Fall 2025
This semester, I will be teaching Math 101 and Math 102.
I will also be coordinating Math 102; and I am helping organize the undergraduate math colloquium at Rice.
Math 101: Calculus I
You can find the course syllabus here.
How can we describe the physical world mathematically? How can we use mathematics to describe phenomena in physics, biology, chemistry, or other STEM fields?
Calculus is the mathematical language that allows us to describe and model the behavior of the physical world around us, such as the speed and acceleration at which we travel, as well as our distance and displacement; or how a population grows and changes over time; or the rate at which chemicals react or move towards equilibrium.
In this course, you will develop the reasoning and questioning skills needed to explore these concepts mathematically. Moreover, you will become fluent in communicating your ideas through the mathematical language of calculus.
Math 102: Calculus II
You can find the course syllabus here.
What tools do we have to calculate an integral like $\int_0^1 xe^{-x^2} \ dx$ or $\int_0^1 e^{-x^2} \ dx$?
When your calculator tells you that the value of $\int_0^1 e^{-x^2} \ dx \approx 0.746824$, how do you know it’s correct? How accurate is your calculator? Is it possible for an infinite region to have finite area? Can we calculate the area of a fractal?
You’ve previously seen in Math 101 that calculus is an important and powerful tool that allows us to describe the physical world around us. In Math 102, we will push the notion of integration to its utmost limits. In this class, we will build our toolbox for integration; we will study the behavior of the infinite, and we will learn how to quantify how accurate our approximations are.
In this course, you will develop the critical thinking and questioning skills needed to answer these complex questions. Moreover, you will become fluent in precisely communicating your ideas through the mathematical language of calculus.