MATH 1300 Bonus Problem Set
Hello, dear friend, you can consult us at any time if you have any questions, add WeChat: daixieit
MATH 1300 Bonus Problem Set
The Bonus “Problem Set” for this class is a writing / math activity on a topic ofyour choosing that will be worth 15 bonus points towards the final grade (as much as a normal problem set). I hope you find this activity to be rewarding and will provide a nice change ofpace from what we normally cover in class. This is an optional bonus activity, but I encourage everyone to complete it.
Due Date: Final Exam Day 12/17, due at the start of the exam (submit to Gradescope)
Description: How does Calculus work in the world around us? Although we rarely see people in the “real world” doing Calculus with pencil and paper, the ideas of Calculus (such as rates of change, local minima and maxima, area under the curve, optimization, etc.) are extremely applicable to many fields such as engineering, business, psychology, sociology, computer science, and more. First, choose a field or topic that you are interested in (it can be something related to your major or something completely unrelated that you enjoy talking about). Then, find an example where Calculus can be used to help say something applicable to that field. Write a 1 page article summarizing what you have found that includes a simplified “toy problem” with the answer worked out.
Note: As you begin to look up information about your topic, you may find that the technical details (and even math details) can get extremely complicated very fast. Try reducing your topic down to main ideas:
1. What is the real world problem that people are trying to solve?
2. How can I translate the problem into math with things like functions or equations?
3. What idea from Calculus could help “solve” the problem?
4. What is a “toy” version of the problem that I could actually work with? (Optional: try writing a problem that could be completed on an exam. In fact, I might even put your problem on the final exam… )
Important message: Although it may be tempting to choose a problem from the textbook or online and make an article around it, I encourage you to try things from the other direction. First, look up more about what interests you, and then see how you can apply some ofthe tools from class. This is an amazing skill to have, and I think you will find this way of doing things more rewarding in the end. As always, ifyou take a problem from any source like online or a textbook, make sure to indicate where you got it from!
Possible Topic Ideas:
● Marginal cost and economics, how can businesses benefit from this idea?
● Population ecology (similar to the finch problem on Exam 2), how can we find out if a certain species is endangered?
● The equations for pressure exerted on the walls of a blood vessel, do blood vessels restrict or dilate to minimize the pressure?
● How do computer algorithms use calculus techniques for optimization?
Requirements:
● The article must be at least one page long (including the math).
● The article must contain text explaining the background of the topic you have chosen (at least a paragraph or more).
● The article must contain Calculus work of some kind with a problem or example worked out (even if it is a very simplified “toy” version of the problem, try to come up with one that you can “solve” or explain using a tool from class like related rates, optimization, integration, etc.).
2021-12-16