What This Document Is
This resource is a focused study guide designed to refresh and solidify your understanding of essential calculus concepts as they directly apply to General Physics I Lab (PHY 113) at the University of Rochester. It’s built to bridge the gap between your prior calculus knowledge and the physics principles you’ll be exploring in the lab. The material presented centers around the foundational relationship between functions, their derivatives, and their integrals – concepts crucial for interpreting and analyzing experimental data.
Why This Document Matters
If you’re enrolled in PHY 113 and feel unsure about the calculus needed to succeed, this guide is for you. It’s particularly helpful to review before tackling lab assignments that require you to determine rates of change, analyze graphs, or calculate areas and accumulations. Students who benefit most will be those looking for a concise refresher on the core calculus skills frequently used in a first-year physics context. It’s best used as a companion to your physics coursework, not a replacement for a full calculus course.
Common Limitations or Challenges
This guide is *not* a comprehensive calculus textbook. It doesn’t aim to teach you calculus from scratch. It assumes you have a basic familiarity with functions and their graphical representations. It also doesn’t cover advanced calculus topics beyond those directly relevant to introductory physics. Furthermore, it focuses on the *principles* and *relationships* within calculus, rather than providing detailed step-by-step solutions to complex problems.
What This Document Provides
* A review of the graphical interpretation of derivatives – understanding slope as it relates to function behavior.
* An explanation of the relationship between integrals and the area under a curve.
* A compilation of fundamental differentiation and integration rules for common functions.
* A reference to key formulas for polynomials, trigonometric functions (sine, cosine, tangent), and exponential functions.
* A connection to resources like standard mathematical handbooks for further exploration.
