Applied Calculus
Applied Calculus is known by a few different course names, some of which include:- Applied Calculus
- Business Calculus
- Survey of Calculus
- Liberal Arts Calculus
- Calculus for Management & Social Science
- Calculus for Biology
- etc.
Applied Calculus is a single course on differential and integral calculus, intended for non-math/engineering majors.Applied Calculus is often referred to as "Junior Calculus" or "Calculus Lite", in that the course covers the same basic topics as the math/engineering "higher" Calculus I course, but at a less rigorous and less formal level. Also, Applied Calculus does not include references to trigonometry, so it has a lesser prerequisite. Compare:
| Course: | Applied Calculus | Calculus I |
| Prerequisite: | Algebra II from high school | Precalculus with Trigonometry |
| Intended for Majors: | Humanities, Social Studies, Biological Sciences | Math, Engineering, Physics, Economics, etc. |
Course Catalog Listing
Course Description: An introduction to differential and integral calculus emphasizing applications to business and the life sciences. Topics covered will include limits, rules of differentiation, extreme value problems, curve sketching, exponential and logarithmic functions, techniques of integration, and area between curves. Includes a thorough review of high school algebra.
Prerequisite: Algebra II
Detailed Course Syllabus in PDF
Applied Calculus via Distance Calculus
Based on an exciting new videotext, our Applied Calculus features the following distinct attributes:- Significant Algebra Review
We front-load this course with a "mini-precalculus" course, as most students enrolling in this course have "been away from math" or otherwise will greatly benefit from a serious and thorough review of high school algebra. - Data! Data! Data!
To start the study of Applied Calculus, we start with analyzing data from various real-life sources: the stock market and E-Bay auctions. We move from an analysis of data through development of the ideas of Calculus, then to the algebraic and classical description of the topics of Calculus. - Intuitive Computer Algebra Software
Leveraging the strength of the computer algebra system LiveMath™, we quickly get up to speed with graphical, numerical, and algebraic investigations of the topics of Calculus (and first, precalculus).
Videotext - A Modern Replacement of the Textbook
Applied Calculus via Distance Calculus offers a brand new, fresh, exciting Videotext as its curriculum guide through the course: That DANG (Applied) Calculus! (Descriptive, Algebraic, Numerical, Graphical) by Robert Curtis, lead instructor for Distance Calculus.What is a videotext? It is like a textbook, except instead of being based upon printed information, this "text" is based upon video presentations as the core method of explaining the course topics. Instead of a huge, thick 1000-page Calculus textbook to lug around in your backpack, all of this new "videotext" can be loaded into your iPods or iPhones (and soon, the iPad!).
This new videotext features two main types of videos:
- Screencast Videos using LiveMath™
Although we are anywhere from a few miles to a few thousand miles apart, watching these screencast videos is like sitting next to the course instructor, watching his computer, learning the topics of Calculus at the same time as learning how to drive the computer algebra and graphing software LiveMath™. These LiveMath™ screencast videos make up the majority of the video presentations in the videotext.Example Videos requires either iTunes/QuickTime or the alternative VLC Media Player.
- Example Video #1: Play in iTunes or VLC
- ChalkTalk Videos: Manual Calculations
While using a computer algebra software package is a very cool way to do Calculus computations and investigations, we must also pay attention to the classical side of Calculus, and the computations that can be completed by hand with paper/pen/pencil. To be a well-rounded Calculus student, you need to be able to do calculations in both technical and manual methods.Example Videos requires either iTunes/QuickTime or the alternative VLC Media Player.
- Example Video #2: Play in iTunes or VLC
