Math 32A: General Course Outline

Math 32AB is a traditional multivariable calculus course sequence for mathematicians, engineers, and physical scientists.

The course 32A treats topics related to differential calculus in several variables, including curves in the plane, curves and surfaces in space, various coordinate systems, partial differentiation, tangent planes to surfaces, and directional derivatives. The course culminates with the solution of optimization problems by the method of Lagrange multipliers.

The course 32B treats topics related to integration in several variables, culminating in the theorems of Green, Gauss and Stokes. Each of these theorems asserts that an integral over some domain is equal to an integral over the boundary of the domain. In the case of Green's theorem the domain is an area in the plane, in the case of Gauss's theorem the domain is a volume in three-dimensional space, and in the case of Stokes' theorem the domain is a surface in three-dimensional space. These theorems are generalizations of the fundamental theorem of calculus, which corresponds to the case where the domain is an interval on the real line. The theorems play an important role in electrostatics, fluid mechanics, and other areas in engineering and physics where conservative vector fields play a role.