Glossary

One-line pointers; full intuition lives on each topic page.

Vectors & geometry (MATH 151)

  • Vector / dot product — Appendix J toolkit used before limits in this section.

Limits & continuity

  • Limit — “what $f(x)$ approaches” as $x$ approaches $a$ (value need not equal $f(a)$).
  • Continuity — no jump/hole at $a$: limit exists, $f(a)$ defined, and they match.
  • Removable discontinuity — limit exists but $\neq f(a)$ or $f(a)$ undefined; “fillable hole.”

Derivatives

  • Derivative — instantaneous rate of change; slope of tangent; $f'(x)=\lim_{h\to0}\frac{f(x+h)-f(x)}{h}$.
  • Differentiable — derivative exists (implies continuity there).

Theorems (Calc 1)

  • IVT — continuous on $[a,b]$ hits every height between $f(a)$ and $f(b)$.
  • MVT — if $f$ is continuous on $[a,b]$ and differentiable on $(a,b)$, some $c$ has $f'(c)=\frac{f(b)-f(a)}{b-a}$.
  • FTC — connects differentiation and integration; area rate is the height.

Applications

  • Related rates — linked quantities changing in time; differentiate a constraint.
  • Optimization — max/min on an interval; check critical points and endpoints.