Welcome to my site. Here you will find a complete set of free online (and downloadable) notes for the classes that I teach at Lamar University along with a few extra topics that I hope you find useful.
I've tried to write the notes in such a way that they should be accessible to anyone wanting to learn the subject regardless of whether you are in my classes or not. In other words, they do not assume you've got any prior knowledge other than the standard set of prerequisite material needed for the class. In other words, it is assumed that you know Algebra and Trig prior to reading the Calculus I notes, know Calculus I prior to reading the Calculus II notes, etc. The assumptions about your background that I've made are given with each description below.
At present I've gotten notes for my Algebra (Math 1314), Calculus I (Math 2413), Calculus II (Math 2414), Calculus III (Math 2415) and Differential Equations (Math 2320) class available. I've also got a couple of Review/Extras available as well. Included in these are an Algebra/Trig review for Calculus Students, a Complex Number primer, a set of Common Math Errors, and some tips on How to Study Math.
The Algebra and all three Calculus classes also have practice problems with solutions available. Where I felt it was appropriate I've broken the solutions down into smaller steps that you can work your way through to help you understand the concepts presented in each section. To access the Practice Problems, click on the Practice Problems link that is on each notes page.
I am slowly adding practice problems for the Differential Equations class as well. I don't know when I will get enough problems, and solutions, written to put them online. Over the years I've taken on a lot of duties in the department and don't have the time that I used to have to work on the site. I am working as fast as I can though and hopefully I will get Practice Problems for Differential Equations available at some point in the future.
I've also included a set of Assignment problems (without solutions/answers) for instructors to use in their classes if they wish.
I've made most of the pages on this site available for download as well in pdf format. To get the downloadable version of any topic navigate to that topic and then under the Download menu you will be presented an option to download the topic.
Here is a complete listing of all the subjects that are currently available on this site as well as brief descriptions of each.
Class Notes
Algebra (Math 1314)
The Algebra notes/tutorial assume that you've had some exposure to the basics of Algebra. In particular it is assumed that the exponents and factoring sections will be more of a review for you. Also, it is assumed that you've seen the basics of graphing equations. Graphing particular types of equations is covered extensively in the notes, however, it is assumed that you understand the basic coordinate system and how to plot points.
- Preliminaries - Exponent Properties, Rational Exponents, Negative Exponents, Radicals, Polynomials, Factoring, Rational Expressions, Complex Numbers
- Solving Equations and Inequalities - Linear Equations, Quadratic Equations, Completing the Square, Quadratic Formula, Applications of Linear and Quadratic Equations, Reducible to Quadratic Form, Equations with Radicals, Linear Inequalities, Polynomial & Rational Inequalities, Absolute Value Equations & Inequalities.
- Graphing and Functions - Graphing Lines, Circles, and Piecewise Functions, Function Definition, Function Notation, Function Composition, Inverse Functions.
- Common Graphs - Parabolas, Ellipses, Hyperbolas, Absolute Value, Square Root, Constant Function, Rational Functions, Shifts, Reflections, Symmetry.
- Polynomial Functions - Dividing Polynomials, Zeroes/Roots of Polynomials, Finding Zeroes of Polynomials, Graphing Polynomials, Partial Fractions.
- Exponential and Logarithm Functions - Exponential Functions, Logarithm Functions, Solving Exponential Functions, Solving Logarithm Functions, Applications.
- Systems of Equations - Substitution Method, Elimination Method, Augmented Matrix, Nonlinear Systems.
Calculus I (Math 2413)
The Calculus I notes/tutorial assume that you've got a working knowledge of Algebra and Trig. There is some review of a couple of Algebra and Trig topics, but for the most part it is assumed that you do have a decent background in Algebra and Trig. These notes assume no prior knowledge of Calculus.
- Algebra/Trig Review - Trig Functions and Equations, Exponential Functions and Equations, Logarithm Functions and Equations.
- Limits - Concepts, Definition, Computing, One-Sided Limits, Continuity, Limits Involving Infinity, L'Hospitals Rule
- Derivatives - Definition, Interpretations, Derivative Formulas, Power Rule, Product Rule, Quotient Rule, Chain Rule, Higher Order Derivatives, Implicit Differentiation, Logarithmic Differentiation, Derivatives of Trig Functions, Exponential Functions, Logarithm Functions, Inverse Trig Functions, and Hyperbolic Trig Functions.
