All Questions
Tagged with real-analysis teaching
11 questions
25
votes
2
answers
3k
views
What is the origin/history of the following very short definition of the Lebesgue integral?
Typical courses on real integration spend a lot of time defining the Lebesgue measure and then spend another lot of time defining the integral with respect to a measure. This is sometimes criticized ...
23
votes
4
answers
5k
views
Is $\ x\! \cdot\!\tan(x)\ $ integrable in elementary functions?
I'm teaching Calculus and my students asked me to calculate the integral of $\ x\! \cdot\!\tan(x)$.
I spent quite a lot of effort to do this, but I'm now even not sure if the integral could be ...
0
votes
0
answers
148
views
About the theorem of Weierstrass?
Is $E=Vect\{1,x,x^2,...,x^{2^n},...\}$ dense in $C([0,1])$ for the uniform norm?
While looking for a short proof for Weierstrass' theorem, I came across this justification(*) (which shows this result)...
114
votes
34
answers
86k
views
Why do we teach calculus students the derivative as a limit?
I'm not teaching calculus right now, but I talk to someone who does, and the question that came up is why emphasize the $h \to 0$ definition of a derivative to calculus students?
Something a teacher ...
-4
votes
2
answers
228
views
An elementary-looking integral inequality
This might seem a bit easy but I still like to ask it for pedagogical reasons.
QUESTION. Is this inequality true for non-negative integers $n$?
$$\frac{\pi}2\int_0^1x^n\sin\left(\frac{\pi}2x\right)dx\...
24
votes
11
answers
8k
views
The role of the mean value theorem (MVT) in first-year calculus
Should the mean value theorem be taught in first-year calculus?
Most calculus textbooks present the MVT just before the section that says that if $f'>0$ on an interval then $f$ increases on that ...
9
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Assessing effectiveness of (epsilon, delta) definitions [closed]
There is much discussion both in the education community and the mathematics community concerning the challenge of (epsilon, delta) type definitions in calculus and the student reception of them. The ...
7
votes
5
answers
6k
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Advantages of the sequence definition of limits
I will be teaching an introductory analysis course in the coming semester. In it the students will learn about limits of real sequences, and then will learn about limits of functions in terms of ...
13
votes
7
answers
35k
views
Real analysis has no applications?
I'm teaching an undergrad course in real analysis this Fall and we are using the text "Real Mathematical Analysis" by Charles Pugh. On the back it states that real analysis involves no "applications ...
35
votes
19
answers
9k
views
Interesting applications (in pure mathematics) of first-year calculus
What interesting applications are there for theorems or other results studied in first-year calculus courses?
A good example for such an application would be using a calculus theorem to prove a ...
2
votes
1
answer
897
views
Text/structure for an analysis course for students with pre-existing understanding of some applied aspects of analysis
Greetings,
I'm teaching a one-off course (perhaps never to be repeated) in a curriculum that's in transition, and I'm looking for advice on a textbook, or stories from people who have taught similar ...