Course Details

Course Information
SemesterCourse Unit CodeCourse Unit TitleT+P+LCreditNumber of ECTS CreditsLast Updated Date
1MATH181CALCULUS FOR LIFE SCIENCES 15+0+05613.05.2025

 
Course Details
Language of Instruction English
Level of Course Unit Bachelor's Degree
Department / Program MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND GENETICS
Type of Program Formal Education
Type of Course Unit Compulsory
Course Delivery Method Face To Face
Objectives of the Course This course aims to teach the differential part of single variable Calculus by
- Providing fundamental knowledge and skills to analyze the behavior of a single variable function in every aspect
-Constructing theoretical and conceptual understanding of essential mathematical tools to study single variable calculus.
- Developing the ability to relate calculus to biology with the aid of examples drawn from many areas of biology, including genetics, biomechanics, medicine, pharmacology, physiology, ecology, epidemiology, and evolution, to name a few.
Course Content This course is an introduction to single variable calculus for students studying life sciences and covers the fundamentals and applications of differentiation. In this context, taking limits of functions, differentiating, optimizing and graphing functions are being taught. By the end of the semester, the students will be able to analyze the behavior of a single variable function by means of limits and differentiation.
The course covers the following topics: Functions and Sequences, Limits, Derivatives and their applications (linearization, optimization, curve sketching, L’Hospital’s rule).
Course Methods and Techniques
Prerequisites and co-requisities None
Course Coordinator Associate Prof.Dr. Yılmaz Mehmet Demirci yilmaz.demirci@agu.edu.tr
Name of Lecturers Associate Prof.Dr. Yılmaz Mehmet Demirci yilmaz.demirci@agu.edu.tr
Assistants None
Work Placement(s) No

Recommended or Required Reading
Resources J. Stewart, T. Day, Biocalculus: Calculus for Life Sciences


Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods
Activities are given in detail in the section of "Assessment Methods and Criteria" and "Workload Calculation"

Assessment Methods and Criteria
In-Term Studies Quantity Percentage
Yarıl yılSonu Sınavı/Dönem Projesinin Başarı Notuna Katkısı 2 % 60
Final examination 1 % 40
Total
3
% 100

 
ECTS Allocated Based on Student Workload
Activities Quantity Duration Total Work Load
Yazılı Sınav 2 2 4
F2F Dersi 14 5 70
Ev Ödevi 14 1 14
Soru Çözümü 14 2 28
Okuma 14 2 28
Araştırma 14 2 28
Final Sınavı 1 2 2
Total Work Load   Number of ECTS Credits 6 174

 
Course Learning Outcomes: Upon the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
NoLearning Outcomes
1 Distinguish functions, sequences and series and relate them mathematically
2 Evaluate a given limit if it exists
3 State the advantages of continuous functions rather than discontinuous ones and apply related theorems in case of need
4 Interpret the geometric meaning of derivative at any point and use it in construction of formulas for some geometrical shapes, and construct the equation of tangent line
5 Calculate the derivative of any function
6 Find the maximum and minimum values of any function and sketch the graph of the function

 
Weekly Detailed Course Contents
WeekTopicsStudy MaterialsMaterials
1 Four Ways to Represent a Function
2 A Catalog of Essential Functions, New Functions from Old Functions
3 Exponential Functions, Logarithms; Semilog and Log-Log Plots, Sequences and Difference Equations
4 Limits of Sequences, Limits of Functions at Infinity
5 Limits of Functions at Finite Numbers, Limits: Algebraic Methods
6 Continuity
7 Derivatives and Rates of Change, The Derivative as a Function
8 Basic Differentiation Formulas, The Product and Quotient Rules
9 The Chain Rule, Exponential Growth and Decay
10 Derivatives of the Logarithmic and Inverse Tangent Functions, Linear Approximations and Taylor Polynomials
11 Maximum and Minimum Values, How Derivatives Affect the Shape of a Graph
12 L’Hospital’s Rule: Comparing Rates of Growth, Optimization Problems
13 Recursions: Equilibria and Stability, Antiderivatives
14 Review of Materials and Problem Solving

 
Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes
P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9 P10
C1 2 3 1
C2 2 3 1
C3 2 3 1
C4 2 3 1
C5 2 3 1
C6 2 3 1

  Contribution: 1: Very Slight 2:Slight 3:Moderate 4:Significant 5:Very Significant

  
  https://sis.agu.edu.tr/oibs/bologna/progCourseDetails.aspx?curCourse=76095&lang=en