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Differential Calculus

Civil Engineering

Functions, Limits, and Continuity

Master the foundational concepts of calculus: basic function properties, domain and range, limits, limit laws, the Squeeze Theorem, and continuity.

The Derivative

Master the core of differential calculus: the historical context, one-sided derivatives, differentiability, differentiation rules, and implicit differentiation.

Derivatives of Transcendental Functions

Expand your differentiation skills to trigonometric, exponential, logarithmic, and hyperbolic functions, including inverse hyperbolic derivatives.

Theorems of Calculus

Understand the foundational theorems that bridge the gap between continuous functions and derivatives: the Extreme Value Theorem, Rolle's Theorem, the Mean Value Theorem, and Cauchy's MVT.

Applications of the Derivative

Apply differentiation to solve problems in motion, optimization, geometric analysis, and marginal cost.

Differentials and Approximations

Learn how to use differentials to approximate function values and calculate errors, and discover Newton's Method and Taylor/Maclaurin Polynomials.

Partial Differentiation

Expand calculus to multivariable functions, partial derivatives, the gradient vector, the second partials test, and Lagrange Multipliers.

Radius of Curvature

Understand the curvature of a function, the radius of curvature, parametric/polar forms, and the osculating circle, essential concepts for highway engineering and structural analysis.

Derivatives of Parametric and Polar Curves

Learn how to find derivatives, slopes, and tangency angles for curves defined parametrically and in polar coordinates.