Over the years, we have received a huge number of questions asking about how to find the amount of liquid (water, oil, …) in a tank, usually a horizontal cylindrical tank. The simplest case involves a rather complicated formula; from there, we can reverse the formula (finding the depth for a given volume), or we …
The problems students see in class are usually only those that can be solved by the methods they have been taught. Too many students conclude that algebra can solve anything! But the reality is that if you just wrote an equation at random, it probably could not be solved algebraically. When students ask us about …
Numerical Approximation Methods: When Algebra Doesn’t Work Read More »
(A new question of the week) In Monday’s post about fallacies in calculus, one of them used the definition of the derivative (or rather, misused it). Today we’ll look at a short question about applying that same definition, that came in last month.
(An archive question of the week) In searching for answers to include in Monday’s post on calculus fallacies, I ran across a long discussion that illustrates some important aspects of methods of integration. In particular, there are often multiple ways to find an integral (the best not necessarily being the one taught in your textbook); …
Integration: More Than One Way, More Than One Answer Read More »
“False Proofs”, where seemingly good logic leads to nonsensical conclusions, can be a good way to learn the boundaries of reality — what to look out for when you are doing real math. We have a FAQ on the subject; there we discuss several well-known fallacies based in algebra, and have links to others. Today, …
(New Question of the Week) This recent question involves an ordinary differential equation (ODE) and the relation between different solutions. It illustrates common difficulties in interpreting what a problem is asking for, as well as some communication problems involving language and notation.
(An archive question of the week) Last time, we looked at a method of integration, namely partial fractions, so it seems appropriate to find something about another method of integration (this one more specifically part of calculus rather than algebra). We will look at a question about integration by substitution; as a bonus, I will …
I have often noted that calculus class is where you really learn algebra. Certain techniques in calculus demand algebraic skills that either were not taught in algebra classes (because they are not needed until you get to calculus), or have been forgotten. Chief among these is the method of partial fractions. I have here put …
(New Question of the Week) Many of the questions we answer are primarily about “how do you solve this problem?”, but at the same time ask deeper, more general questions: “How do you solve problems like this, and are there alternatives?” Today’s question is a good example of this, and raises an interesting point or …
(Archive Question of the Week) Students commonly expect that textbooks all say the same thing (in fact, some think they can ask us about “Theorem 6.2” and we’ll know what they’re talking about!). The reality is that they can even give conflicting definitions, depending on the perspective from which they approach a topic. Here, I …