Professor Rickey's MA 205 Page

This term I am teaching MA205, Integral Calculus and Introduction to Differential Equations during the second hour and MA487, Mathematical Analysis II during the J hour.  Consequently I will usually be in my office the 3rd hour, D hour and in the afternoon, except Wednesdays which will be devoted to research. It is best to arrange a time to meet with me during class. 

 My office is 251 Thayer. I will be happy to talk to you at any other time about any issue; spending time in my office is part of your education, so don't neglect to come visit.  To make an appointment to see me, send an email to
        Fred-Rickey@usma.edu
or talk to me in class. You can also just stop in to see me, but I won't guarantee to be there. 

The web page for MA205 is    http://www.dean.usma.edu/departments/math/courses/ma205/ .   You should consult it frequently. This is absolutely crucial as there is  information there that will not be distributed there in hardcopy. 

New items of interest will be posted here form time to time.

Mathematic code for finding the two angles that will hit a target.

The following are items from the past. Rather than delete them I thought you might learn something from them. The lesson numbers may not match up exactly as they change a bit from year to year.

L2.  Solution to Do Problem 1 using Mathematica.

L3  Riemann and the Integral.

L3. An animation of Riemann Sums that is worth playing with.

L4. Solution to problem 1 and problem 5 in Mathematica.

L5. How to fit a function to a set of data points using Mathematica.

L7. An applet for cumulative area.

L13. Basic plotting in 3D.

L22. Homework Problems and an enlarged version of Rusk Reservoir.

L34. An Applet for Slope Fields.

L35. Euler's Method.

L41. Solution to Q2.

L44. Solution to Block 4, Problem 1, the mixing problem.

The information below is from previous semesters and will be revised.

Lesson one will be devoted to applications of multivariable calculus. In the past cadets found many interesting applications.

Check out these Mathematica ideas. You will find Mathematica pages that I have prepared to help you in using Mathematics in MA205 as well as interesting web pages that have Mathematica pages.  Here are some problems done in Mathematica:

• Given acceleration, find position. Section 10.4, problem 16.
• Find range, maximum height, and terminal speed of a projectile. Section 10.4, problem 21.
• Homework 1.   Help on Homework 1.
  • Problem 1 is about arc length.
  • Problem 2 is a collision problem.
  • Problem 3 deals with projectiles and the parabola of safety.
  • Problem 4 asks for muzzle speed when maximum height is given.
• Lesson 21, Modeling Applications.
• Homework 2.
  • Problem 1 is about how a paramater changes an equation.
  • Problem 2 plots a surface, a vertical section, and a tangent line on one graph.
• Solutions to Quiz 3, 17 October 2003.
• 3D max-min examples.
• Homework due October 21, 2003. Note correction of typo on problem 3.
• Lagrange multipliers: The farmer and his cow.
• Solution to MIP 3
• Project Description for the Project

Historical notes related to MA205:

• Why Army Officers Need to Know Mathematics
• Read your book
• The Conic Sections
• An anecdote about exams
• A Sonnet to "Analytical," being a piece of cadet doggerel written before an exam.
• The Olivier Models were used to teach descriptive geometry at USMA in the nineteenth century. These are the string models in large cases on the second floor of Thayer Hall. I have begun to compile more information about them.
• Arc length and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus

Here are a few things that I think you might find interesting and useful:

• Hints For Success that I have encouraged students to follow for many years.
• To learn something about my background you may wish to consult my automathography, which was written in August of 1998 when I joined the USMA faculty.
• My Teaching Philosophy.
• A note On Standards in the MA205 FSE.
• Section Marcher Duties.
• This date in military history. 
•  My primary research interest is in the history of mathematics, especially the history of the calculus. One of my research plans is to write a history of the Department of Mathematical Sciences at West Point. So far I have collected some information about the  Mathematics Teachers at USMA.

An interesting mathematical event that takes place each spring, and is designed specifically for undergraduates, is the Hudson Valley Undergraduate Mathematics Conference. I attended two of the past five years with several cadets and had a wonderful time. 
 

Some information for other instructors: Lessons 1-6. Lessons 7-24.
 

The easiest way to contact me is via email at  Fred-Rickey@usma.edu . You can also reach me by phone at 938-4010 or stop in my office in room 251 Thayer Hall.

CS / ISE Block V.

Postage by strong induction.

AAR on WPR3.