Math 1231: Single-Variable Calculus I
Section 12
Spring 2023

Contact Info
Spring 2023

Office: Phillips Hall 720E
Email: jaydaigle@gwu.edu

Office Hours:

Often in office:

Course Information

Lecture:

  • TR 4:45 PM–6:00 PM
  • Smith 114

TA

TA Office Hours:

  • MW 1:00–2:00 PM
  • Phillips 725

Official textbook:

Recitations

Section 36:

  • F 8:00 AM–8:50 AM
  • Rome 202

Section 37:

  • F 9:35 AM–10:25 AM
  • Tompkins 204

Section 38:

  • F 11:10 AM–12 Noon
  • Monroe 350

Course Information

Lecture:

  • TR 4:45 PM–6:00 PM
  • Smith 114

TA

TA Office Hours:

  • MW 1:00–2:00 PM
  • Phillips 725

Official textbook:

Recitations

Section 36:

  • F 8:00 AM–8:50 AM
  • Rome 202

Section 37:

  • F 9:35 AM–10:25 AM
  • Tompkins 204

Section 38:

  • F 11:10 AM–12 Noon
  • Monroe 350

Daily Assignments

Finals Week
  • Read the solutions to Mastery Quiz 14
  • Monday May 8
    • Office hours 3-7 (Running late, will be in more like 3:30)
  • Final Exam on Tuesday, May 9, 5:20–7:20 PM
Reading Week Schedule
  • Monday May 1
    • Office hours 2-5 PM
  • Tuesday May 2
  • Wednesday May 3
    • Office Hours 2-5
  • Thursday May 4
    • Office Hours 3-5
  • Friday: None
  • Saturday May 6
    • Office Hours 3-6
  • Sunday: None
April 28: Recitation 14 on Integral Applications
April 27: Volumes by Slicing
April 25: Physical Applications
April 21: Recitation 13 on Integrals and Areas
April 20: Areas
April 18: Integration by Substitution
April 14: Recitation 12 on the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
April 13: Computing Integrals and the FTC Part 2
April 11: The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
April 7: Recitation 11 on Riemann Sums
April 6: The Definite Integral
April 4: The Area Problem
March 31: Recitation 10 on Physical Optimization Problems
March 30: Midterm 2
March 28: Physical Optimization Problems
March 24: Recitation 9 on Sketching Graphs
March 23: Concavity and Curve Sketching
March 21: Classifying Extrema
March 10: Recitation 8 on Extreme and Mean Values
March 9: The Mean Value Theorem
March 7: Extrema and Critical Points
March 3: Recitation 7 on Implicit Differentiation and Related Rates
March 2: Related Rates
February 28: Implicit Differentiation and Tangent Lines
February 24: Recitation 6 on linear approximation and rates of change
February 23: Rates of Change and Tangent Lines
February 21: Linear Approximation and Velocity
February 17: Recitation 5 on derivatives and the chain rule
February 16: Midterm 1
February 14: Trigonometric Derivatives and the Chain Rule
February 10: Recitation 4 on the definition of derivative
February 9: Basic Derivative Rules
February 7: Defining the Derivative
February 3: Recitation 3 on Trig and Infinite Limits
February 2: Infinite Limits
January 31: Trigonometric Limits
January 27: Recitation 2 on Computing Limits
January 26: Continuity and Computing Limits
January 24: Approximation and Limits
January 20: Recitation 1 on Approximation
January 19: Approximation and Limits
  • Read Section 1.3 of the online notes
    • You can also consult Strang and Herman 2.2 and 2.5.
  • Optional: Play with this Geogebra widget for visualizing the relationships between ε and δ for different functions.
  • Optional videos:
    • Watch the first ten minutes of Essence of Calculus, Chapter 7
      • If you haven’t seen derivatives before, don’t worry too much about when he mentions them. The key material I want starts about five minutes in.
    • Khan Academy has a series of videos that might be helpful. I’m linking the second, but the third and fourth in this series are also good for understanding limit arguments better.
January 17: Syllabus and Functions

Course notes

Mastery Quizzes

Major Topics

  1. Computing Limits
  2. Computing Derivatives
  3. Linear Approximation
  4. Extrema and Optimization
  5. Integration
  6. Integral Applications

Secondary Topics

  1. Estimation
  2. Definition of derivative
  3. Rates of change and models
  4. Related rates
  5. Curve sketching
  6. Numeric Approximation Physical Optimization Problems
  7. Riemann sums

Tests

Calculators will not be allowed on tests.

Textbook

The official textbook for Math 1231 is OpenStax Calculus Volume 1 by Gilbert Strang and Edwin Herman. It is available for free online here. You can also buy copies from Amazon; a paperback is a little under $30.

I will be loosely following the textbook, but will often be giving my own take or focusing on topics the textbook doesn’t emphasize. All my course notes will be posted to the course web page.

We will be using a (free!) online homework system called WeBWorK this term. You can access it by going to Blackboard, then to “Course Links”, and clicking the WeBWorK link. This will automatically create an account for you and log you in. You may continue to log in through Blackboard, or if you wish you may create a password within WeBWorK to log in directly.

Course Goals

This is the first semester of a standard year-long sequence in single-variable calculus. The main topics are limits and continuity; differentiation and integration of algebraic and trigonometric functions; and applications of these ideas. This corresponds roughly to Chapters 1–6 of Herman–Strang.

By the end of the course, students will acquire the following skills and knowledge: students will know the intuitive and formal definitions of the limit, derivative, antiderivative, and definite integral of a function. Students will be able to distinguish continuous from discontinuous functions by visual and algebraic means; to calculate derivatives of functions both by definition and using various simplification rules; to formulate and solve related rates and optimization problems; to accurately sketch graphs of functions; to calculate antiderivatives and definite integrals of a variety of functions; to compute areas of regions in the plane and volumes of solids of revolution; and to explain the significance of important theoretical results such as the Extreme Value Theorem, Mean Value Theorem, and Fundamental Theorems of Calculus.