This video describes three ideas that are useful in curve sketching: symmetry, small and large values of the independent variable, and differentiation.

Core Topics in University Mathematics

03. Curve Sketching

This series of videos is aimed primarily at first-year undergraduate mathematics students. It covers some of the topics which students often find hard, but which are fundamental to success in university mathematics. One example of such a topic is curve sketching, which can reveal the qualitative behaviour of a function where perhaps the mathematical expression for the function is rather impenetrable. Proficiency with curve sketching comes with practice, and it is often hard to know where to begin. The videos in this series provide some useful tips. Another example of a core topic in university mathematics is the idea of proof. Rigorous proof allows us to establish the truth of mathematical statements. Videos in this series highlight two ways of proving mathematical statements: by induction and by contradiction. Further videos highlight the generalisation of a familiar pre-university mathematical concept (a vector) to a more abstract setting (vector spaces).

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Core Topics in University Mathematics