In this article, the author describes an individualized term project that is designed to increase student understanding of some of the major concepts and methods in multivariate calculus. The project involves having each student conduct a complete max-min analysis of a third degree polynomial in x and y that is based on his or her social security…

Courses below calculus need to be refocused to emphasise conceptual understanding and realistic applications via mathematical modelling rather than an overarching focus on developing algebraic skills that may be needed for calculus. Without understanding the concepts, students will not be able to transfer the mathematics to new situations or to…

Calculus must evolve or face the prospect of becoming irrelevant. The minimum level of classroom technology now available requires us to rethink the content of our calculus courses. Proposes using graphing calculators and computer algebra systems to include the following topics: local linearity, optimization problems, families of curves, and…