Maths21a: Multivariable Calculus of the Harvard Summerschool 2009
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This is a standard multivariable calculus course.
It extends single variable calculus to higher dimensions;
It provides vocabulary for understanding fundamental
equations of nature like weather, planetary motion,
waves, heat, finance, epidemiology, or quantum mechanics.
It teaches important background needed for statistics,
computergraphics, bioinformatics, etc;
It builds tools for describing curves, surfaces, solids
and other geometrical objects in three dimensions;
It develops methods for solving optimization problems with
and without constraints;
It makes you acquainted with a powerful computer algebra system.
It prepares you for further study in other fields of
mathematics and its applications;
It improves thinking skills, problem solving skills,
visualization skills as well as computing skills;
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Lectures:
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Every Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30-11:30,
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Sections:
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Thursday 1-2.
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Course assistant:
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Chris Phillips
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Office hours: Thursday 2 PM.
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Oliver: Monday 15:30-16:30, SC 434 and by appointment
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Website
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http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~maths21a
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Text:
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Reading a textbook gives you a second opinion on the material.
A widely used textbook is
"Multivariable Calculus: Concepts and Contexts" by James Stewart.
but any multivariable text works (current multivariable textbooks are
all very similar). We cover the material which can be found in chapters 9-12 of Stewart
or chapters 10-14 in Varberg Purcell Rigdon or chapters 10-15 in
Smith Minton. Homework will be distributed each
class during lecture. Homework problems are handed out in class.
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Homework:
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Weekly HW will be assigned in three parts,
one in each lecture. You will receive a handout for
each problem set. Problems will not be assigned
from books. Homework is due on Tuesdays except for the
last week, where the homework is due daily.
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Exams:
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Two midterm exams and one final exam. The midterms on July 9 and July 23
will be administered during class time in the usual lecture hall.
The final exam will take place during the examination period in the usual
lecture hall.
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Grades:
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First and second hourly 40 % total
Homework 25 %
Project 5 %
Final 30 %
Active class participation and attendance can boost your final
grade by up to 5%.
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Graduate Credit:
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This course can be taken for graduate credit.
The course work is the same. To fulfill the graduate credit,
a minimal 2/3 score must be reached for the final Mathematica project.
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Mathematica project;
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The use of computers and other electronic aids can not permitted
during exams. A Mathematica project will teach you the basics
of a computer algebra system.
Harvard has a site license for Mathematica, a professional
computer algebra system. Using
this software does not lead to any additional expenses.
The total time for doing the lab is a few hours.
The project will be handed in at the beginning of the lecture
on July 30.
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Calendar:
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+----+ +----+
Su Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr Sa Week Event
------+----+----+----+------------------------
21 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 27 1 23. June start
28 29 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 3 4 2 July
5 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 11 3 9. hourly
12 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 18 4
19 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 25 5 23. hourly
26 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 1 6 August,
2 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 8 7 Exam on Aug 6
+----+ +----+
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Day to day syllabus:
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1. Week: Geometry and Space
June 23: space, vectors,
dot product, projection
June 25: cross product, lines,
planes, distances
2. Week: Surfaces and Curves
June 30: functions, graphs,
implicit and parametric surfaces
July 2: curves, velocity, acceleration,
chain rule and curvature
3. Week: Linearization and Gradient
July 7: partial derivatives,
partial differential equations, review
July 9: first midterm
gradient, linearization
tangent lines and planes
4. Week: Extrema and Lagrange Multipliers
July 14: extrema, second derivative test,
Lagrange multiplier method
July 16: double integrals, Type I and II regions
polar integration, surface area
5. Week: Double Integrals and Triple Integrals
July 21: triple integrals, cylindrical coordinates
integration in spherical coordinates
July 23: second midterm (on week 3-4)
vector fields and line integrals
6. Week: Vector fields and Integral Theorems
July 28: 2d curl and Greens theorem
3d curl and flux integrals
July 30: Stokes theorem
Gauss theorem.
7. Week: Final exam (Aug 6)
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