Classical Calculus

This unique course is a truly classical approach to calculus. It begins with the problem of change and walks through the major concepts in a typical Calculus I course by examining the history of its development. Class will consist of a combination of lectures, exercises, and exams emphasizing both the history of the development of calculus and the mathematical knowledge of limits and differential and integral calculus.

This class meets for 32 weeks total divided into four eight-week quarters. Students will watch a weekly lecture video and then meet once a week for a 1.5 hour recitation. Each quarter students will be assigned weekly homework and quizzes. Each quarter will end with an exam testing the material covered in that quarter with the exception of the final quarter which will end with a comprehensive final exam.

The suggested course prerequisite is Algebra I.

Note to parents: Section B (Mondays, 8:30-10 am) is a hybrid section. Students who live in Moscow, ID who enroll in Section B have the option to meet in-person for the recitation or join via video conferencing.

Course Objectives:

Throughout the course, students will:

1. Learn about the need for calculus and its historical development.
2. Learn the general concept of function and its applications to real-world situations.
3. Learn to work with algebraic functions and their applications in applied problems.
4. Learn the concepts of the derivative and its underlying concepts.
5. Learn to calculate derivative for various type of functions using definition and rules.
6. Apply the concept of derivative to completely analyze graph of a function.
7. Learn about various applications of the derivative
8. Learn about anti-derivative and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus and its applications.
9. Learn to use concept of integration to evaluate geometric area and solve other applied problems.

Text:

• Calculus for Everyone by Mitch Stokes (25% discount available for students through Roman Roads Press)