Multivariable calculus

[moki4]

Thinking ahead here...

Dd will finish with AP Calc BC in May, and we are thinking about options for Multivariable Calc. CC is an option but not ideal. Classes are held everyday for 50 minutes. Drive time adds at least an hour, and I have 3 other kiddos at home. I could take them to the library to study as we wait for Dd. Another potential and likely problem is snow road closures. This could mean some missed classes.

Anyone use EPGY? What else is there? She does best with an instructor and deadlines. A structured class would be great. She will be a junior next year.

Thanks for reading.

[Teachin'Mine]

Is the class which meets everyday during the summer session? If she waits till fall, then she'll probably have the usual 2x per week classes available.

[Jane in NC]

Is the class which meets everyday during the summer session? If she waits till fall' date=' then she'll probably have the usual 2x per week classes available.[/quote']

 

I would not recommend Multivariable Calculus over a truncated summer session. Homework in this class is time intensive in a regular semester!

[regentrude]

Is the class which meets everyday during the summer session? .

 

Probably not, since she specifically mentioned snow closures.

[moki4]

It would be every day M-F for the fall semester.

I just checked Stanford OHS. Single class is >$3000.00:001_huh:

 

No summer school. She won't even have a decent spring break as she is taking 2 AP classes with PAhomeschooler and an online French class. Each class has their own spring-break schedule and NONE match up with eachother.

 

Thanks for asking...but she needs a summer break.

 

What did your DC's do after AP CALC BC?

[regentrude]

What did your DC's do after AP CALC BC?

 

Mine will do multivariable calculus (actually, she'll start this before finishing BC, because we want her to have some multivariable integration for her spring physics course). We just use a textbook (Stewart) and some parental teaching.

[moki4]

Thanks Regentrude!

Unfortunately, I can't teach multivariable Calc. (never took the class myself)

This must be outsourced. She would love to have some interaction with other students; maybe a "live" online class?

[flyingiguana]

Mine will do multivariable calculus (actually, she'll start this before finishing BC, because we want her to have some multivariable integration for her spring physics course). We just use a textbook (Stewart) and some parental teaching.

 

We chose not to do it at home because there was no way for my daughter to get credit for it. She would have had to take it again in college even if she'd already had it at home.

 

My daughter took it at a local college while in high school. But transportation wasn't an issue for her.

[regentrude]

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/#mathematics

 

MIT OCW has several versions of multivariable calc. It does not solve the problem of missing interaction with other students, though.

[regentrude]

We chose not to do it at home because there was no way for my daughter to get credit for it. She would have had to take it again in college even if she'd already had it at home.

 

 

Somewhat OT: We actually prefer for DD to retake the complete calculus series at the university, even though she is already learning the material at home. It has been our experience that a second exposure to the concepts will give a much deeper insight when the student has her head free to look beyond the technical difficulties of the problems. (Which is why we are not sure whether she'll even take the AP exam)

[Teachin'Mine]

It would be every day M-F for the fall semester.

I just checked Stanford OHS. Single class is >$3000.00:001_huh:

 

No summer school. She won't even have a decent spring break as she is taking 2 AP classes with PAhomeschooler and an online French class. Each class has their own spring-break schedule and NONE match up with eachother.

 

Thanks for asking...but she needs a summer break.

 

What did your DC's do after AP CALC BC?

 

Moki I definitely wasn't suggesting that she take it over the summer, I was just trying to understand why class would meet every day. I've never seen the class scheduled that way at the CC, except during the summer. As Regentrude mentioned, snow wouldn't be a problem during the summer. :tongue_smilie: I didn't know if you mentioned that as a reason why the fall semester wouldn't be the best time for the class. I have no idea when the snow becomes a problem in your area, but it might help that many colleges finish in early December and the spring semester might be of more concern than the fall.

 

Even though the BC covers through Calc 2, she may want to consider starting her college courses with that to make sure she's on the same track as the others going into Calc 3. She could also take differential equations as multivariable isn't needed for that. Linear algebra might also be another option. Maybe some of those meet only 2 or 3x per week instead of daily. She could also take calc based physics to keep her calculus skills fresh, but I understand why she'd want to complete the calculus sequence. She could also consider self-study with the assistance of a tutor.

 

Dd will take multivariable at the CC.

[moki4]

Dd isn't really sure of what specifically to study in college. It's STEM for sure, though! So we just keep going up the math ladder. Anyone else?

[moki4]

Thanks teaching!

Snow has already dropped here, twice! I didn't know she could take the other two classes you mentioned without finishing calc 3 first. That is an option and I'll look into it. If I remember correctly, I think linear equations are a 4 unit class. So that would be a 3-4 day per week class, which is better.

I love where we live but the winters can be brutal!

[kiana]

Some universities run calc 1-3 as 5-credit courses for every one. This sometimes lets them get a little bit further OR provides more support for floundering students (due to increased class meetings).

