Calculus II Writing Projects

A Question of Carpeting

• Topics emphasized: Riemann sums, error bounds
• Last Assigned: Fall 2004

The Mayor Joe Quimby Floating Gardens of Springfield

• Topics emphasized: Volumes of revolution, Archimedes' Principal, curve fitting
• Notes: While similar to "I Guess Leonardo DiCaprio Was Booked", the students found this project more reasonable. I also think it was more successful.
• Last Assigned: Spring 2010

I Guess Leonardo DiCaprio Was Booked

• Topics emphasized: Arc-length, volume and surface area of a surface of revolution, Archimedes' Principal
• Notes: The students found this project challenging, but they also had fun with it.
• Last Assigned: Spring 1999

Remodeling for Monty

• Topics emphasized: Volume and surface area of a surface of revolution, Archimedes' Principal, arc length
• Notes: This has many of same mathematical ideas the previous two projects, but I think it did a good job of being challenging but still very accessible. The students did a nice job with this.
• Last Assigned: Fall 2010

A Lava Lamp for the New Millenium^TM

• Topics emphasized: Volume by revolution
• Notes: This project requires the students to remove any sharp points from a piecewise function. I gave a handout that describes how to do this in Maple.
• Last Assigned: Fall 2002

The Great Escape

• Topics emphasized: Volume by revolution
• Notes: This project is essentially the same as the one on page 119 of Cohen, Gaughan, Knoebel, Kurtz and Pengelley, Student Research Projects in Calculus, MAA, 1991.
• Last Assigned: Fall 1997

While Visions of Roadrunners Danced in His Head

• Topics emphasized: Infinite series
• Notes: The idea for this project came from page 168 of Cohen, Gaughan, Knoebel, Kurtz and Pengelley, Student Research Projects in Calculus, MAA, 1991.
• Last Assigned: Spring 2009

Back to main Writing in Calculus page