Curvature in the Calculus Curriculum New （曲率的微积分课程新）.pdfVIP

Curvature in the Calculus Curriculum Jerry Lodder 1. INTRODUCTION. My first duty as a new graduate student at a major research university was the repeated correction of the same problem on 150 calculus exams. The course material was the calculus of curves and surfaces in three-space, and the problem was a routine calculation of curvature, requiring the memorization of a par- ticular formula and the mechanics of differentiation. Being conscientious in my duties, I devised a grading scheme whereby a mistake in algebra would cost a few points and a mistakenly computed derivative a few more points, with the largest point deduction reserved for an incorrect formula for curvature. Not only had the material been reduced to rote calculation, but that method of instruction, at least for the calculus sequence, was being promulgated to the next generation of instructors. Possibly the difficulty lies in the subject itself—how can a critical understanding of curvature be tested on a one-hour exam, especially when curvature is merely one of several topics to be tested? Should the students be asked to explain the definition of curvature as the magnitude of the rate of change of the unit tangent with respect to arclength? In subsequent courses I have spent more time motivating that particular definition than actually computing curvature, but find the definition rather far removed from an intuitive idea of curvature. Should the students be asked to sketch the osculat- ing circle to a given curve at a given point, and then notice that as the point of contact changes, the radius of the circle is inversely proportional to the measure of curva- ture? This seems more intuitive, and remains quite a viable introduction to curvature, although the concept of an osculating circle requires some explanation. Why would anyone have bothered to construct such a circle, our students and teaching assistants may