Calculus is one of the grandest achievements of human thought, explaining everything from planetary orbits to the optimal size of a city to the periodicity of a heartbeat. This brisk course covers the core ideas of single-variable Calculus with emphases on conceptual understanding and applications. The course is ideal for students beginning in the engineering, physical, and social sciences. Distinguishing features of the course include: 1) the introduction and use of Taylor series and approximations from the beginning; 2) a novel synthesis of discrete and continuous forms of Calculus; 3) an emphasis on the conceptual over the computational; and 4) a clear, dynamic, unified approach.
Offered By
Single Variable Calculus
University of Pennsylvania
About this Course
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Approx. 20 hours to complete
Suggested: 6-8 hours/week
English
Subtitles: English
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
2 hours to complete
A Calculus for Sequences
It's time to redo calculus! Previously, all the calculus we have done is meant for functions with a continuous input and a continuous output. This time, we are going to retool calculus for functions with a <i>discrete</i> input. These are <i>sequences</i>, and they will occupy our attention for this last segment of the course. This first module will introduce the tools and terminologies for <b>discrete calculus</b>.
2 hours to complete
4 videos (Total 53 min), 2 readings, 5 quizzes
2 readings
Your Guide to Getting Started in this Course10m
How Grading Works10m
5 practice exercises
Core Homework: Sequences14m
Core Homework: Differences12m
Challenge Homework: Differences8m
Core Homework: Discrete Calculus10m
Challenge Homework: Discrete Calculus4m
1 hour to complete
Introduction to Numerical Methods
That first module might have seemed a little...strange. It was! In this module, however, we will put that strangeness to good use, by giving a very brief introduction to the vast subjects of <b>numerical analysis</b>, answering such questions as <i>"how do we approximate solutions to differential equations?"</i> and <i>"how do we approximate definite integals?"</i> Perhaps unsurprisingly, Taylor expansion plays a pivotal role in these approximations.
1 hour to complete
2 videos (Total 34 min)
1 practice exercise
Core Homework: Numerical O.D.E.s4m
2 hours to complete
Series and Convergence Tests
In "ordinary" calculus, we have seen the importance (and challenge!) of improper integrals over unbounded domains. Within discrete calculus, this converts to the problem of infinite sums, or <b>series</b>. The determination of convergence for such will occupy our attention for this module. I hope you haven't forgotten your big-O notation --- you are going to need it!
2 hours to complete
4 videos (Total 65 min)
6 practice exercises
Core Homework: Infinite Series10m
Challenge Homework: Infinite Series4m
Core Homework: Convergence Tests I16m
Challenge Homework: Convergence Tests I4m
Core Homework: Convergence Tests II6m
Core Homework: Absolute & Conditional4m
2 hours to complete
Power and Taylor Series
This course began with an exploration of Taylor series -- an exploration that was, sadly, not as rigorous as one would like. Now that we have at our disposal all the tests and tools of discrete and continuous calculus, we can finally close the loop and make sense of what we've been doing when we Talyor-expand. This module will cover power series in general, from we which specify to our beloved Taylor series.
2 hours to complete
4 videos (Total 59 min)
5 practice exercises
Core Homework: Power Series12m
Challenge Homework: Power Series8m
Core Homework: Taylor Series Redux8m
Challenge Homework: Taylor Series Redux4m
Core Homework: Approximation and Error10m
Reviews
4.7
TOP REVIEWS FROM SINGLE VARIABLE CALCULUS
by MMJan 10, 2016
This course is tricky and also excellent. I am a computer science student from germany, and it took me quite some time and effort to pass it. The course is well structured, and can be done in time.
by PCSep 14, 2019
Loved it ! I've grown attached to Prof. Ghrist's lectures, so it is with a heavy heart that I took the final exam and finished this course. I xould really love to take another !
by RBFeb 10, 2017
Feeling really great after finishing the course. Learnt a lot and gained deeper insights into the calculus.\n\nLooking forward to Multi Variable Calculus.
by XLDec 3, 2017
Again and again and again ... love the bonus lectures! Really enlightening! Please release the Multi-variable Calculus ASAP! Can't wait to take it!
Offered by
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (commonly referred to as Penn) is a private university, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. A member of the Ivy League, Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and considers itself to be the first university in the United States with both undergraduate and graduate studies.
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