OVERVIEW

The course aims at providing a basic education in mathematics, complemented with the use of a computer for visualizatoin of functions and three-dimensional shapes. Because of the mixed backgrounds of the students, the first part of the course will recall and analyze many concepts that should have been learned in high school, but often have not.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course provides an overview of basic topics including number sets, functions, function approximation through polynomials, differential calculus in one variable, integrals, and the use of the spreadsheet for the study of functions and their graphic plot.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The main objective of the course is to help the student to develop a scientific mind, with which to approach the technical subjects. Furthermore, the course shows how mathematics, however rigorous, can be both a creative tool, and a tool at the service of creativity. To this aim, the course is rather application-oriented, and every topic presented in the class is subsequently discussed and analyzed with the computer. Finally, the course stresses the importance of the computional aspect of mathematics, often overlooked in basic mathematics course.

TEACHING METHODS

The course features both taught-classes and labs: every week, the lab class analyzes in detail the topics presented in the taught lesson.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course provide basic notions of analysis, geometry and numerics. Specifically, the following topics will be presented:

• Numbers, number sets, and binary representations.
• Functions, domain, continuity, maxima and minima.
• Linearization, derivation, and its application in the search for minima/maxima.
• Polynomial approximation; Taylor.
• Theory of integration: historical overview, computation of the area underlying a graph.
• Theory of integration: primitives. The fundamental theorem of integral calculus and the "exact" computation of integrals. Methods for approximate computation of integrals.
• Functions of two variables, graphical representation and differential calculus.
• Curves on the plane and in 3-dimensional space, their representations.
• Transformations of the plane; elements of matrix calculus.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Marco Abate. Matematica e Statistica. Le basi per le scienze della vita. McGraw Hill (2013)

Angelo Guerraggio. Matematica per le Scienze. Pearson (2014)

AULAWEB contains the notes of the course and a large amount of exercises and practical training which correspond to the lectures, so students obtain useful knowledge and powerful thinking skills.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

SAVERIO GIULINI (President)

ANNA MARIA MANTERO

ALBERTO SORRENTINO

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Lessons start on September 21st (1st term) and Februay 23rd (2nd term).

Class schedule

APPLIED MATHEMATICS A

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The evaluation is splitted in several parts.

First, the weekly lab classes are evaluated.

Then, the main exam consists of the same kind of exercises that have been discussed during the lab classes, containing both traditional computation "on paper" and use of the spreadsheet.

Finally, the student may choose to prepare an optional Power Point presentation, on an topic agreed during the year.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Registration through the UNIGE web portal.

Exam schedule