- Applications of Derivatives - Related Rates, Critical Points, Minimum and Maximum Values, Increasing/Decreasing Functions, Inflection Points, Concavity, Optimization
- Integration - Definition, Indefinite Integrals, Definite Integrals, Substitution Rule, Evaluating Definite Integrals, Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
- Applications of Integrals - Average Function Value, Area Between Curves, Solids of Revolution, Work.
Calculus II (Math 2414)
The Calculus II notes/tutorial assume that you've got a working knowledge Calculus I, including Limits, Derivatives, and Integration (up to basic substitution). It is also assumed that you have a fairly good knowledge of Trig. Several topics rely heavily on trig and knowledge of trig functions.
- Integration Techniques - Integration by Parts, Integrals Involving Trig Functions, Trig Substitutions, Integration using Partial Fractions, Integrals Involving Roots, Integrals Involving Quadratics, Integration Strategy, Improper Integrals, Comparison Test for Improper Integrals, and Approximating Definite Integrals.
- Applications of Integrals - Arc Length, Surface Area, Center of Mass/Centroid, Hydrostatic Pressure and Force, Probability.
- Parametric Equations and Polar Coordinates - Parametric Equations & Curves, Calculus with Parametric Equations (Tangents, Areas, Arc Length and Surface Area), Polar Coordinates, Calculus with Polar Coordinates (Tangents, Areas, Arc Length and Surface Area).
- Sequences and Series - Sequences, Series, Convergence/Divergence of Series, Absolute Series, Integral Test, Comparison Test, Limit Comparison Test, Alternating Series Test, Ratio Test, Root Test, Estimating the Value of a Series, Power Series, Taylor Series, Binomial Series
- Vectors - Basics, Magnitude, Unit Vector, Arithmetic, Dot Product, Cross Product, Projection
- Three Dimensional Coordinate System - Equations of Lines, Equations of Planes, Quadratic Surfaces, Functions of Multiple Variables, Vector Functions, Limits, Derivatives, and Integrals of Vector Functions, Tangent Vectors, Normal Vectors, Binormal Vectors, Curvature, Cylindrical Coordinates, Spherical Coordinates
Calculus III (Math 2415)
The Calculus III notes/tutorial assume that you've got a working knowledge Calculus I, including limits, derivatives and integration. It also assumes that the reader has a good knowledge of several Calculus II topics including some integration techniques, parametric equations, vectors, and knowledge of three dimensional space.
- Three Dimensional Coordinate System - Equations of Lines, Equations of Planes, Quadratic Surfaces, Functions of Multiple Variables, Vector Functions, Limits, Derivatives, and Integrals of Vector Functions, Tangent Vectors, Normal Vectors, Binormal Vectors, Curvature, Cylindrical Coordinates, Spherical Coordinates
- Partial Derivatives - Limits, Partial Derivatives, Higher Order Partial Derivatives, Differentials, Chain Rule, Directional Derivatives, Gradient.
- Applications of Partial Derivatives - Tangent Plane, Normal Line, Relative Extrema, Absolute Extrema, Optimization, Lagrange Multipliers.
- Multiple Integrals - Iterated Integrals, Double Integrals, Double Integrals in Polar Coordinates, Triple Integrals, Triple Integrals in Cylindrical Coordinates, Triple Integrals in Spherical Coordinates, Change of Variables, Surface Area.
- Line Integrals - Vector Fields, Line Integrals With Respect to Arc Length, Line Integrals With Respect to x and y, Line Integrals of Vector Fields, Fundamental Theorem of Line Integrals, Conservative Vector Fields, Potential Functions, Green's Theorem, Curl, Divergence.
- Surface Integrals - Parametric Surfaces, Surface Integrals, Surface Integrals of Vector Fields, Stokes' Theorem, Divergence Theorem.
Differential Equations (Math 2320)
These notes assume no prior knowledge of differential equations. A good grasp of Calculus is required however. This includes a working knowledge of differentiation and integration.
- First Order Differential Equations - Linear Equations, Separable Equations, Exact Equations, Equilibrium Solutions, Modeling Problems.
