MCS
118, Calculus with Precalculus Review I
Fall 2007
Suggestions for Studying
Preparing for Final Exam
The final exam will be comprehensive. It will cover all of
the material in chapters P - 6. You won't be
explicitly tested on the material in chapter P; however, you need to
know this material and use it in almost all of the problems on the
final. Roughly two thirds of the material will be on the material we've
covered since Thanksgiving break (chapter 5 and 6). The final is
on Tuesday, Dec. 18, at 8:00 am in NHS 222.
Topics from calculus you should know:
- Finding antiderivatives
- Finding definite integrals from a graph
- Finding definite integrals using geometry
- Finding definite integrals using Fundamental Theorem
- Solve a differential equation with initial conditions
- Sketching the derivative (or second derivative) of a function or
vice versa
- Limits (both as x -> a number and as x->
infinity). You should understand the epsilon-delta definition and
be able to calculate limits.
- Definition of derivative
- Finding derivatives using rules
- Finding derivatives using graphs
- Optimization problems
- Using derivatives to find instantaneous rate of change
- Using derivatives to figure out when a graph is
increasing/decreasing and concave up/down.
Topics from pre-calculus you should know
- Types of functions (linear, quadratic, polynomial, rational,
power, etc.), what their graphs look like, what their formulas look
like, etc.
- Basic algebra techniques such as factoring, solving equations,
simplifying formulas, using the exponent rules, etc.
- Graphing linear functions, finding their equations, finding slope
and intercepts
- Graphing polynomial functions, figuring out x-intercepts,
y-intercept, long-term behavior, and whether the graph lies above or
below x-axis from formula and vice versa
- Graphing rational functions, finding intercepts and asymptotes
using the formula and vice versa
Some students have asked for blank copies of the quizzes and
midterms. Here is a link to them.