Calculus Placement Test?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

<p>I'm just curious if anyone knows what kind of questions are on it? I'll probably have finished Cal III (and definitely Cal II) by the time I get to Chicago, but I'm worried that I won't have had enough formal education in it--we don't do anything in the way of proofs or theory. I'm quite good at Calculus (96%), but I can't profess to have a complete grasp on what exactly I'm doing (or rather, why). In short, I can easily do the computations, but I'm lacking in the theoretical aspects of it.</p>

<p>Edit: I was on the old Chicago CC board, and spotted one poster who said they found a copy of a Calculus placement test on UChicago's website by using the "search" function...I've been unable to locate it though.</p>

2

<p>I think if you know all the regular calc stuff, that is, your computational knowledge, you'll probably be placed in a higher calculus. I think for the standard analysis or the honors analysis, you'll need to demonstrate theoretical background such as in the proof of a limit (epsilon and delta). Honors analysis might need to know what the following mean mathematically (I emailed a math major there) :</p>

<p>derivative, Riemann Sum, Riemann integration, dense set(e.g. why is Q
dense in R?), complete (or better yet compact)</p>

<p>I hope that helps,</p>

<p>-FS</p>

3

<p>I doubt I'll be able to place into standard analysis right away...but I'm hoping that a strong computational background will place me into Honours calculus, where I'm assuming that we learn the more theoretical aspects...At which point I can (hopefully) end up in honours analysis.</p>

4

<p>Question: what are the benefits of honors calculus besides more challenging work?</p>

5

<p>I would assume that it is much better prep for Analysis/Honours Analysis...I think it would be more interesting to learn the math from a theoretical POV...also, I'm pretty sure that Honours Calc ISN'T taught by grad students. </p>

<p>I'm leaning towards a math major, which is why I'm more interested in Honours Calc.</p>

6

<p>I just want Paul Sally for at least one class during my time at U Chicago.</p>

7

<p>Found a copy of the Math and Calculus Placement Exam(s) on the UofC site...doesn't look too difficult, except for a few basic concepts which I totally forget (solving a system of equations, vectors--which I never learned) and the T or F section which I don't understand...</p>

<p>But I'm surprised, the Calculus on it looks quite easy.</p>

<p>Edit: Here's the link: <a href="http://www.harrisschool.uchicago.edu/students/current-students/math_sample%20_exam.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.harrisschool.uchicago.edu/students/current-students/math_sample%20_exam.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

8

<p>eve3555 on the thread Actual Current Student had some good advice and a description of what one should study to prepare for the calc placement test. <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=55226&page=3&pp=20%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=55226&page=3&pp=20&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

9

<p>is that a no calculator test (I would think it is but...)?</p>

10

<p>Oo, thanks for the link, jpps1 ! Wow, that test really doesn't look bad at all. Almost every question seemed relatively easy to me. I'm loving my math teacher right now...Or maybe I'm just not as dumb as I look : )</p>

11

<p>"I think for the standard analysis or the honors analysis, you'll need to demonstrate theoretical background such as in the proof of a limit (epsilon and delta). "</p>

<p>I wanna ask if many of you have learnt proving a limit using epsilon and delta notations... My textbook described the method but I'm not required to know it in my A-level exams (HK).</p>

12

<p>I havnt learned anything of the sort...</p>

<p>looking at that test I actually feel unprepared/really out of practice.</p>

13

<p>I would assume that 99% of the people taking the calculus placement test DO NOT know how to do epsilon-delta proofs...it's not something that is really taught in high school calculus.</p>

<p>However, I did teach it to myself, and can do the more basic epsilon-delta proofs.</p>

14

<p>We learned them at our high school...but the teacher said often that it wouldn't be on the AP, and it was limited on the test. He was just adding more theoretical aspects to the course.</p>

15

<p>Can someone explain what the P_Q notation in 4 means? I'm not familiar with it, I think I would write --></p>

<p>That's not the "Calculus" placement exam, is it? If so, that's easy.</p>

16

<p>My guess is that in copying from the original font substitution occurred.</p>