- Second Order Differential Equations - Homogeneous and Nonhomogeneous Second Order Differential Equations, Fundamental Set of Solutions, Undetermined Coefficients, Variation of Parameters, Mechanical Vibrations
- Laplace Transforms - Definition, Inverse Transforms, Step Functions, Heaviside Functions, Dirac-Delta Function, Solving IVP's, Nonhomogeneous IVP, Nonconstant Coefficient IVP, Convolution Integral.
- Systems of Differential Equations - Matrix Form, Eigenvalues/Eigenvectors, Phase Plane, Nonhomogeneous Systems, Laplace Transforms.
- Series Solutions - Series Solutions, Euler Differential Equations.
- Higher Order Differential Equations - nth order differential equations, Undetermined Coefficients, Variation of Parameters, 3 x 3 Systems of Differential Equations.
- Boundary Value Problems & Fourier Series - Boundary Value Problems, Eigenvalues and Eigenfunctions, Orthogonal Functions, Fourier Sine Series, Fourier Cosine Series, Fourier Series.
- Partial Differential Equations - Heat Equation, Wave Equation, Laplace's Equation, Separation of Variables.
Cheat Sheets & Tables
This is as many common algebra facts, properties, formulas, and functions that I could think of. There is also a page of common algebra errors included. There are two versions of the cheat sheet available. One is full sized and is currently four pages. The other version is a reduced version that contains exactly the same information as the full version except it has just been shrunk down so two pages print of the front and two pages print on the back of a single piece of paper.
Here is a set of common trig facts, properties and formulas. A unit circle (completely filled out) is also included. There are two versions of the cheat sheet available. One is full sized and is currently four pages. The other version is a reduced version that contains exactly the same information as the full version except it has just been shrunk down so two pages print of the front and two pages print on the back of a single piece of paper.
These are a series of Calculus Cheat Sheets that covers most of a standard Calculus I course and a few topics from a Calculus II course. There are four different cheat sheets here. One contains all the information, one has just Limits information, one has just Derivatives information and the final one has just Integrals information. Each cheat sheets comes in two versions. One that is full sized and another that has been reduced, with exactly the same information as the full sized version, that prints two pages on the front and/or back of each page of paper.
Here is a set of common derivatives and integrals that are used somewhat regularly in a Calculus I or Calculus II class. Also included are reminders on several integration techniques. There are two versions of the cheat sheet available. One is full sized and is currently four pages. The other version is a reduced version that contains exactly the same information as the full version except it has just been shrunk down so two pages print of the front and two pages print on the back of a single piece of paper.
Here is a list of Laplace transforms for a differential equations class. This table gives many of the commonly used Laplace transforms and formulas. It is currently two pages long with the first page being the Laplace transforms and the second being some information/facts about some of the entries.
Reviews & Extras
This is an Algebra Review and Trig Review that was originally written for my Calculus I students. It is still geared mostly towards Calculus students with occasional comments on how a topic will be used in a Calculus class. However, anyone needing a review of some of the basic algebra, trig, exponential functions and logarithms should find the information of use.
Not all the topics covered in an Algebra or Trig class are covered in this review. I've mostly covered topics that are of particular importance to students in a Calculus class. I have included a couple of topics that are not that important to a Calculus class, but students do seem to have trouble with on occasion. As time permits I will be adding more sections as well.
The review is in the form of a problem set with the first solution containing detailed information on how to work that type of problem. Later solutions are usually not as detailed, but may contain more/new information as required.
This is a brief introduction to some of the basic ideas involved with Complex Numbers. The topics covered are a brief review of arithmetic with complex numbers, the complex conjugate, modulus, polar and exponential form and computing powers and roots of complex numbers.
Note that this primer does assume that you've at least seen some complex numbers prior to reading. The purpose of this document is go a little beyond what most people see when the first are introduced to complex numbers in say a College Algebra class. Also, this document is in no way intended to be a complete picture of complex numbers nor do I cover all the concepts involved (that's a whole class in and of itself).
As with the Algebra/Trig review this was originally written for my Calculus I class. However, only one of the five sections that I've given here directly addresses the topic of Calculus. The other four sections are more general errors or cover Algebra and Trig errors. There are a couple of calculus examples in the first four sections, but in all of these cases I've also tried to provide non Calculus examples as well.
This portion of the site should be of interest to anyone looking for common math errors. If you aren't in a Calculus class or haven't taken Calculus you should just ignore the last section.
This is a short section with some advice on how to best study mathematics.