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Introduction To Calculus

This document provides information about the Math 1a Introduction to Calculus course offered at Harvard in Fall 2006. It discusses the differences between learning in high school versus college, previews course topics like differentiation and integration, outlines course goals and prerequisites, and provides details on textbooks, calculators, assignments, exams, sections, and getting help. The instructor emphasizes that students will be producers rather than just consumers of knowledge and will do significant independent work to apply concepts to new problems.

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Amron Azman
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576 views28 pages

Introduction To Calculus

This document provides information about the Math 1a Introduction to Calculus course offered at Harvard in Fall 2006. It discusses the differences between learning in high school versus college, previews course topics like differentiation and integration, outlines course goals and prerequisites, and provides details on textbooks, calculators, assignments, exams, sections, and getting help. The instructor emphasizes that students will be producers rather than just consumers of knowledge and will do significant independent work to apply concepts to new problems.

Uploaded by

Amron Azman
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Math 1a

Introduction to
Calculus
Fall 2006 Introductory
Meeting
Bret Benesh
Why attend
Harvard?
i.e. What should you expect
from you tuition money?
High School
• Consumer of Knowledge
• Teacher shows you how to
do it.
At Harvard
• Producer of Knowledge
• Teacher guides you, but you
do a lot of work on your
own.
General Relativity
Polio Vaccine
Real Estate
Quote
• “Merely accumulating information is of
little value to students. Facts are soon
forgotten, and the sheer volume of
information has grown to the point that it
is impossible to cover all the important
material or even to agree on what is most
essential. Concepts and theories have
little value unless one can apply them to
new situations.”
• -Derek Bok, President of Harvard
University
About Math 1a
• The development of calculus
by Newton and Leibniz ranks
among the greatest
achievements of the past
millennium.
About Math 1a
• This course will help you see the
greatness of calculus by
introducing:
1. How differential calculus treats
rates of change.
2. How integral calculus treats
accumulation.
3. How the Fundamental Theorem
of Calculus links the two.
Course Goals
• To build a mathematical foundation for
future study.
• To be better able to solve new
problems.
• To build a founded confidence in your
problem solving abilities.
• To appreciate the utility and logic of
mathematics.
• To improve communication skills
• To become more skillful in evaluating
the validity of an argument.
Prerequisites
• A solid knowledge of
precalculus and a
satisfactory score on the
Math Placement Exam.
The text
• James Stewart.
Essential Calculus:
Early Transcendentals,
first edition. Thomson
Brooks/Cole, Belmont
CA, 2007. ISBN-10:
0495014281.
Calculators
• Any graphing calculator will
be helpful.
• If you would like to buy one,
we recommend a TI-84, TI-
86, or a TI-89.
• Calculators will be allowed
on homework but not on
exams.
Course Topics
• Differentiation: rates of
change, linear
approximations to functions,
optimization
• Integration: The definite
integral, Riemann sums, the
Fundamental Theorem of
Calculus
Final Exam Problem
Grading
• Homework: 20%
• Precalculus Exam: 5%
• Midterm I: 20%
• Midterm II: 20%
• Final Exam: 35%
Exam Dates
• Precalculus Exams: October
2nd - 13th
• Midterm I: October 24th
• Midterm II: December 12th
• Final Exam: January 22nd?
Homework
• Everyone does the same
homework.
• Homework is due at the
beginning of class.
• We drop your three lowest
homework scores.
• You will hand in homework
reports on some of the problems.
Problem Solving
• Explicit Instruction on how to
go about solving new
problems.
• Heuristics
• Time Management
• Beliefs
Sections and Problems
Sessions
• Each 1a section has an
undergraduate course
assistant.
• CAs hold 90 minute problem
sessions each week.
• You can go to any problem
session.
Getting Help with Math
1a
• Other 1a students.
• Your CA’s problem session
• Your TF’s Office Hours
• The Math Question Center
(MQC) in SC B-10 (8:30 pm
- 10:30 pm Sunday through
Thursday)
Advising
• Math advising hours can be
found at:
http://www.math.harvard.edu/
sectioning/index.html
Math 1a or Xa?
• Most students in Math 1a will
have taken calculus already.
• Math 1a will assume a good
knowledge of precalculus.
• Math Xa will take time to
teach precalculus.
• The courses are about the
same amount of work.
Sectioning
• Math 1a is taught in small sections.
• You must section by 1:00 pm on
Wednesday, September 20th.
• Sectioning directions are on:
http://www.math.harvard.edu/sectioni
ng/index.html
Precalculus Warm-Up
• There will be a warm up
session on precalculus today
from 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm in
SC Hall A.
Your Homework
• The Bottle Calibration
Problem.
• Due Page 1 for before the
first day of class.
Important Emails
• Bret Benesh (Course Head)
[email protected]
• Janet Chen (Assistant Course
Head)
[email protected]

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