Lecture 0: Introduction and Recap
Please explore Amathuba, complete the intro course survey and do maths consistently. Passing
MAM1032/4 is a requirement to do second year mathematics.
1 Introduction
Greetings everyone! Welcome to Lecture Zero, the launchpad for an exciting semester of learning mathematics.
This class will be a collaborative exploration where we tackle problems and learn together. Let’s begin with a brief
introduction and a preview of what lies ahead.
Definition: Mashudu
I’m Mashudu, and I will be your lecturer for the next 30 lectures.
• Venue: Our lectures will take place at Chris Hani Lecture Theatre at 10:00 AM.
• Email address: [Link]@[Link]
• Office: M416, Maths building
• Office hours : Speak to me after the lecture to arrange a time.
Definition: A lecture
What is a lecture in this course? A lecture is not your typical sit-and-listen affair. It’s an interactive
experience where you will be doing the heavy lifting, thinking, talking, solving, and even debating (politely,
of course!). It’s not about me demonstrating solutions, but about us figuring things out together.
Theorem: Learning by Doing Beats Learning by Watching
Here’s a principle I am committed to: You learn best by doing, not just watching someone else do all the
math. This is not just a hunch, it is supported by evidence. When you wrestle with a problem yourself, your
brain builds stronger connections, making those concepts stick. So, get ready to roll up your sleeves!
Worked Example: A Taste of Our Classroom Dynamic
√
Picture this: I pose a problem, say, finding the shortest distance the point ( 32 , 0) to the curve y = x (the
√
answer is 25 ). Instead of me solving it on the board, you’ll team up with a few classmates. You’ll brainstorm,
sketch ideas, and maybe hit a dead end or two. Then, we’ll regroup, share solutions, and unpack what worked
(or didn’t). By the end, you won’t just know the answer—you’ll understand the why behind it.
Fact: Collaboration Fuels Success
Here’s something cool: Studies show that students in collaborative learning environments—like the one we’re
building—perform better and stay more engaged, especially in subjects like math. When we pool our ideas
and energy, we don’t just solve problems; we unlock new ways of thinking.
Homework: Unlock Your Math Potential
After each lecture, I’ll assign homework exercises to reinforce key concepts—complete them before the next
class to stay on track and deepen your understanding!
If you find any typos or mathematical errors in these notes, or have feedback, please email me at [Link]@[Link]
2 Recap
The area problem seeks to find the area under a curve y = f (x) from x = a to x = b. We approximate this area
by dividing the interval [a, b] into n subintervals of equal width ∆x = b−a
n , and form rectangles with heights f (xi )
at points xi (here we choose xi to be right end points) in each subinterval.
y
y = f (x)
f (xi )
x
a xi−1 xi b
∆x
The area of each rectangle is given by f (xi )∆x, the total area under the curve y = f (x) is approximated by the sum
of all the n rectangles,
Xn
An = f (xi )∆x
i=1
The exact area under y = f (x) is obtained by taking the limit as the number of rectangles approaches infinity. This
forms the basis for the definition of area.
Definition: Area
Let f be continuous non-negative on the interval [a, b]. The area of the region bounded by the graph of f (x)
and the x-axis, and the vertical lines x = a and x = b is
n
X
A = lim f (ci )∆x , xi−1 ≤ ci ≤ xi
n→∞
i=1
Our choice of ci — the sample point in each subinterval — can be the left endpoint, midpoint, right endpoint, or
any point within the interval. All of these choices yield the same result as n → ∞. For convenience, we will typically
use the right end-point xi . We now define the definite integral.
Definition: The definite Integral
b−a
If f is defined on the interval [a, b], we divide the interval into n subintervals of equal width ∆x = n .
The definite integral of f from a to b is
Z b n
X
f (x) dx = lim f (ci )∆x
a n→∞
i=1
provided that this limit exists and gives the same value for all possible choices of sample points ci .
Note: The right end-points are preferred, and we will write
Z b n
X
f (x) dx = lim f (xi )∆x
a n→∞
i=1
from now on.
If you find any typos or mathematical errors in these notes, or have feedback, please email me at [Link]@[Link]
With the definition of the definite integral in place, we can now explore its key properties, which form the basis for
many of the techniques we will use this semester.
Fact: Properties of the definite integral
Ra
1. If f is defined at x = a, then a f (x) dx = 0.
Rb
2. a k dx = k(b − a) where k is a constant.
Rb Ra
3. If f is integrable on [a, b], then a f (x) dx = − b f (x) dx
4. If f is integrable on the three intervals determined by a, b, and c then
Z b Z c Z b
f (x) dx = f (x) dx + f (x) dx
a a c
5. If f and g are integrable on [a, b] and k is a constant, then the following properties are true
Rb Rb
(a) a
kf (x) dx = k a
f (x) dx
Rb Rb Rb
(b) a
(f (x) + g(x)) dx = a f (x) dx + a g(x) dx
6. If f and g are integrable on [a, b] and f (x) ≤ g(x) for every x in the interval then
Z b Z b
f (x) dx ≤ g(x) dx
a a
Rb
Corollary: If f is integrable and non-negative on [a, b], then a
f (x) dx ≥ 0
In Semester 1, we established the relationship between differentiation and integration via The Fundamental The-
orem of Calculus, this came in two parts.
