Introduction to Functions and Calculus I
MATH MA
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
Calculus stands as one of the great intellectual achievements of the last millennium, developed by Newton and Leibniz to understand motion, growth, and change. Math Ma, the first-semester in a full-year sequence, introduces students to that achievement by focusing on one of its central ideas: how differential calculus describes rates of change. Throughout, students will see mathematical ideas at work in concrete problems drawn from the physical sciences, life sciences, economics, and everyday contexts.
A central theme of differential calculus is understanding, describing, and calculating rates of change. Students will develop and analyze models that provide opportunities for deep exploration of linear, quadratic, polynomial, rational, exponential, and logarithmic functions, and their use in representing real-world phenomena.
Students will learn to interpret derivatives, both graphically and numerically, and connect derivatives to the shape and behavior of graphs. They will use calculus techniques—including product, quotient, and chain rules—to reason deeply about models they've built, solve optimization problems, and describe function behavior.
Throughout the semester, students will engage in high-level reasoning using algebra to justify their conclusions, interpret situations, test ideas, and make sense of unfamiliar problems. The goal of the course is a robust and deeply connected understanding of the ideas within differential calculus. Conceptual understanding is emphasized throughout the curriculum to provide students with a strong foundation on which to build toward more and more advanced mathematics.
Course Notes
This course, when taken together with Mathematics Mb, can be followed by Mathematics 1b. Mathematics Ma and Mb together cover all the material in Mathematics 1a (and more). This course, when taken together with Mathematics LS, can satisfy a number of different requirements for students interested in the life sciences or students on the pre-med track. See Math LS for more information.
Class Notes
Math Ma is taught in small sections throughout the day on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule (9:00-10:15 am, 10:30-11:45 am, 12-1:15 pm, 1:30-2:45 pm, and 3:00-4:15 pm with sufficient enrollment). For information about how to register for this course and to rank your time preferences, please see the Canvas site.
There will be required workshops Tuesdays. Workshop will be scheduled the first week of class. Information will be available via Canvas.
Exams for this course will ocur throughout the semester on Thursdays in the block from 6:00 - 9:00 pm. Consult Canvas for more details on the exact Thursdays.
The course will have a mandatory information meeting on the morning of the first day of the semester. Information will be available via Canvas.
Midterms will be scheduled on various Thursdays during the block 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM. You will sign up for a "Quiz Section" to block this time on your schedule.
If there is an unavoidable academic conflict, please email Sarah Chin explaining your conflict and why it is unavoidable. She will arrange an alternative time for you.
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
NOTE: This course requires additional sections; you will be prompted to choose secondary components during the Add to Cart process
