the roster) and NetID on the first page.
· Write and sign the honor pledge: I pledge that I have neither received nor given unauthorized
assistance during the completion of this work.
· Make a clean and clear scan of your assignments.
· Take photos in portrait mode.
· Turn all your photos in a single PDF file.
· When you upload this file, match each exercise with the corresponding pages.
It is very easy and quick to make nice scans with your phone and a dedicated app (for example,
CamScanner). Check your app store to find one that you like.
∗ Homework
You may consult your classmates or other resources (including tutors) for ideas on the prob-
lems; however, the solutions you turn in must be in your own words and must reflect your
own understanding, and you must specify the collaborators. Your solutions and write-ups will
be checked for textual similarities. You may not copy from, reword, or paraphrase another
student’s work or any other resource material; such conduct will be treated as a violation of
academic integrity. Remember that you will not learn anything by simply copying, rewording
or paraphrasing another person’s work. You will receive no credit for solely writing the final
answer when explanation is necessary. The below homework specifications will be enforced.
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If the specifications are not respected, points might be deducted, or the homework assignment
may not be accepted for grading. Each homework assignment that you upload and submit
must:
· be legible, have each problem clearly indicated, and labeled with your name;
· contain only your final version (write drafts of all homework solutions on scratch paper);
· not have anything crossed out or contain notes in the margins;
· have proofs and solutions in which all steps are clearly shown and explained.
· have grammatically correct (including punctuation and spelling), complete sentences;
· be written using mathematical terminology and notation correctly;
· have final answers in exact forms (do not approximate unless otherwise stated);
· be uploaded in a single PDF file on Gradescope with pages matched to the right exercises.
∗ Written HW Late Policy
Not applicable for WebAssigns. Please note that this is uniform, regardless of individual cir-
cumstances, and no additional extensions will be given. In general, Written HW is due by
midnight on Mondays.
· For your first late assignment, if submitted within 12 hours after the deadline (so by noon
on Tuesday, as indicated on Gradescope), you will receive full credit.
· Each subsequent assignment submitted within 12 hours after the deadline will convert to
a zero at the end of the semester.
· In all cases, there will be no option to submit a HW 12 hours after the deadline.