Note: Each week there will be a new project assigned explaining the maple commands described in the syllabus. Students should be reminded to read the appropriate sections from Larson before coming to the lab. Some of this reading will be covered in the Calculus (MAT 175) but some readings may only be done for this course. All the projects have been designed to correspond to material learned in Calculus at least one week after it is taught in calculus. In particular, the final lab is an important topic and shouldn't be skipped. Instructors may use their own set of projects.
Students have highly varying computer skills and for this reason the projects have been divided into two parts. The first part is 3-4 numbered problems which all students must complete before continuing with further projects. If they don't complete them they will not know the necessary Maple commands and techniques to do the next project. Thus if a student misses a lab they should complete at least these parts in the computer lab before starting the next project. The second part is called the exploration and has 2-3 lettered problems. These are provided to give the better students an opportunity to explore. You may wish to assign different exploration problems or allow students to do only one exploration problem. Most students will not have time to do the entire project including all of the exploration. It is more important that these students start with the next lab the following week. It should be quite possible for students to ace the exams even if they have not done the explorations. If you grade each project weekly, you may wish to give B's for perfect projects with no exploration, A's with one completed exploration problem, and extra credit for complete projects.
Glitches Students with very little computer experience should sit next to students who have used windows in the past. This will avoid most of the usual difficulties. If a student loses a file check the recycle bin icon. Note the projects below were written in Maple V and work with Maple Classic. Let the Maple program think they are Maple Classic and save them. Do not allow Maple to update them or they will be completely ruined. Professor Handel has a set of updated labs.
Grading:
Syllabus:
Do not allow Maple to try to update the files. This will mess them up. Let it believe they are in Maple Classic and then save them with a new name and work with that name. .
Week 1:
Project I: Intro to Maple
calculations, order of operations, evalf, sqrt,
sine, cosine, defining functions, evaluating functions,
saving files
Read P1-P3 for homework before week 2.
Week 2:
Project II: Functions
defining functions, graphing functions with given intervals,
graphing lines using the point slope formula,
odd and even functions,
graphing sine,cosine, radians,
cut and paste
Bring a copy of page 19 of the text.
Read Appendix A1, P6 Example 3, and 1.2 An Intro to Limits, Example 1
for homework.
Week 3:
Project III: Examining Graphs
creating a file from scratch,
factor, solve, fsolve, the number e
and (1+x)^(1/x) near x = 0
Read A3, P5 and P6 for homework.
Week 4:
Project IV: Inverses and Exponentials
bring page 44 of the text
review and sin(x)/x behavior near 0,
using solve to find inverse functions, graphing functions
and inverses, exp and ln, arcsin and arccos,
using the command index.
Read 1.3 and 1.5 for homework.
Week 5:
Project V: Limits and Vertical Asymptotes
limit command, the simplify command, vertical asymptotes,
graphing with y bounds,
graphing tan(x), x/(x+1),
Be sure to review all old labs and commands for homework.
Week 6: Exam I
On defining functions, graphing a line using point slope
formula, graphing functions, solving equations and finding
limits. Writing a Maple file from scratch, using the command index.
Read 2.1 pages 109-112 before Week 7.
Week 7:
Project VI: Finding Tangent Lines
Graphing pairs of functions,
plotting curves with secant and tangent lines,
verifying slopes of sin(x) and exp(x) at x=0,
for loops
Read 2.1 pages 112-114 for homework.
Week 8: Project VII: Derivatives
Taking derivatives using limits and using D(f), the expand command,
and graphing tangent lines and examining them as a linear approximation
of functions. Using variables which are words.
Week 9: Free Lab
A lab on any topic of interest to the professor,
or an opportunity for students
to go over their old labs and refine them.
can do exponential functions and applications 155.00.x1.mws
Homework before next week:
1.4: The Intermediate Value Theorem and Example 8, and in 2.8: Newton's Method, Example 1, Example 2 and Example 3.
Week 10:
Project VIII: Newton's Method
Method of Tabulation, review of for loops,
clear x, define a
review of tan line, while loops
Week 11: Exam II (could move up all and put final in last week)
includes all old topics inc for loops
Read 3.1 and 3.3 before Week 12.
Week 12:
Project IX: Increasing and Decreasing
Graph f(x) with D(f)(x) and write comments
regarding inc and dec. Find critical points using
solve and fsolve. plotting parabolas
read 3.4 before Week 13.
Week 13:
Project X: Concavity and Inflection
Review of increasing/decreasing, concavity, inflection points,
graphing f D(f) D(D(f))
read 3.6 and 3.7 before week 14.
Week 14:
Project XI: Graphing and Optimization
Find inflection and critical points, then graph
and find absolute max and min
Short final or collection of the final project during finals week.
This page and the projects are maintained by Christina Sormani. Please send comments to calculus@comet.lehman.cuny.edu .