Computational Math 100

Why should I take this course?

  1. If you didn’t take Trigonometry/Precalculus with James Choi but want to take his Calculus course, you need to study CM 100.  This CM 100 is the computational part of James Choi’s Trigonometry/Precalculus course.
  2. Those who want to learn computational mathematics, perhaps to become the founder/president of such a club in school.

What does this course teach?

CM 100 teaches students to use Mathematica to perform the following mathematical tasks using computers.  See syllabus below.

Why use Mathematica?

Detailed information: Why we use Mathematica

Mathematica is the most powerful software for mathematics in the world.  Its functional programming language is difficult for people already trained in procedural languages such as C++ or Java.  But when students learn Mathematica as the first language, they can learn it easily just as their human first language.

With no other software can students create so much with so little time and effort.

How is this course taught?

This course is taught by e-Learning lectures and student’s questions will be answered through the discussion board on the course page.  There are no scheduled live classes.

How many hours per week do I need to spend to study for this course?

The e-Learning lectures will be open for 10 weeks.  However, you should not plan on studying a few minutes a day for 70 days.  Studying a computer language is very much like exercises or musical instrument practice.  That is, you cannot break it down to a few minutes here and there because warm up alone takes much longer than that.

You would need to sit down at least for an hour to make any progress in this course.  The whole course would take about 10 such 1+ hour focused sit down sessions.  How many times you do it per week is up to you.  However, the shorter the interval between sessions, the more effective you will be in retaining and learning.

So, don’t count on using all 10 weeks.  You should be able to finish the whole course in a few days if you do it right.

What are the requirements for this course?

  1. Prior knowledge of Mathematica is not required.
  2. Must have finished Trigonometry/Precalculus.
  3. Must have the latest version of Mathematica (Purchase Mathematica) installed on the computer.

How do I enroll in this course?

  1. (Only if this is your first Sabio course) Fill out this form and pay $50 registration fee to create your ID/password in our database.
  2. For those who are taking on this this course, make sure you checked all the requirements above, then make a payment of $199.  The lectures will work for 10 weeks from the time you make a payment.
  3. For those who are enrolling in either Computational Calculus or Computational Physics course at the same time, the tuition is $99 .  You can find the discounted payment link inside your calculus or physics course page (which you can access after you enroll in either course).

Syllabus

  1. Basic Syntax and Function Definition
  2. Plot function and basic options
  3. Table Function Table Form, Grid, Frame->All
  4. Mathematica as a technical word processor
  5. Manipulate of Function Parameters
  6. Show command
  7. Graphics, Graphics3D Commands
  8. Manipulate of Objects in Graphics and Graphics3D
  9. Color Command
  10. Show Command
  11. ContourPlot Command
  12. ParametricPlot, ParametricPlot3D Commands
  13. PolarPlot, SphericalPlot Commands