Differentiation and Integration of Vector-Valued Functions - Vectors (Undergraduate Foundation)

This course provides a foundational introduction to vector calculus, focusing on vector-valued functions of a single variable. You will master the rules for differentiating and integrating vectors, and learn how these operations relate to the geometry of parametric curves. The curriculum is built to give you a solid understanding of the mathematical tools that describe change in multiple dimensions. How do we precisely describe the motion of a satellite or a particle moving along a curved path? This course answers that question by bridging the gap between abstract calculus and the real-world physics of motion. You'll learn how the elegant tools of vector differentiation and integration allow us to model velocity, acceleration, and trajectories, providing the essential language for kinematics. This course is the essential next step for students who have a firm grasp of vector algebra and products. It is specifically designed for first-year university students in STEM fields who need to understand the calculus of vectors before tackling more advanced courses. This programme provides the critical foundation for future studies in vector mechanics, differential geometry, and the calculus of vector fields.

8

Enrolment valid for 12 months

Course Chapters

1. Introduction
1

Welcome to the course and course outline.

Chapter lessons

1-1. Welcome

Welcome to the course and course outline.

2. Differentiation of Vectors
3
3

Differentiation of vector-valued functions; rules of vector differentiation; derivatives of vector products; some applications of vector differentiation.

Chapter lessons

2-1. The derivative

Formal definitions of differentiability and the derivative of a vector-valued function.

2-2. Rules

Rules of differentiation for vector-valued functions.

2-3. Triple products

Differentiating the scalar and vector triple products of vector-valued functions.

3. Integration of Vectors
3
3

Integration of vector-valued functions; definite, indefinite and line integrals of vector-valued functions; some applications of integration of vector-valued functions.

Chapter lessons

3-1. The anti-derivative

How to integrate a vector-valued function.

3-2. Line integral

Meaning of line integral and its relation to work done by a given force.

3-3. Position, velocity and acceleration

Linear and angular positions, velocity and acceleration of a body, and their calculus relations.