Calculus and Statistics

A.Y. 2023/2024
6
Max ECTS
64
Overall hours
SSD
MAT/07
Language
Italian
Learning objectives
The study of the environment and impacts on health is a complex and challenging job requiring solid scientific and technical competences.
The aim of this course is to give students the basic mathematical and statistical knowledge that are necessary to cope with quantitative activities related to science of life. To reach this aim, it is important that students understand which are the internal structures and the essential procedures of Mathematics and Statistics in order to be able to apply them in their future technical and professional activities.
Expected learning outcomes
At the end of the course students are expected to be able to:
Develop a logical and mathematical reasoning
Solve problems with differential and integration calculus
Develop basic mathematical models
Select the most appropriate statistical procedures for scientific and laboratory applications

Students will achieve knowledge of:

Fundamental aspects of differential and integral calculus as a base for further courses in their degree program
Fundamental statistical and probabilistic methods as a base for software instruments used in biological and pharmacological laboratories.
Single course

This course can be attended as a single course.

Course syllabus and organization

Single session

Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
Sets, operations with sets. Number sets. Intervals. Upper bound, lower bound, maximum, minimum, supremum, infimum of real sets. Absolute value, distance. Neighbourhoods. Left/right neighbourhoods.
Functions
The concept of function. Injective, surjective, bijective function. Composition of functions. Inverse function. Review of elementary functions: linear, quadratic, power, exponential, logarithmic, trigonometric and hyperbolic functions. Bounded functions. Monotonic functions, strictly monotonic functions. Maxima/minima, maximizers/minimizers: global and local. Concave/convex functions
Linear Algebra
Limits of functions and continuity
Limits of functions of one real. Asymptotes. Theorem on the uniqueness of the limit. Limits of elementary functions. Indeterminate forms. The symbols ~ and o. Calculation of limits. Change of variable. Fundamental limits. Theorem on the permanence of sign. Comparison criterion. Continuity for functions of one real variable. Points of discontinuity. Weierstrass's theorem, zero-value theorem (Bolzano's theorem)
One-variable differential calculus
Difference quotient, derivative at a point; geometric meaning, equation of the tangent line. Rules on derivatives. Derivative of the inverse function. Higher derivatives. Differentiability, differential. Relationship between derivability and differentiability.
Stationary points. Necessary condition for local maximizers/minimizers (Fermat's theorem). Rolle's theorem. Lagrange's mean value theorem. Monotonicity/strict monotonicity test on an interval.
Taylor's polynomial and Maclaurin's polynomial. Taylor's theorem; Taylor's formula and Maclaurin's formula of order n, with Peano's remainder. Second sufficient condition for local maximizers/minimizers. Determination of global and local maximizers/minimizers. Study of the graph of a function.
Antiderivatives of a function. Indefinite integral: definition. Elementary integrals. Integration methods: by decomposition, by parts, by substitution. Definite integral (according to Riemann): definition, geometric meaning. Fundamental theorems of calculus. Computation of definite integrals. Mean value. Generalized integral on unbounded intervals.

Statistics:
Descriptive statistics. Sample space, data analysis, dispersion measures. Quantitative and qualitative variables. Frequencies.
Probability: sample space. Random events, probability of an event, probability space. Probability axioms. Stochastically independent events, positively/negatively correlated events. Bayes's theorem. Discrete and continuous random numbers Distribution function. Expected value and variance .Random vectors: covariance and correlation. Binomial, Poisson distributions. Uniform, exponential, normal, t-student distributions (introductory notes). Central limit theorem. Hypothesis testing (introductory notes).
Prerequisites for admission
Algeabric equations and inequalities, analytic geometry
Teaching methods
Lectures
Teaching Resources
i) A. Guerraggio - "Matematica per le scienze " - Pearson
ii) M. Abate - "Matematica e Statistica - Le basi per le scienze della vita" - McGraw Hill Education
iii) D. Benedetto, M. Degli Esposti, C. Maffei - "Matematica per le scienze della vita» - Casa Editrice Ambrosiana
Assessment methods and Criteria
Written modality, score out of 30, either with two partials or general exam. There will also an oral assessment.

Modality with two partials: the first test on mathematics , the second one on statistics. The two partials will be taken during the course.
Each test lasts 2 hour.
MAT/07 - MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS - University credits: 6
Practicals: 32 hours
Lessons: 32 hours