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Math 126, Spring 2004
Calculus 2
Writing Assignments
Give brief but clear answers to the questions below. Click on this link to send me an email with your answers. Make sure to type 'Calculus Assignment' and the date in the subject line.
For Tuesday November 2
Section 11.4: The Comparison Tests
- Compare (booooo) this section with the comparison test in Section 7.8.
- Give a prose explanation of the Limit Comparison Test and intuitively why it's true.
- Look at exercise 39. Can you think of a series for which the squares of the terms converge but the series itself does not? (That is, find a counterexample to the converse)
- VOTE!!!!
For Thursday, November 4
Section 11.5: Alternating Series
- What will happen to a series that is alternating, whose terms are getting smaller and smaller, but the terms are not approaching zero?
- Give a prose explanation as to why the Estimation theorem is as easy to use as it is.
- How might I be able to predict whether you used actual flips or imaginary flips on Tuesday's coin experiment?
For Friday, November 5
Section 11.6: Absolute Convergence and the Ratio and Root Tests
- What is the intuitive difference between absolute convergence and conditional convergence?
- How does the Comparison Test lead to the Ratio Test?
- Summarize the discussion on page 745. Does it seem somewhat counterintuitive to you?
For Tuesday November 9
11.7 Strategies for Series
- Give an explanation of your own personal strategy for attacking a series question. Explain as though you were talking to one of next year's Calc 2 students when they are studying for their exam.
- Look over exercises 1-38 on page 748. Pick out three that look interesting. (the most popular ones will be discussed in class)
For Thursday, November 11
Section 11.8: Power Series
- How is a power series like a polynomial?
- What nice properties does a polynomial have with regard to calculus?
- What is a radius of convergence? Why do we call it a 'radius'?
For Friday, November 12
Section 11.9-10 Representing Functions as Series
- Review tangent lines (and for those of you that have studied them, quadratic and cubic approximations). How do these sections generalize those concepts?
- How do we choose the coefficients for the power series used to represent a function?
- There is an exam in a week!!!! What would be most helpful for you in preparation for the test?
For Tuesday November 16
Section 11.12: Applications of Taylor Series.
- We can now integrate some of those unintegrable functions (well, sort of). How?
- Why might it be inefficient to use a Taylor series to compute the digits of pi?
- How does your calculator determine something like sin(2.5) or e^(pi)?
For Thursday, November 18
Review for Exam 2
You may download a copy of the practice exam here. We will go over this on Thursday. Come prepared with questions that will clear up your confusions about the material. Here is a copy of the solutions to that exam.
Also, please send me an email addressing the following:
I am open to suggestions as to which types of applications you'd like to see for the rest of the semester. Please look over sections 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, and chapter 9, and let me know where your interests lie and which topics you'd like to see covered.
For Friday, November 19
Exam the Third
- Study well and arrive for the exam prepared to work hard.
- Look forward to a week of no classes!
For Tuesday November 30
TBA
Give brief but clear answers to the questions below. Click on this link to send me an email with your answers. Make sure to type 'Calculus Assignment' and the date in the subject line.
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