Math 251 (Phillips) Midterm 1
Information and material covered
Midterm 1 will be on Friday 25 April in class, using the whole period.
Early start: you can start at 7:30 am.
It will allow a 3 by 5 file card of notes, written on both sides,
but no calculators or other electronic devices.
It will cover course material through Wednesday 23 April.
In the textbook:
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Sections 2.1 through 2.4, omitting infinite limits and limits at
infinity.
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Derivatives and differentiation rules:
Sections 3.1, 3.2 3.3, 3.5, and 3.6.
(But no higher derivatives will appear.)
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Maximums and minimums (Section 4.3).
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Maximizing and minimizing in word problems, in Section 4.7, but so
far only those for which the closed bounded interval method applies.
Problems that will be on the midterm:
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Definition of the derivative.
(See Problem 1 on the sample Midterm 1 and Problem 1 on the review
session worksheet.)
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Computing a derivative directly from the definition.
(See Problem 2 on the sample Midterm 1 and Problem 3 on the review
session worksheet.)
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Minimization or maximization word problem (possibly only the setup,
as in Problem 13 on the sample Midterm 1).
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Minimization or maximization problem (possibly as part of
a minimization or maximization word problem).
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At least one calculation of a limit.
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At least one calculation of a derivative using the
differentiation rules we have seen so far.
These include the product, quotient, and chain rules.
-
Probably a limit notation problem.
-
Possibly other kinds of problems.
Review session
The review session will be Thursday 24 April 7--8:50 am,
in our usual classroom.
Sample Problems
There are seven primary sources for sample problems for Midterm 1:
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Written homework.
These, and their solutions, are linked on the web pages for
weeks 1--4 of the course, accessible from
here.
-
WeBWorK
homework due through Thursday 24 April 2025.
Answers to WeBWorK problems are available on WeBWorK
after the due date of each assignment.
-
Additional practice
WeBWorK
problem sets.
Again, answers are available on WeBWorK
after the "due date" of each assignment.
-
Quizzes.
These, and their solutions, are linked on the web pages for
weeks 1--4 of the course, accessible from
here.
-
In class worksheets.
Warning: The hints on the worksheets won't be provided on the midterm.
These, and their solutions, are linked on the web pages for
weeks 1--4 of the course, accessible from
here.
-
Sample Midterm 1 (pdf).
Solutions (pdf).
-
Worksheet used at the review session.
Solutions
to the worksheet used at the review session.
Correction early afternoon of 24 April 2025: in the old solution to
Problem 4, the constant 12 had turned into 25.
Of course, you should also know how to do all the
Midterm 0 problems.
Note, though, that the Midterm 1 problems will be in format much
more like the problems in the first list above.
Real Midterm 1
Reminder:
Extra credit will be given for finding mistakes.
You need to say what is wrong and how to fix it,
you need to be one of the first two people to report
the mistake to me,
and you need to report it before a corrected version is posted.
Return to main Math 251 page.
This page maintained by
N. Christopher Phillips,
email.
Last significant change 24 April 2025.