Calculus materials
- To: mathgroup at yoda.physics.unc.edu
- Subject: Calculus materials
- From: Jack K. Cohen <jkc at dix.mines.colorado.edu>
- Date: Fri, 13 Aug 93 09:14:35 -0600
--
Jack K. Cohen, Center for Wave Phenomena, Golden CO, 80401 (303)
273-3512
I've added to and updated the teaching materials available from
our anonymous ftp site: 138.67.12.63
in the directory pub/papers/calculus
Many of these documents are in LaTeX with figures and portability
has been a problem in the past. This time, I am distributing
postscript files in both 300dpi and 400dpi formats and hope one
or the other will make your printer happy.
The principal new materials are "weekly" projects (we expect to do
about 10 each 15 week semester). Being small, they tend to avoid
pyrotechnics and focus on using Mathematica as a routine scientific
tool.
If you are not interested in calculus teaching, you can stop reading
here.
Follows, two of the READMES. The first is about the projects, the
second an overview of all the materials. There are additional
READMES
in the anon ftp.
---------Project.README--------
xxxx-xxx: The Colorado School of Mines Weekly Calculus Projects
(August 1993)
Author: Jack K. Cohen
The Colorado School of Mines uses Mathematica in all sections
of the campus-wide required first year calculus sequence.
This is a collection of weekly Mathematica projects designed to
demonstrate the realistic use of Mathematica in scientific work.
Mathematica is introduced at a measured pace and competence is
built steadily. There are occasional references to the Edwards
and Penney text, Edition 3, but the material is not tied to this
text in any essential way.
The Projects are accompanied by Notebooks that allow the students to
"cut and paste" the Mathematica command sequences referred to in the
Projects. This obviates many of the early syntax errors made by
students
who are not yet sensitive to the strict requirements of computer
languages
("why can't I say f(x) instead of f[x_]?", etc.). The Notebook
crutch is
gradually withdrawn throughout the year.
Answers exist for the projects---see CONTENTS.README for information.
-----------CONTENTS.README-------
Copyright (c) Colorado School of Mines, 1993.
Permission is granted to use these materials for classroom and other
pedagogical purposes. This includes the right to reproduce and
modify
these materials for your classes.
Jack K. Cohen, 08/09/93.
--------
Purpose: Gradual introduction of Mathematica and good scientific
thinking.
The latter is much more important than the former!
--------
I've made both 300dpi and 400dpi versions of the postscript files
to try to make them portable. However, there may still be trouble
if your printer doesn't have all the requisite fonts. There may
also be trouble for other reasons that I have no hope of
understanding.
If all else fails, send me your US-mail address and I will have hard
copy
mailed at cost of materials + epsilon.
The Notebooks are all NeXT .ma files. If that's of no use to you, be
consoled that they contain only the Mathematica statements contained
in the project. Their purpose is to allow the students to "cut and
paste",
thus avoiding the need to explain a lot of syntax at the outset.
The Sermons contain my philosophy and addition information about
using the materials.
Answers exist for the projects, but since students know how to use
anonymous ftp too, they aren't included in the public distribution.
If you care about having them, direct mail hard copy under the above
terms is the best I can offer.
jkc at dix.mines.colorado.edu
Jack K. Cohen
Center for Wave Phenomena
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, CO 80401
--------
File List 08/09/93
CONTENTS.README -- This file
Calculus.m -- Mma tool package
Has fix for the cube root problem, pedagogical routines like
RiemannSum, MidPointRule, etc.
Calculus.README -- Info on Calculus.m
Notebooks.tar.Z -- Notebooks for the Projects
Students cut and paste from these templates
Notebooks.README -- Same as Projects.README
Projects.300dpi.ps.tar.Z
Projects.400dpi.ps.tar.Z
300 and 400 dpi versions of Mathematica weekly projects
Projects.README -- Info on Projects and Notebooks
Sermons.300dpi.ps.tar.Z
Sermons.400dpi.ps.tar.Z
300 and 400 dpi versions of philosophical remarks and
teaching
advice
Sermons.README -- Info on the Sermons
Tutorial.ma -- First steps in using the NeXT Mma Notebook environment
Tutorial.README -- Info on the Tutorial
Worksheets.300dpi.ps.tar.Z
Worksheets.400dpi.ps.tar.Z
300 and 400 dpi versions of cooperative education worksheets.
These are slightly tweaked versions of the ones from last
year
and really should be pruned back in light of duplication with
the new weekly projects above.
Worksheets.README -- Info on the Worksheets