Math 550   Spring 2026

Instructor

Dr. Lili Ju
Office: LeConte College 327
Phone: (803) 576-5797
Email: ju@math.sc.edu
Office hours: Tu,Th 10:00am-11:30am

Course Description and Meeting Times

Math 550 (Sections H10 & 001), Vector Analysis, Cr. 3.
Prerequisite: Qualification through a grade C or better in Math 241 or consent of the Undergraduate Director
Lectures: Tu,Th 11:40am-12:55pm, LeConte College 422

Textbook

TEXTBOOK: Vector Calculus, by Susan Jane Colley, 4th Edition, Pearson Education, Inc. (Ebook is available through https://studylib.net/doc/25815120/susan-jane-colley---vector-calculus-4th-edition)

Learning Outcomes

This course is an extension and fulfillment of Math 241. Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to understand: vector fields, line and path integrals, orientation and parametrization of lines and surfaces, change of variables and Jacobians, oriented surface integrals, and theorems of Green, Gauss, and Stokes.

Course Outline

Lecture Contents
Lectures Content
Lectures 1-3 Review of vectors (Chapter 1)
Lectures 4-6 Differentials in several variables (Chapter 2)
Lectures 7-9 Vector-valued functions (Chapter 3)
Lectures 10-11 Maxima and minima in several variables (Chapter 4)
Lectures 12-16 Multiple integrations (Chapter 5)
Lectures 17-20 Line integrals (Chapter 6)
Lectures 21-25 Surface integrals and vector analysis (Chapter 7)

Important Dates

The deadline to drop the course without a W being recorded is January 20, Tuesday. The deadline to drop the course without a WF being recorded is March 30, Monday.

Grading Policy

Course grades will be determined from student performance on exams and quizzes. There will be weekly 10-15 minute quizzes and three exams: two 75 minute in-class exams and a final exam. The two lowest quiz scores will be dropped and no make-up quizzes will be given. The two in-class exams, which are indicated on the syllabus above, will be given during the time normally used for lecture. Each of these exams will test only the material covered since the previous exam. In contrast the final exam, which will be given during the week of final exams, will be a cummulative exam. Reason for missing an exam must be properly documented and any missed exam must be made up within a week. Homework will be assigned on a daily basis and should be done before the next class. Althought not collected, these homework assignments are an essential part of the course for learning and understanding the course material. They should be thought of as required for success in the course. The grades for the course are determined as follows:

 Exam 1  25%  Exam 2  25%  Final Exam  30%  Quizzes  20%  Total  100%

90-100: A 86-89: B+ 80-85: B 76-79: C+ 70-75: C 66-69: D+ 60-65: D <60: F

H-Option Credit

Students taking Math 550 for H-Option credit will have additional/different problems on Exams.

Attendance and Academic Honesty

Attendance at every class meeting is important and expected. Students missing more than 10% of the class meetings (4 times) can have their grade lowered. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. Violations of this policy will be dealt with according to University guidelines.