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Calculus II Writing Assignments

A Question of Carpeting
  • Topics emphasized: Riemann sums, error bounds
  • Last Assigned: Fall 2004
The Mayor Joe Quimby Floating Gardens of SpringÞeld
  • Topics emphasized: Volumes of revolution, Archimedes' Principal, curve fitting
  • Notes: While similar to "I Guess Leonardo DiCaprio Was Booked", the students found this project more reasonable. I also think it was more successful.
  • Last Assigned: Spring 2009
I Guess Leonardo DiCaprio Was Booked
  • Topics emphasized: Arc-length, volume and surface area of a surface of revolution, Archimedes' Principal
  • Notes: The students found this project challenging, but they also had fun with it.
  • Last Assigned: Spring 99
A Lava Lamp for the New MilleniumTM
  • Topics emphasized: Volume by revolution
  • Notes: This project requires the students to remove any sharp points from a piecewise function. I gave a handout (this is a .pdf file) that describes how to do this in Maple.
  • Last Assigned: Fall 2002
The Great Escape
  • Topics emphasized: Volume by revolution
  • Notes: This project is essentially the same as the one on page 119 of Cohen, Gaughan, Knoebel, Kurtz and Pengelley, Student Research Projects in Calculus, MAA, 1991.
  • Last Assigned: Fall 1997
While Visions of Roadrunners Danced in His Head
  • Topics emphasized: Infinite series
  • Notes: The idea for this project came from page 168 of Cohen, Gaughan, Knoebel, Kurtz and Pengelley, Student Research Projects in Calculus, MAA, 1991.
  • Last Assigned: Spring 2009

Last Modified: Thursday, May 7, 2009, 9:47 AM
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