Learning Objectives
By the end of Math for Economics II, students should have a complete understanding of optimization and should be able to apply the Lagrange multipliers approach to constrained optimization problems. They will also learn to solve systems of equations using linear algebra. Time permitting, they will also be exposed to the principal methods of dynamic analysis of economic processes, and introductory concepts and results of integration and differential equations. A student should be able to find solutions of elementary differential equations and analyze their stability.
Class Meetings
Lectures will meet twice a week for 75 minutes. There is a mandatory 75 minute recitation session. You must register for lecture and recitation separately.
Prerequisites
Students who wish to enroll in Math for Economics II must meet one of the following prerequisites:
- Placement into Math for Economics II by our departmental placement test.
- A grade of ‘C’ or higher in Math for Economics I, MATH-UA.211
See the math department’s placement web page for more information.
Grades
Your course score will be determined as the following weighted average:
| Item | Weight |
| Midterm Exams | 40% |
| Problem Sets | 10% |
| WebAssign | 10% |
| Quizzes | 10% |
| Final Exam | 30% |
| Total | 100% |
We will convert this score to a letter grade beginning with these values as cutoffs:
| Cutoff | Letter Grade |
| 93 | A |
| 90 | A- |
| 87 | B+ |
| 83 | B |
| 80 | B- |
| 75 | C+ |
| 65 | C |
| 50 | D |
| 0 | F |
These cutoffs might be adjusted, but only in the downward direction (to make letter grades higher).
A note on grades of W and I
You may drop the course in the first two weeks without it appearing on your transcript. After that, and through the ninth week, you may withdraw and receive a grade of ‘W’ on your transcript. No withdrawals are granted after the ninth week.
A grade of ‘Incomplete’ (I) is granted only in the rare circumstances that an emergency prevents a student in good standing from finishing the course in its last few weeks. As per the CAS Bulletin:
“Students who are ill or have a serious personal problem should see, call, or write to an adviser in the College Advising Center, College of Arts and Science, New York University, Silver Center, 100 Washington Square East, Room 905, New York, NY 10003-6688; 212-998-8130.”
Textbook and Materials
The course lectures and notes will be self-contained, and all quizzes and exams will cover material discussed in class or in recitation. However, we will follow the sections from the textbooks below. Feel free to use them as a reference.
- Essential Calculus: Early Transcendentals by James Stewart, 2nd edition.
- Essential Mathematics for Economic Analysis by Knut Sydsaeter and Peter Hammond, 5th edition.
In addition, a WebAssign subscription will be required for the online homework component of this course. This subscription includes access to the eBook of Essential Calculus by James Stewart, 2nd edition.
The Calculator Question
A graphing calculator is encouraged for class discussion and on homework, but not allowed for exams or quizzes. No specific calculator is endorsed, so do not buy a new one. If you have one already, continue to use that one; if you do not, try free alternatives such as Wolfram Alpha.