Tip of the Month: April
Congratulations to Sobia Ijaz, winner of Tip of the Month: April ($112 at Amazon).
I found working problems from the book, in particular the first and sometimes the second problem for each section is usually a good drill of the basic concept the section is teaching. Once you are able to master the basics, by practicing the beginning problems, it makes doing the problem set, doing the practice exam, and of course the exam much more understandable and workable.
For example with Chapter 11 11.1.1 gives you 5 problems to drill on solving constrained optimization problems using the substitution method. Similarly, which I found extremely helpful, was 11.2.1 problems on using the Lagrangian multiplier method. I highly recommend going through these to get down the basics.
Working problems, sometimes over and over again until you fully understand them can be tedious, but when it comes to math, practicing really does to help perfect.
Tip 1: I was having some trouble with the LaGrange Multiplier and found this tutorial video extremely helpful, it walks you through the steps. I hope it helps!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry9cgNx1QV8Tip 2: Practice Makes Perfect
I found working problems from the book, in particular the first and sometimes the second problem for each section is usually a good drill of the basic concept the section is teaching. Once you are able to master the basics, by practicing the beginning problems, it makes doing the problem set, doing the practice exam, and of course the exam much more understandable and workable.
For example with Chapter 11 11.1.1 gives you 5 problems to drill on solving constrained optimization problems using the substitution method. Similarly, which I found extremely helpful, was 11.2.1 problems on using the Lagrangian multiplier method. I highly recommend going through these to get down the basics.
Working problems, sometimes over and over again until you fully understand them can be tedious, but when it comes to math, practicing really does to help perfect.
posted by Professor Cramton at
12:03 PM
8 Comments:
http://reference.wolfram.com/mathematica/tutorial/ConstrainedOptimizationOverview.html
This website will help you learn to do constrained optimization problems on mathematica. Here you will see how professor cramton did the constrained optimization problem in mathematica today 4/9/09. These tutorials are extremely helpful in learning the language of mathematica.
Stop Complaining
-If you start the problem sets off with a defeatist attitude, you will be defeated
-Don’t complain to your T.A. about how hard the assignments are if you aren’t putting in extra time to try to get a grasp of the concepts and the applications
If you do go to Richard, Echo, or Jeta
-Don’t get an attitude because you don’t understand it
-Don’t get so frustrated that you can’t open your mind to try doing it their way (it’s obvious that your way isn’t working)
-Do look at the problems and if you see that they are on the harder side then go get help
-Do have a positive attitude about the class
I struggled through calc 1 and came out with B, I have gotten an A on both exams and a 4 on 4/5 problem sets. I do not think by any means that I am smarter than the average student but I do know that my attitude plays an important role in my grades. Do not let these problem sets get the best of you.
Your Attitude determines your Aptitude
Donna Brown
I was having some trouble with the LaGrange Multiplier and found this tutorial video extremely helpful, it walks you through the steps. I hope it helps!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry9cgNx1QV8
I think that the best way to approach the problem sets is reviewing the chapters because it usually has examples.
If the book isn't clear then go to Wikipedia, which basically explains how the formula is derived.
After reviewing these sources, it is best to attempt the problem set. I think that the TA's are more helpful if you have tried to do something and you can ask them specific questions. Plus, you will understand more of what they say.
Lastly, the caculas isn't as complicated as the Algebra parts.
I have found that most people get stunted on problem sets because they get scared of the Algebra.
-Approach the algebra portion by:
simplifying everything you can
avoiding fractions
For solving Lagrangian problems, think of each term as a simple variable. The problems involve simple algebra, so it just takes a while to solve. Lagrangian problems are meant to be solved one step at a time, so just think FOC and SOC
Practice Makes Perfect
I found working problems from the book, in particular the first and sometimes the second problem for each section is usually a good drill of the basic concept the section is teaching. Once you are able to master the basics, by practicing the beginning problems, it makes doing the problem set, doing the practice exam, and of course the exam much more understandable and workable.
For example with Chapter 11 11.1.1 gives you 5 problems to drill on solving constrained optimization problems using the substitution method. Similarly, which I found extremely helpful, was 11.2.1 problems on using the Lagrangian multiplier method. I highly recommend going through these to get down the basics.
Working problems, sometimes over and over again until you fully understand them can be tedious, but when it comes to math, practicing really does to help perfect.
It is much easier to spend a couple of hours each weak working out the homework problems than it is to sit down before the test and learn it all at once. The harder you try on the homework, the more prepared you will be. Read through the book and the complimenting lecture notes, several times if you have to, and try to work out all the examples yourself. For extra practice, try some of the problems with solutions in the back of the book so that you can check your answers. If you cannot understand the math from your book and the notes, wikipedia is a good source. It goes into a lot of detail, not only about how to do the math, but also about the application and history of the methods you we are learning.
There is a complete guide to taking any college math class.
www.math.ohio-state.edu/students/how_to_study.html
*At times the website will refuse to load, if so just search " getting better a math" in google and click the cached version of the link and it will load.
Here is a second guide.
http://www.math.utah.edu/~pa/math.html
And finally a great site for math tips and explanations, especially the Dr. Math section.
http://mathforum.org/
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