Active Calculus

Preface Students! Read this!

This book is different.

The text is available in three different formats: HTML, PDF, and print, each of which is available via links on the landing page at activecalculus.org/. The first two formats are free. If you are going to use the book electronically, the best mode is the HTML¹². The HTML version looks great in any browser, including on a smartphone, and the links are much easier to navigate in HTML than in PDF. Some particular direct suggestions about using the HTML follow among the next few paragraphs; alternatively, you can watch this short video from the author¹³. It is also wise to download and save the PDF, since you can use the PDF offline, while the HTML version requires an internet connection. A print copy costs about $21 via Amazon¹⁴.

This book is intended to be read sequentially and engaged with, much more than to be used as a lookup reference. For example, each section begins with a short introduction and a Preview Activity; you should read the short introduction and complete the Preview Activity prior to class. Your instructor may require you to do this. Most Preview Activities can be completed in 15-20 minutes and are intended to be accessible based on the understanding you have from preceding sections. There are not answers provided to Preview Activities, as these are designed simply to get you thinking about ideas that will be helpful in work on upcoming new material.

As you use the book, think of it as a workbook, not a worked-book. There is a great deal of scholarship that shows people learn better when they interactively engage and struggle with ideas themselves, rather than passively watch others. Thus, instead of reading worked examples or watching an instructor complete examples, you will engage with Activities that prompt you to grapple with concepts and develop deep understanding. You should expect to spend time in class working with peers on Activities and getting feedback from them and from your instructor. You can purchase a separate Activities Workbook from Amazon (Chapters 1-4¹⁵, Chapters 5-8¹⁶) in which to record your work on the activities, or you can ask your instructor for a copy of the PDF file that has only the activities along with room to record your work. Your goal should be to do all of the activities in the relevant sections of the text and keep a careful record of your work. You can find answers to the activities in the back matter B.

Each section concludes with a Summary. Reading the Summary after you have read the section and worked the Activities is a good way to find a short list of key ideas that are most essential to take from the section. A good study habit is to write similar summaries in your own words.

At the end of each section, you'll find two types of Exercises. First, there are several anonymous WeBWorK exercises. These are online, interactive exercises that allow you to submit answers for immediate feedback with unlimited attempts without penalty; to submit answers, you have to be using the HTML version of the text (see this short video¹⁷ on the HTML version that includes a WeBWorK demonstration). You should use these exercises as a way to test your understanding of basic ideas in the preceding section. If your institution uses WeBWorK, you may also need to log in to a server as directed by your instructor to complete assigned WeBWorK sets as part of your course grade. The WeBWorK exercises included in this text are ungraded and not connected to any individual account. Following the WeBWorK exercises there are 3-4 additional challenging exercises that are designed to encourage you to connect ideas, investigate new situations, and write about your understanding. There are answers to most of the non-WeBWorK exercises in the back matter C.

You can find additional support for your work in learning calculus from the GVSU Math 201 YouTube Channel¹⁸ and GVSU Math 202 YouTube Channel¹⁹ where there are several short video tutorials for each section of the text, numbered in alignment with the textbook sections. Math 201 corresponds to Chapters 1-4 and Math 202 to Chapters 5-8; there are about 90 videos for each, totaling more than 180.

The best way to be successful in mathematics generally and calculus specifically is to strive to make sense of the main ideas. We make sense of ideas by asking questions, interacting with others, attempting to solve problems, making mistakes, revising attempts, and writing and speaking about our understanding. This text has been designed to help you make sense of calculus; we wish you the very best as you undertake the large and challenging task of doing so.