MATH 126 A

Details:

Professor: Viray,Bianca

Office: REMOTE

Web page: www.math.washington.edu/~aloveles

Text

The only required material is a WebAssign access code which goes with the textbook, Multivariable Calculus, by James Stewart, 8th Edition. If you took Math 125 at UW and already purchased full access, then there is nothing new to purchase. If you are new to UW calculus, then you will need to purchase access. Single-term access is now available for $40 through the UW bookstore. See my course website for links on the least expensive options.

Course Objectives

Math 126 covers a collection of somewhat diverse topics: vectors and vector functions, polar coordinates, calculus on vector functions, dot products and cross products, lines and planes, curvature, multi-variable functions, partial derivatives, optimization, tangent planes, double integrals, Taylor polynomials and Taylor series.

Grading

The weight for each part of the course is given below. An example to show you how to compute your grade is also given.

Category	Weight	Example student percentages	Your Percentages
Homework/Participation	15	95%	= 14.25
Quizzes	15	85%	= 12.75
Exam 1 (TUE, Apr 13)	14	75%	= 10.36
Exam 2 (TUE, Apr 27)	14	42%	= 5.88
Exam 3 (TUE, May 11)	14	84%	= 11.76
Exam 4 (TUE, May 25)	14	72%	= 10.08
Exam 5 (SAT, June 5)	14	93%	= 13.02
Total	100		= 78.10

This example student would get a 78.10 out of 100 for the course, which is approximately a 2.5 on my estimated grade scale (see the course website). I expect the median to be around 3.0. A grade of 2.0 is needed to move on to other courses that require Math 126. You need to get a course percentage above 70% to guarantee a grade above 2.0. If you score below 50% in the course, then you will get a grade of 0.0.

Quiz Sections

You are expected to attend all quiz sections. Most quiz sections will involve working through “test preps,” which are collections of old exam problems. You will attempt them on your own, then compare answers in breakout rooms, then discuss the solutions with your TA. These same test prep problems likely will appear on quizzes (and maybe exams), so there is a strong incentive to attend these sessions. This is also a great chance to get help from classmates, which is an extremely valuable learning tool.

Quizzes

We will have 5 quizzes. They will typically consist of 3-5 problems. Usually 1-2 of the problems will be directly from quiz section test preps and the other problems will be similar to lecture examples. Some numbers will be randomized in these quizzes (so everyone will have different final answers). These quizzes are open book and open resources. You can re-watch videos and double-triple check your answers. The quizzes should take less than 20 minutes, but you get 4 hours to complete them from the moment you start. You only get one submission and there is NO partial credit for quizzes, so make sure to check your work before submitting! I will drop your lowest quiz. Mostly this is another way for to check in on your participation, encourage watching the videos and give you a less time-constrained way to show what you know.

Exams

The exams will be 55 minutes long and will be online and will be given at your usual quiz section time with the exception of Exam 5 which will be on Saturday, June 5th at 5:00-5:55pm. Exams will open 5 minutes before the start of your normal quiz section and close 5 minutes after your normal quiz section (you get 55 minutes from when you start within this time). The exams are designed to be completed in 30-40 minutes, you will have a space to type in your final answers, then you will also upload your work so we can access partial credit. You will have the option to log into Zoom with your TA during the exam in case you have questions (but this is not required). I have a low-exam adjustment policy where I replace the lowest exam by 75% of the average of the other exams in your final grade computation. So you can have one very “bad” exam and still pass the course. Basically if you average around 66% on your top four exams and do well on homework and participation, then you’ll be able to get to that 70% course percentage needed to get a 2.0.

Calculators and notes

A Ti-30x IIS Calculator (about $15 at the bookstore) is the ONLY calculator that we allow on the exams! A single, hand-written 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of notes is allowed during exams. You may write on both sides.

Resources:

For our Math 126 C and D Canvas Course page (all lecture videos, zoom links, quizzes, discussion boards, etc) go to: Math 126 C and D Canvas Page.
For my materials page which contains old exams, review sheets, and copies of handwritten lecture notes go to: Dr. Loveless Materials Page. Specifically here is a direct link to the Course Calendar - I encourage you to print this out.
For academic planning visit UW Advising Office.
For math academic planning visit UW Advising Office.
For Disability Resources for Students visit UW DRS Office.
For technology help, contact the UW Student Tech Loan Program.
For personal help, coping, and mental health visit UW Counseling.

Syllabus by previous professor:

Sample schedule : https://sites.math.washington.edu/~m126/samplecalendar.php

Textbook

The course textbook is James Stewart's Calculus: Early Transcendentals, 9th edition. An electronic version is included with WebAssign access, so a printed copy is not required. Students who prefer a physical textbook may use a recent edition for reading, but page numbers, section numbers, and exercises may differ among editions.

MIDTERM 1 EXAM ARCHIVE: https://sites.math.washington.edu/~m126/midterms/midterm1.php

MIDTERM 2 EXAM ARCHIVE: https://sites.math.washington.edu/~m126/midterms/midterm2.php

FINAL: https://sites.math.washington.edu/~m126/finals/final.php

Previous quiz section materials: https://sites.math.washington.edu/~m126/worksheets/

Previous professor notes: https://sites.math.washington.edu/~m126/TaylorNotes.pdf

Additional material from previous professors: https://sites.math.washington.edu/~m126/addtlmaterial.html

Course Outline for Autumn Quarter 2026

Weekly resources, exam archives, topics, and textbook sections

Week	Resources	Exam Archive	Topics and Textbook Sections
1	Week 1 Resources	—	12.1 — 3D coordinates, distance, spheres 12.2 — Vectors, magnitude, unit vectors
2	Week 2 Resources	—	12.3 — Dot products, angles, projections 12.4 — Cross products, normals, area 12.5 — Lines in space
3	Week 3 Resources	—	12.5 — Planes and geometric relationships 12.6 — Cylinders and quadric surfaces 13.1 — Vector functions and space curves
4	Week 4 Resources	—	13.2 — Derivatives and integrals of vector functions 13.3 — Arc length and curvature 13.4 — Motion, velocity, acceleration
5	Week 5 Resources	MIDTERM #1 Archive	Review — Chapters 12–13 Exam I 14.1 — Functions of several variables and level curves
6	Week 6 Resources	—	14.3 — Partial derivatives 14.4 — Tangent planes and linear approximation 14.5 — Multivariable chain rule
7	Week 7 Resources	—	14.6 — Directional derivatives and gradient 14.7 — Local extrema and optimization 14.8 — Lagrange multipliers No class Wednesday, November 11.
8	Week 8 Resources	MIDTERM #2 Archive	14.7–14.8 — Applications and review Exam II 11.1 — Sequences 11.2 — Infinite and geometric series
9	Week 9 Resources	—	11.5 — Alternating series 11.6 — Ratio Test and absolute convergence No class Thursday or Friday for Thanksgiving.
10	Week 10 Resources	—	11.8 — Power series and convergence intervals 11.9 — Functions as power series 11.10 — Taylor and Maclaurin series
11	Week 11 Resources	FINAL Exam Archive	11.11 — Taylor polynomials, approximation, and error Review — Comprehensive final exam review

Previous Math 126 Materials

The links below are retained from previous versions of Math 126. Because the course curriculum changed beginning Autumn 2026, some of these materials may include topics that are no longer part of the current course.