Materials List for Mth 271-272


The text  was created by its author.

Unless otherwise attributed all other materials used in the course, including the forms, qa's, queries, DVDs and other components of the course, were created by David A. Smith, Virginia Highlands Community College, hereafter referred to as "the instructor".


The text is Calculus, an Applied Approach by Larson.  ISBN of the current edition, which is the 9th edition, is ISBN-13: 978-1133109280 ISBN-10: 1133109284

 is SBN-13: 978-1133109280 ISBN-10: 1133109284

The ISBN of the 8th edition, which may also be used, is 978-0618958252

The DVDs containing video lectures are available in the VHCC bookstore.

To contact the VHCC bookstore call 276-739-2400 and ask for the bookstore.

Playing the videos

Nearly any Windows computer will be equipped to play the videos.  Computers running other operating systems might not be so equipped.

If your computer is not equipped to play these videos, there are a number of free players that will do so.  It is up to you to decide which one best meets your needs. 

When I ask for recommendations, the one player that is almost universally recommended is the VLC Player.  If you search for VLC player you will easily be able to find and evaluate it.  The current website is http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ ; however the site could well change without my being aware of it, so if the link doesn't work do the search.


Required calculator

You can use any calculator you wish when you do your homework, but your instructor's best advice is to put your graphing calculator away until you get into your Junior-level courses.  Once you know the mathematics it's easy to learn to do it on the calculator or computer.  If you rely on the calculator when learning mathematics, you are almost certain to miss some of the essential aspects of the subject.

The only calculator permitted on tests will be the Casio fx-260.  This is the same calculator that is legal for the SAT.  This calculator is inexpensive, and is available through the VHCC bookstore as well as online.