I think this course was very easy. We started at a very basic level (probably grade 9 math) with the linear equation and moved up from there. The last unit, integration, was the only major new thing but it wasn't too bad.

Your mark was the better of :

4 tests, lowest...

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Is this course easier than Math 1M03? I just need a credit in any math and I'm debating between these two.

Hi, this course has changed quite a bit from the beginning so I thought I'd review it

MATH 1LS3 FALL 2011

Overview

This course is now equivalent/an anti-requisite to MATH 1A03. However, knowing many people who took MATH 1A03 that course is quite difficult compared to this.

Professor

The sections were taught by professors Baker, Clements and Lovric. I had Dr. Lovric. He is an awesome professor because he simplifies concepts and provides detailed notes. Accordingly, he was nominated for an MSU teaching award!If you get the chance to take the course with him, do so. You won't regret it!

Mark Breakdown

3 tests at 20% each, exam at 40% OR
3 test at 10% combined, exam at 90%

Note that you actually do 4 tests but your lowest one is dropped. I liked this a lot! Also note that you shouldn't rely on the second marking scheme a lot, you never know how hard an exam is going to be.

Material

7 units:

1)Introduction to Models and Functions
2)Modelling Using Elementary Functions
3)Discrete-Time Dynamical Systems
4)Limits, Continuity and Derivatives
5)Working With Derivatives
6)Applications of Derivatives
7)Integrals and Applications

Textbook

"Calculus for the Life Sciences: Modelling the Dynamics of Life", by F. R. Adler and M. Lovric

Here's the thing, I had Dr. Lovric as my professor. He also wrote the textbook. Hence his notes were extremely similar to the textbook. Nonetheless, I found the textbook super useful and I read that instead of my notes.

You should do the recommended problems because the more you practice, the better you will get at math. Having said that, I didn't do them and still got a 12 but don't be like me!

Other Course Materials

There is mandatory courseware which contains assignments, past tests and a practice exam. The assignments are super important so you must definitely get this and use it to practice!

Lectures

3 lectures a week. Make sure you go to class!

Tutorials

1 tutorial a week. The tutorial is actually exactly like a lecture because the professor runs it in a large lecture hall. The difference is that no new material is covered. Rather they go over assignment questions that were difficult. Don’t skip tutorials!

Tests

Note: Each test is an hour so manage your time well! Many people, including me, found that because of this time constraint we made many silly mistakes.
The first test was difficult for a lot of people but I thought it was very fair.
The second test too was very fair if you studied.
The third test was actually quite unfair in my opinion because it was too long and too hard for the one hour. There were questions that related to concepts on future chapters.
The fourth test was the easiest of them all.

Exam

The exam was not too hard . The 3 hours is plenty of time to complete the exam. However, there were definitely tricky questions in there so you had to have practised a lot.

Workload

What I liked best about this course (and most other math courses really) is the relatively light workload. Having said that, make sure you practise a lot!

Overall Difficulty

Please note that course has changed.If anyone told you that you could not work and get a 12 they are definitely wrong. The course is not a review of high school calculus. Only about 20% of the material is actually from Grade 12 so you will learn a lot of new things.

Note that the averages for the tests were 69, 82,64 and 75 which is like any other first year class. A lot of people take this course too lightly and then regret it. The main thing is that you do not have any evaluations beside the tests to bring up your mark. For instance, MATH 1A03 has a diagnostic test, written homework and online homework worth 15% altogether that they can use to bring up their mark. In this course, you have to rely on your tests.
Having said that I thought that all the tests and the exam were fair if you studied. If you didn't study, then you can't expect to do well in any course really.

Is this course 12-able?

Ofcourse, this is math! IF you put in work to study and practise a lot then a 12 is definitely do-able

do the assignments!

How is professor Baker?

I loved this course because I had Clements. I was technically enrolled in the other core but the other prof (Baker... is really boring).

This course is basically the same as Gr 12 High School Calc.. I found it very easy. Plus there is an option to make your exam worth 90% of your grade so you don't even need to do any of the in-term tests. Most people finish the exam early.. if you do the coursepack questions, and practice tests you'll get at least a 10.

This class could be an easy 12! Most is review from high school and the prof I had (Erin Clements) was really awesome. She was so nice and approachable and definitely cared about how her students did.

I highly recommend taking this course

the only "new" thing you will find is integration.
Luckily, I had taught myself prior in about 30 mins for physics 1b03..

No problems whatsoever. There are a few tricks in the problems that you would not know of unless you practice the problems.. so don't take this as an excuse not to do your work...

Does anyone know if Erin Clements is teaching this course this semester and at what core?

I have Lovric and want to switch because I've had Clements before for another math course and loved her style of teaching.

Is this course easier than math 1m03? Im in business and I have the option of taking this one instead. I want to go into marketing so I don't think I'd need math in the future. any suggestions?

Unfortunately, I am relying on the 90% exam thing... Any advice for the exam? I really need to get at least a 75% on it

These honest reviews are great! Thanks very much!

Math 1LS3 is a math course for life science students. You learn some new stuff in this course such as cobwebbing, modelling with equations, integration (the major new thing you learn), 90% of this course is Grade 12 review of MCV4U Calculus.

Math 1LS3 has a really good pace, I had Dr. Clements and she went really slow and I never felt rushed. She posts partial notes on her website, you have to come to class to fill them out.

I went to tutorials, but I found that if you are good at math, it might not be that helpful towards you, and you're better off doing something else in that time. A better thing to do would be to go to the Math Help Centre and visit the TAs one on one for help.

We cover 6 chapters in this course and have 4 tests, with one of them being dropped. The first three tests, I found the easiest, I found the last one the hardest. Luckily, if you do really well on the first three tests, you can just not write the fourth test. But, it never hurts to write the fourth test, if it's low it gets dropped, you get exposed to the material so it won't look brand new on the exam, and you could potentially do well on it.

Textbook questions aren't really essential in this course, the #1 thing is to master all the assignments. If you can do all the assignments before a test, and complete the practice tests (they are not that different from year to year), you will do well in this course.

Any doubts you have, read the textbook (or don't get the Textbook - it's not essential) and just use some googling.

Now, if you do really well on the final exam, it can be worth 90% of your mark! So if you are in this position, just study really hard, I found the exam extremely easy, I didn't do a month's worth of homework until two days before the exam, and I managed a 100 on the exam. But don't use this as your mindset going into the course, try to do well on the tests, because then, your exam is worth only 40%, and you can have a buffer zone where a lower mark won't affect you too much.

For example, if you get close to perfect on three tests, you only need about a 75 to get a 12 in the course, and you can go to about 58 for a 10 in the course, which is a lot of leeway, you won't be stressed, and you'll likely perform better too! The exam consists of about 40% on integration (chapter 6), so work backwards, master this first, then keep going back.

There was a lot of cobwebbing on the exam, so study that, a lot of people were surprised since it was so early in the semester. Also, Clements is a really fun prof, she cracks a lot of jokes in class, has a facebook group for math which is great for answering and getting answers to your questions, and she has a really high school vibe to her, maybe because of how young she is, which helps when it's a first year course. She's open to questions in class, and is just super nice, and she really wants you to do well in the course. I definitely recommend her as a prof.

Anyone know omar leon sanchez..is he a good prof?

Is this course offered in the summer?