Calculus at Xavier
We offer two different Calculus courses at Xavier University, both of which
focus on concepts and an intuitive understanding of differentiation and integration
(rather than on formula memorization).
MATH 150 (Elements of Calculus) is a 3 credit calculus course
which does not use trigonometry or limits. The text is currently Calculus
Concepts by Latorre, Kenelly et. al. Many students who take MATH 150 do
not take a second semester of calculus, but MATH 151 is required for Psychology
majors and available for those students who wish to learn more calculus.
MATH 170 (Calculus I) is a 4 credit course which is required
for the mathematics major. It is also required for majors in chemistry, applied
chemistry, computer science, physics, applied physics, teaching life sciences
and chemistry, teaching life sciences and physics, and teaching physical sciences.
The text is currently Calculus from Graphical, Numerical, and Symbolic Points
of View by Ostebee and Zorn, and Maple (a symbolic algebra program)
is used to aid in visualization and messy calculation. MATH 170 is followed
by MATH 171 (Calculus II) and MATH 220 (Calculus III).