Winter 2021 Information
Math 1D (Multivariable Calculus); Online, TTh, 6:30 to 8:45 pm
Student Conference Hours: schedule to be determined.
Happy New Year!
All Mathematics classes will be delivered "remotely" in Winter 2021. The information
on these webpages represents my course as it would have been formulated for face-to-face
delivery. I will send a PDF of the Math 1D syllabus to all enrolled and waitlist students
by late Sunday evening, January 3. The Canvas course shell will be published on Monday.
This course will be "synchronous" to the extent possible. As with face-to-face classes,
all students should be sure to attend the first class session via Canvas-Zoom on Tuesday
from 6:30 to 8:45 pm. Enrollment will be assessed at the end of this first class session.
Multivariable Calculus (Math 1D) is my favorite subject (course) because it has a very close and important relationship with physics. It is the culmination of De Anza's calculus sequence, essentially reviewing differential (Math 1A) and integral (Math 1B) calculus topics in greater generality. The course will focus on working in three dimensions, but it will suggest how this translates into higher dimensional spaces. The course is an introduction to a field in advanced mathematics that I found very interesting and challenging: differential geometry.
I know students often comment that I am "theoretical," but in fact, I consider myself to be more interested in the application of mathematics to physics. That being said, I am theoretical in the sense that I try to justify all of the mathematics I discuss. As a student, I found that physics was often presented without explaining the mathematics involved, and I have never been willing to accept a technique simply because it works. I always want to know why.
Classes I Teach
No Classes this quarter.