Please note that my Midterm Exam Prep Seminar for Math 1500 continues with Part 2 this Sunday, Oct. 20).  Even if you are distance, you will find this seminar quite a helpful review of the first half of the course.  Please note that I will not discuss the topics covered in this seminar at the Final Exam Seminar in December.  For more info about the seminar, and to sign up if you wish, please click this link:

Did you read my tips on how to study and learn Math 1500?  If not, here is a link to those important suggestions:

Did you see my tips for Assignment 1?  If not, here is a link to those important suggestions:

Did you see my tips for Assignment 2?  If not, here is a link to those important suggestions:

These are tips for the third assignment in the Distance/Online Math 1500 course, but I strongly recommend that you do this assignment as homework even if you are taking the classroom lecture section of the course.  These assignments are very good (and challenging) practice.

Here is a link to the actual assignment, in case you don't have it:

Note that you need to study Lesson 5 (The Differentiation Rules), Lesson 6 (Implicit Differentiation), Lesson 7 (Related Rates), and Lesson 8 (Log and Exponential Derivatives)  from my Intro Calculus book to prepare for this assignment.

Don't have my book? You can download a sample containing lessons1 and 2 here:

A good runthrough of your differentiation rules as taught in Lesson 5.

Similar to my question 6 in Lesson 5.

Classic implicit diff as taught in my Lesson 6.

Lesson 6 again.

A very challenging higher-order derivative like I discuss in question 4 of Lesson 5.  Be very careful.  Don't miss your product rules and don't lose track of your minus signs.  Be sure you take a moment to simplify f'(x) before you proceed to f''(x).  Then, simplify f''(x) before you proceed to f'''(x).

Make sure you have studied Lesson 8 in my book before you do these derivatives.  Especially make sure you have studied how to do var^var problems as taught in this lesson.

First, contact the prof because there is a typo in this question.  You are told y = lnx^2 but the graph says it is y = lnx^5.  I assume it is supposed to be lnx^2.

You can use a Log Law to simplify the given function!

This is a very challenging problem.  Be sure to take a look at my Practise Problem questions 89 and 90 in Lesson 5 before attempting this question.  The key is to label the point on the curve that is also on the tangent line as (a, lna^2), where a is the unknown x -coordinate of the point of tangency.  Then, find the slope of the tangent line using your high school slope formula and also by using derivatives.

Classic related rates (Lesson 7) similar to my question 2.

Another Lesson 7 quite similar to my Practise Problem 11.