Basic Calculus Refresher
1 BASIC CALCULUS REFRESHER Ismor Fischer, Ph.D. Dept. of Statistics UW-Madison 1. Introduction. This is a very condensed and simplified version of basic calculus, which is a prerequisite for many courses in Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering, Pharmacy, etc. It is not comprehensive, and absolutely not intended to be a substitute for a one-year freshman course in differential and integral calculus. You are strongly encouraged to do the included Exercises to reinforce the ideas. Important mathematical terms are in boldface; key formulas and concepts are boxed and highlighted (). To view a color .pdf version of this document (recommended), see http://www.stat.wisc.edu/~ifischer. 2. Exponents – Basic Definitions and Properties For any real number base x, we define powers of x: x0 = 1, x1 = x, x2 = x x, x3 = x x x, etc. (The exception is 00, which is considered indeterminate.) Powers are also called exponents. Examples: 50 = 1, ( 11.2)1 = 11.2, (8.6)2 = 8.6 8.6 = 73.96, 103 = 10 10 10 = 1000, ( 3)4 = ( 3) ( 3) ( 3) ( 3) = 81. Also, we can define fractional exponents in terms of roots, such as x1/2 = x , the square root of x. 1/3 3 2/3 3 2 m/n n m Similarly, x = x , the cube root of x, x = ( x) , etc. In general, we have x = ( x) , i.e., the nth root of x, raised to the mth power. 3 3 3 Examples: 641/2 = 64 = 8, 643/2 = ( 64) = 83 = 512, 641/3 = 64 = 4, 642/3 = ( 64) = 42 = 16. r 1 1 1 2 1 1/2 1 1 Finally, we can define negative exponents: x = r .
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