Theorem: The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus Part 1
If f is continuous on [a, b], then the function F defined by
Z x
F (x) = f (t) dt , a≤x≤b
a
is continuous on [a, b] and differentiable on (a, b) and
d
F (x) = f (x)
dx
.
Theorem: The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus Part 2
If a function f is continous on the interval [a, b] then
Z b
f (x) dx = F (b) − F (a)
a
where F is any function such that F ′ (x) = f (x) for every x in [a, b].
If you find any typos or mathematical errors in these notes, or have feedback, please email me at [Link]@[Link]
We also covered some techniques of integration, including The substitution rule
Fact: The Substitution Rule
Let f and g be continuous functions that satisfy the conditions of The Chain Rule for the composite
function y = f (g(x)). If F is an antiderivative of f then
Z
f (g(x))g ′ (x) dx = F (g(x)) + C
If u = g(x) then du = g ′ (x)dx and
R
f (u)du = F (u) + C.
The semester may not have started, but there’s no better time to get your brain warmed up. Here are a few problems
to get you back into problem-solving mode.
Homework:
Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
1. Find the derivatives of the following functions
Z x Z x3 Z π Z sin x Z ln x
1 1 x 2
(a) dt (b) dt (c) dt (d) e−t dt (e) arctan t dt
0 t + sin t 0 t + sin t 0 t + sin t 2x ex
2. If f is a continuous function such that
Z x Z x
f (t)
f (t) dt = x sin x + dt
0 0 1 + t2
for all x, find an explicit formula for f (x).
3. If f ′ is continuous on [a, b], show that
Z b
2 f (x)f ′ (x) dx = [f (b)]2 − [f (a)]2
a
R1 √
4. Evaluate 0
(x + 1 − x2 ) dx by interpreting it in terms of areas.
The Substitution Rule
5. Evaluate the following integrals
Z e 1
√ ex
Z Z Z Z
ln x x 1 + x + arctan x
(a) dx (b) x x + 1 dx (c) √ dx (d) dx (e) dx
1 x x+1 x2 + 1 0 e2x +1
6. Let f be integrable on the interval [−a, a], prove the following statements.
Ra Ra
(a) If f is an even function, then −a f (x) dx = 2 0 f (x) dx.
Ra
(b) If f is an odd function, then −a f (x) dx = 0.
If you find any typos or mathematical errors in these notes, or have feedback, please email me at [Link]@[Link]
To help you stay on top of the material, here’s a week-by-week guide to what we’ll be learning.
Week 1 (28 July – 1 August)
Date Day Topic Reading
28 Jul 2025 Monday Integration by parts Stewart 4.3 & 7.1
29 Jul 2025 Tuesday Integration by parts Stewart 7.1
30 Jul 2025 Wednesday Trig integrals Stewart 7.2
31 Jul 2025 Thursday Trig integrals & Trig substitution Stewart 7.2 / 7.3
01 Aug 2025 Friday Trig substitution Stewart 7.3
Week 2 (4 – 8 August)
Date Day Topic Reading
04 Aug 2025 Monday Partial fractions Stewart 7.4
05 Aug 2025 Tuesday Partial fractions Stewart 7.4
06 Aug 2025 Wednesday Improper integrals Stewart 7.8
07 Aug 2025 Thursday Improper integrals Stewart 7.8
08 Aug 2025 Friday Area between curves Stewart 5.1
Week 3 (11 – 15 August)
Date Day Topic Reading
11 Aug 2025 Monday Volumes by cross–section Stewart 5.2
12 Aug 2025 Tuesday Volumes by cross–section Stewart 5.2
13 Aug 2025 Wednesday Volumes by cylindrical shells Stewart 5.3
14 Aug 2025 Thursday Average value & MVT for integrals Stewart 5.5
15 Aug 2025 Friday Arc length Stewart 8.1
If you find any typos or mathematical errors in these notes, or have feedback, please email me at [Link]@[Link]
Week 4 (18 – 22 August)
Date Day Topic Reading
18 Aug 2025 Monday Factorials & falling factorials Resources 1.1 & 1.3
19 Aug 2025 Tuesday One–to–one functions; permutations & com- Resources 1.2 & 1.4
binations
20 Aug 2025 Wednesday Binomial coefficients & Pascal’s triangle Resource 1.5
21 Aug 2025 Thursday Binomial theorem Resource 1.6
22 Aug 2025 Friday Maclaurin & Taylor polynomials Stewart 11.10
Week 5 (25 – 29 August)
Date Day Topic Reading
25 Aug 2025 Monday Maclaurin & Taylor polynomials Stewart 11.10
26 Aug 2025 Tuesday Maclaurin & Taylor polynomials Stewart 11.10
27 Aug 2025 Wednesday Complex numbers: introduction Resources 2.1–2.2 & CT1
28 Aug 2025 Thursday Complex conjugate & division Resource 2.3
29 Aug 2025 Friday Modulus, complex plane & Argand diagrams Resource 2.3
Week 6 (1 – 5 September)
Date Day Topic Reading
01 Sep 2025 Monday Modulus & argument form Resource 2.3
02 Sep 2025 Tuesday Multiplication & De Moivre’s theorem Resource 2.4
03 Sep 2025 Wednesday Complex exponential Resource 2.5
04 Sep 2025 Thursday Complex trigonometry Resource 2.5
05 Sep 2025 Friday Nth roots & Roots of polynomials Resource 2.6–2.7
If you find any typos or mathematical errors in these notes, or have feedback, please email me at [Link]@[Link]
