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Preparing to study MVCalculus over the summer

Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 4:48 pm
by vashts85
Hi all,

I am going to start a Multivariable Calculus on Monday. It's a summer course in a compressed schedule so it will be complete in just about 5 weeks -- we meet Monday through Thursday for 2 hours.

I've been reviewing the lectures from MIT's OCW on Single Calc, but I was wondering what particular areas I should focus on in preparation for MVC. It's been a while since I took a Math course and given the compressed schedule and I'll be working full-time as well.

I have two chapters of review left on infinite series, but I almost think I should skip those and just focus on doing a lot more integration problems. I haven't really covered polar coordinates because I didn't do that in my college Calculus course and MIT really only does one lecture on it, but if it's really important I'd appreciate a heads-up.

Re: Preparing to study MVCalculus over the summer

Posted: Fri May 23, 2014 5:27 pm
by footballman2399
First off, let me say that when I took Calc III, I found to be an extremely valuable resource. Paul covers polar coordinates and has many examples with solutions.

Secondly, I wouldn't say you have much to worry about if you did well in Calc I and II--it is not that much different and many of my friends thought it was the easiest in the sequence. However, if you're motivated to study things, then I would recommend, first and foremost, to review the material you did in Calc I and II. Make sure you recall things like the definition of an integral, limits, and integration methods such as substitution and integration by parts.

If you feel you are comfortable with that, then maybe you can work ahead if you truly feel like it. Out of all the subjects, I think I struggled most with polar coordinates. Just my .02

Re: Preparing to study MVCalculus over the summer

Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 4:00 pm
by vashts85
footballman2399 wrote:First off, let me say that when I took Calc III, I found to be an extremely valuable resource. Paul covers polar coordinates and has many examples with solutions.

Secondly, I wouldn't say you have much to worry about if you did well in Calc I and II--it is not that much different and many of my friends thought it was the easiest in the sequence. However, if you're motivated to study things, then I would recommend, first and foremost, to review the material you did in Calc I and II. Make sure you recall things like the definition of an integral, limits, and integration methods such as substitution and integration by parts.

If you feel you are comfortable with that, then maybe you can work ahead if you truly feel like it. Out of all the subjects, I think I struggled most with polar coordinates. Just my .02
Thank you, I appreciate it. So far things are going well, though the compressed nature of the course (4x a week for 2.5 hours) is making keeping up with the material a bit difficult.

That, and the lack of a 3d graphing software.

Re: Preparing to study MVCalculus over the summer

Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:32 am
by footballman2399
Perhaps you should get a TI Nspire. They can do double integrals and 3d graphing. It was pretty useful for my course.