These labs were developed as part of the calculus and differential equations sequence at Simpson college.
Calculus Labs Differential Equations Labs
The labs were written using the philosophy that the students should understand the commands in Maple and use them for these labs and for other assignments and projects. Therefore the Maple files are simple and only contains the commands and basic instructions for using the commands. In a few cases the students are required to use the Maple help files to learn how to use the commands so that later they know how to find out what Maple can do on their own. In the few Maple files where a procedure is used, the procedure is included in the Maple file instead of in a library to prevent the students from developing a "black box" feeling toward Maple.
It is also assumed the students will learn by example to use the right tool for the job (and not use a sledge hammer to kill a fly). Therefore, many of the labs have components that do not use Maple and do not need a computer lab for completion.
The instructions for the lab assignment do not include specific reference to Maple and can be used with any software or with a calculator with a computer algebra system, such at the TI-89 or the TI-92.
The comments files contain information about the time requirements of the lab, where the lab fits into the curriculum, how the students reacted to the lab, and a frank critique of the educational value of the lab. A few comment files contain detailed information about each question on the lab.
These labs were developed by Murphy Waggoner <waggoner@simpson.edu> and the students of her Calculus III and Differential Equations classes in 1998 and 1999. The web pages were created by Murphy Waggoner and Nate Miller and were last updated on 9/24/99.