Quick and Easy Differential Calculus
APSC 171 is an intense course in differential and integral calculus that assumes a basic knowledge of elementary differential calculus from the beginning. If you completed your high school training in Ontario, Alberta, or Quebec, and did well in high school mathematics and developed good study habits, you should be well prepared to start APSC 171. If, however, you came from one of the other Canadian provinces, your preparation may be better in other areas of mathematics, but you will probably not have had as much differential calculus as we will assume. If your high school training was taken outside Canada this may also be the case.
If you are not sure whether your background has prepared you adequately for APSC 171, we have prepared a diagnostic quiz that can be used to assess your understanding of the mathematics we will assume from the start. This quiz can be downloaded here . To submit your answers to the questions in the quiz, for feedback from us, you should fill in the answer sheet. The quiz is entirely for your own benefit. You can take it and submit it at any time. We will mark the quiz for you, but the marks will not in any way count towards university credit, nor will a poor mark for this test have any effect on your university transcript.
If you do well on the pre-test, take it as added assurance that you are ready to start APSC 171 in September. If you do not do well on the quiz, or if the quiz reveals areas of weakness, we have created an on-line course to help you learn or re-learn the basics of differential calculus:
"Quick and Easy Differential Calculus"
This course is provided without cost by the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. To take the course, all you have to do is study a 50 page booklet prepared for the purpose, and do the exercises contained in it. If you do that thoughtfully, you will be ready for the fall no matter what school system you graduated from.The booklet can be downloaded at any time. You may check your answers as you go along using the answer key.
As soon as you have downloaded a copy of the Quick and Easy Differential Calculus booklet you can start reading it. Think carefully about what you read. Keep pencil and paper on hand to check calculations. You will notice that the full solutions to the problems in the booklet are not included. You should do these problems on your own in the blank space provided (and check your answers using the answer key). This is where a lot of learning takes place! Naturally, there will be times when you get stuck. When that happens, or when you have a question about the explanations given in the notes, there are several ways in which you can get help:
Taking the Quick and Easy Differential Calculus course will not cost you a cent. Nor will your performance on the problems or the questions you ask in any way affect the marks you earn later when APSC 171 starts in September. The on-line course is a service provided by Queen's to make your transition from high school to university as smooth as possible, and to ensure a positive experience in your first year as an engineering student.