 

If she decides to take a course like linear (which could easily be an option) I would do some calculus review worksheets on a weekly basis to make sure skills aren't lost. Other options could be:

 

Discrete math (good if she might major in something like CS, would require ongoing calc review)

Diffeq (sometimes has calc 3 as a prerequisite, sometimes does not, would not require ongoing calc review)

Programming (especially if she's looking at something like engineering, but I'd still do ongoing calc review)

ETA: Statistics is another good option.

Edited November 11, 2012 by kiana

[Teachin'Mine]

Thanks teaching!

Snow has already dropped here, twice! I didn't know she could take the other two classes you mentioned without finishing calc 3 first. That is an option and I'll look into it. If I remember correctly, I think linear equations are a 4 unit class. So that would be a 3-4 day per week class, which is better.

I love where we live but the winters can be brutal!

 

Oh wow - snow already!

 

I looked at California CCs and saw the scheduling you mentioned. I can thoroughly understand not wanting to work that into your homeschooling schedule - that's a lot of time every day.

 

Has she taken statistics yet? I know it's totally separate from the calculus sequence, but it might have better scheduling.

 

Any other colleges - private, state universities - nearby? Even if you have to drive a bit further, it might be worth the trip if they offer the course with two days a week scheduling.

 

I hope you find something that works for her. It may be that she could get class interaction in a different subject area at the cc and use an online class, tutor, or whatever for calculus.

[8filltheheart]

Thinking ahead here...

Dd will finish with AP Calc BC in May, and we are thinking about options for Multivariable Calc. CC is an option but not ideal. Classes are held everyday for 50 minutes. Drive time adds at least an hour, and I have 3 other kiddos at home. I could take them to the library to study as we wait for Dd. Another potential and likely problem is snow road closures. This could mean some missed classes.

Anyone use EPGY? What else is there? She does best with an instructor and deadlines. A structured class would be great. She will be a junior next year.

Thanks for reading.

 

We are having our ds take it through our local public university. The course here meets 4 days per week (3 days of lecture + 1 for recitation.) Driving time really does add up (we live about 35 mins away from campus.)

 

I don't know of any alternatives for credit. We opted not for the CC bc of the quality of the classes. Even though ds is taking it at a university, he is still not challenged. He has had no problems jumping in at cal 3 and has one of the highest grades in the class w/his lowest grade being something like a 98.

 

Have you tried contacting the school and asking them if they have a policy for "commuting from a distance" students that can't make it due to inclement? Perhaps they have a way of keeping up via Blackboard or some other online component?

[Kathy in Richmond]

It would be every day M-F for the fall semester.

I just checked Stanford OHS. Single class is >$3000.00:001_huh:

 

EPGY also offers classes separate from the OHS & less expensive - still not cheap, though they offer financial aid if needed. They use the Anton textbook & interactive software. Homework and tests are graded by the student's assigned tutor, who also is available to answer occasional questions (some tutors are better than others). I see that they now have a note by the multivariable course that it's graded on a pass/no pass basis. We didn't take this particular course, but liked EPGY in general. It wouldn't satisfy the need for classmates, though.

 

If she decides to take a course like linear (which could easily be an option) I would do some calculus review worksheets on a weekly basis to make sure skills aren't lost. Other options could be:

 

Discrete math (good if she might major in something like CS, would require ongoing calc review)

Diffeq (sometimes has calc 3 as a prerequisite, sometimes does not, would not require ongoing calc review)

Programming (especially if she's looking at something like engineering, but I'd still do ongoing calc review)

ETA: Statistics is another good option.

 

These are all good alternatives. My only caveat is that I'd recommend taking linear algebra before differential equations. A good diff eqns class will freely use the ideas of linear algebra, such as linear combinations, and she'd understand it on a deeper level with linear alg under her belt first.

 

We self-studied multivariable calculus at home using Marsden & Tromba. If there's a chance that she's headed to a math or theoretical science major, this text is definitely worth considering; it's much deeper and more insightful than Anton or Stewart. You'd probably need a tutor, but it would be worth it.:001_smile:

 

My kids then followed multivariable calculus with linear algebra and differential equations (also at home).

 

Ds received course credit for multivariable calc at MIT by taking the end-of-course exam there during orientation. He repeated differential equations at college because it was offered at a more theoretical level (& because they didn't offer credit for the end of course exam unless he also submitted all of their homework assignments; if he was going to do that, he figured he might as well take the class in person). For linear algebra, he was just allowed to skip the corresponding course and move on to abstract algebra.

 

Dd took all three courses over in the honors math track at Stanford, where they were much deeper/theoretical, and she learned plenty of new stuff.

[Caroline]

Georgia Tech has a Distance Calculus sequence. At one point it was only for in-state, public school students. That may have changed. It is online, five days a week--three with the professor, two with the TA. It is at 8am eastern time, so if you are on the west coast, that might be too early for you. Even though it is called calculus, the first semester is mostly linear algebra, and the second is multivariable. If you complete it, you get Georgia Tech credit for the classes. You do have to apply to the program, and essentially need the stats to get into Georgia Tech to accepted to the program.