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MATH-UA 9211 (Section II): Mathematics for Economics I

Course Information

Course Description

This is the first 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 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, including 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 notation, 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:

● notion of functions, classical functions;

● limits and continuity;

● derivatives and their interpretation; differentiation rules;

● exponential functions, inverse functions, logarithmic functions, and their derivatives;

● linear approximation, differentials, elasticity;

● local and global extrema, higher-order derivatives, and convexity;

● function of several variables, partial derivatives;

● optimization for functions of several variables.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, you will know the principal results of single and several variable calculus, in particular calculating derivatives and partial derivatives and solving optimization problems. Furthermore, you will be able to communicate mathematically, including understanding, making, and critiquing mathematical arguments.

Course Material

Textbook

○ Required. Essential Calculus: Early Transcendentals (7th – 9th ed.) by James Stewart. An electronic version can be purchased from NYUSH’s academic affairs, and you do not need to purchase a hard copy.

○ Recommended. Essential Mathematics for Economic Analysis (4th or 5th ed.), Sydsaeter & al. It is particularly recommenced if you intend to follow up with MFE II.

NYU Brightspace

The syllabus, course calendar, course slides, weekly assignments, quizzes, solutions will all be posted on NYU Brightspace. Most of the communications/announcements will be handled through NYU Brightspace, so make sure to check it very regularly. For personal questions, send your TA or your instructor an email.

Gradescope

Gradescope may or may not be used to upload weekly assignments and quizzes, depending on the preference of the grader. This will be finalized after the first week.

Zoom

Lectures and recitations will be delivered in person at Shinmay Room 2603. Recitations and office hours may or may not be held online through Zoom. This will be discussed during the first lecture.

Equipment

You might need the following to follow the class. In-person lectures are mostly not necessary.

● A stable Internet connection.

● A computer or a tablet to watch videos, follow live classes, and answer online tests.

● A phone or tablet with a dedicated scanning app to take clean photos of your assignments, turns your assignment into a PDF, and upload them to NYU Brightspace/Gradescope.

● A webcam to facilitate discussion and allow remote proctoring during tests.

Grading Policy

Grading Scale

Incomplete 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.

Grading Distribution

Please keep all graded assignments, quizzes, midterms, and final to keep accurate grade records.

Attendance & Participation (8%)

○ Attendance is expected and required during class and recitation. 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 have to 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 if you miss more than three classes, please reach out as soon as you can.

Homework (15%)

○ There will be weekly written homework assignments (13 in total), due at the beginning of Friday recitations. You should start early so that you will have time to ask questions if necessary. You can find weekly assignments on NYU Brightspace. Late assignments will not be accepted, no exceptions. However, the lowest three homework grades will be dropped so that each counted homework is worth 1.5% of your final grade.

Quizzes (15%)

○ Quizzes will take place each Friday at the end of the recitation. They will cover the content seen up to that point, namely what was discussed during that week. The lowest three quiz grades will be dropped.

Midterm (32%)

○ The two midterms will take place on October 12 and November 14, respectively, during regular class time. It will cover everything learned up to that point. Your higher-scored midterm will count for 20%, and your lower-scored midterm will count for 12%.

Final (30%)

○ Our final exam is during the final week of December 13 as noted on the calendar. The exact date will be announced whenever the university finalizes the schedule. The final will be cumulative with a heavier focus on the material covered after the midterms.

Calculators

Calculators are allowed in class and for homework, but are not required. Calculators will not be allowed on exams and quizzes, and thus it is emphasized that students learn not to rely on them.

How to succeed in this course?

(1) Get your hands dirty in class! Work on problems in class. Participate when we solve problems together. Get to know your classmates and help each other.

(2) Spend time on all assignments. Take this opportunity to wrestle with and internalize new ideas introduced in class. Strive to understand the deeper ideas behind the computations.

(3) Get help early: Attend instructor’s office hours. Office hours schedule, course materials, and homework assignments will be posted in the NYU Brightspace page for our section.

(4) Form study groups: It is critical that you write up your own homework individually, though I encourage you to work in groups while solving them.

Course Policies

Absences

There is no need to message your instructor or your TA for any absence, except for reasons that will hinder your ability to keep up with the class for a significant amount of time. Since you have a week to finish most assignments, no delay will be accepted for any reason. Moreover, the generous drop policy for quizzes and homework are meant to take into account 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 message me. It is also perfectly fine to miss a homework assignment or a quiz to recuperate! In any case, you do not need to message your instructor or your TA. The only time when you should message me is if you cannot attend the midterm or the final for a valid reason. In this case, you need to let me know in advance. Absences that are not communicated in advance will not be excused. A student missing the midterm, the final exam, five quizzes, or five homework assignments will receive a Failing or Incomplete grade.

Academic Integrity

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 will be done with me. 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.

Academic Accommodations

Any time extension granted by the Moses center (NYU) or Academic Accommodations & Accessibility (NYU-SH) will be upheld for timed assessments. Your instructor and TA will be informed of such accommodations, but you are welcome to double check with them before the first quiz.