4/11 - 5/7: Introduction to Derivatives

We are starting our study of calculus with what's called differential calculus. We'll be studying rates of change.

Thursday, 4/11 - we worked through an interesting problem to discover someone's exact speed at a particular point in time. Here are the slides from class. No HW.

Friday, 4/12 - we connected the idea of slopes of secant lines and tangent lines to the idea of average rates of change and instantaneous rates of change. Here are the slides from class and here are the notes from class, including your HW on the back.

Monday, 4/15 - we have a workshop about digital citizenship.

Tuesday, 4/16 - you have your college field trips within NYC. Remember to wear your uniform, wear comfortable walking shoes, bring money for lunch, and ask questions to your tour guides!

Wednesday, 4/17 - we defined what a derivative is and generated these gradient functions from the slope formula, doing what's called "differentiating from first principles". Here are the slides from class. Your HW is p. 597 (Ex. 13.2) #1-4.

Thursday, 4/18 - we found a shortcut for finding derivative functions called the power rule. Here are the slides from class. Here are the notes from class. Your HW is to grab a group of friends and visit another NYC college/university over break. Enjoy your break!

Friday, 4/19 - Sunday, 4/28 - it's Spring Break!

Monday, 4/29 - we wrote and used equations of tangent lines and normal lines. Here are the slides from class. Your HW is p. 619 (Ex. 13.4) #1d, 2d, 4, 6, 8, 9.

Tuesday, 4/30 - we learned how to use our GDCs to evaluate derivatives and to draw tangent lines. Here are the slides from class. Your HW is p. 619 (Ex. 13.4) #3, 7, 10, 12.

Tuesday, 5/7 - you have a quiz on ideas from our introduction to differential calculus, including finding the derivative from first principles (the limit definition), from the power rule, writing down and using equations of tangent lines and normal lines, and using your GDC to find derivatives.