Calculus Courses

Course Descriptions

MA 119: Calculus studies rates of change and accumulation, and is fundamental to quantitative work in the natural sciences, social sciences, and data science. Topics include differential and integral calculus of one variable, including the calculus of exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions. Topics are approached from a liberal arts perspective, emphasizing underlying concepts and overarching themes, in addition to building computational skills, including with use of contemporary technology. This course is designed for students who enter Colby with insufficient algebra and trigonometry background for Mathematics 125. The combination of 119 and 120 covers the same calculus material as Mathematics 125. It is expected that all students who complete Mathematics 119 will enroll in Mathematics 120 in the following January. Completion of 119 alone does not constitute completion of a College calculus course for any purpose; in particular, it does not qualify a student to take Mathematics 130 or 160, nor does it satisfy the quantitative reasoning requirement, or any major or minor requirement. All students considering taking Calculus should consult the Mathematics Department webpage for more information on placement policies and procedures.

MA 120: A continuation of Mathematics 119. Successful completion of both Mathematics 119 and 120 is equivalent to completion of Mathematics 125.

MA 125 Single-Variable Calculus:  Calculus studies rates of change and accumulation, and is fundamental to quantitative work in the natural sciences, social sciences, and data science. Topics include differential and integral calculus of one variable, including the calculus of exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions. Topics are approached from a liberal arts perspective, emphasizing underlying concepts and overarching themes, in addition to building computational skills, including with the use of contemporary technology. MA 125 is for students with no prior exposure to Calculus of any kind. This course is sufficient preparation for Mathematics 160. All students considering taking Calculus should consult the Mathematics Department webpage for more information on placement policies and procedures.

MA 130 Single-Variable Calculus Revisited: Calculus studies rates of change and accumulation, and is fundamental to quantitative work in the natural sciences, social sciences, and data science. Topics include differential and integral calculus of one variable, including the calculus of exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions. Topics are approached from a liberal arts perspective, emphasizing underlying concepts and overarching themes, in addition to building computational skills, including with the use of contemporary technology. MA 130 is for students who have had some prior exposure to Calculus, however slight, but who do not feel ready to continue to MA 160. Almost all students who have passed a high school Calculus course covering derivatives and integrals (whether or not it is an AP course) should begin their college mathematics education with MA 135 or MA 160. All students considering taking Calculus should consult the Mathematics Department webpage for more information on placement policies and procedures.

MA 135 Honors Calculus I: The first in a two-course sequence that treats the material of Mathematics 125 and 160 with a focus on the intellectual structure behind the methods. Students will acquire a deep understanding of the theory and foundational facts of calculus, will be able to use the techniques in an intelligent manner, will understand and be able to explain the arguments that undergird those techniques, and will be able to construct original arguments of their own. Topics are presented as a deductive mathematical theory, with emphasis on concepts, theorems, and their proofs. May not be taken for credit if the student has earned credit for Mathematics 160.

MA 160 Series and Multivariable Calculus: A continuation of Mathematics 120, 125, or 130, as well as of high school Calculus courses covering both derivatives and integrals. Students will learn about infinite series and their use to represent and approximate functions, and about extensions of ideas from single-variable calculus to the multivariable setting. Topics include infinite series; vectors and analytic geometry in two and three dimensions; directional and full differentiability; linear approximation, differentials and the gradient; integration in two and three variables. Topics are approached from a liberal arts perspective, emphasizing underlying concepts and overarching themes, in addition to building computational skills, including with the use of contemporary technology. All students considering taking Calculus should consult the Mathematics Department webpage for more information on placement policies and procedures.

MA 165 Honors Calculus II: A continuation of Mathematics 135. Topics are essentially the same as for Mathematics 160, but they are presented as a deductive mathematical theory, with emphasis on concepts, theorems, and their proofs. Student who receive an A- or above will receive an exemption from taking Mathematics 274. May not be taken for credit if the student has earned credit for Mathematics 160.

Course Renumbering

All of our Calculus courses were revised and renumbered. If you are wondering how a Calculus course you’ve already taken at Colby compares to those on offer, here is a dictionary for translating: