Using cobwebbing to visualize how a linear approximation to a function captures its behavior around equilibria.
Highlighted pages
- Introduction to differentiability in higher dimensions
An introduction to the basic concept of the differentiability of a function of multiple variables. Discussion centers around the existence of a tangent plane to a function of two variables. - The components of the curl
Illustration of the meaning behind the components of the curl. - Level sets
A introduction to level sets. Illustrates level curves and level surfaces with interactive graphics. - The idea behind Green's theorem
Introduction to Green's theorem, based on the intuition of microscopic and macroscopic circulation of a vector field. - Introduction to the multivariable chain rule
Introduction to the multivariable chain rule. The basic concepts are illustrated through a simple example.
Recent pages
- Plotting line graphs in R
Basic commands to plot line graphs with one or more series in R
Added Jan. 16, 2017 - For-loops in R
How to use a for-loop in R
Added Jan. 12, 2017 - Visualizing the solution to a two-dimensional system of linear ordinary differential equations
An interactive plot of the the solution trajectory of a 2D linear ODE, where one can explore the behavior of the solution in the phase plane and versus time.
Added Sept. 20, 2016 - More new items
Highlighted applets
Using cobwebbing to visualize how a linear approximation to a function captures its behavior around equilibria.
Illustration of how the polar coordinate transformation maps a rectangle onto on the Cartesian plane and changes area.
Welcome to Math Insight
The Math Insight web site is a collection of pages and applets designed to shed light on concepts underlying a few topics in mathematics. The focus is on qualitative description rather than getting all technical details precise. Many of the pages were designed to be read even before students attend lecture on the topic, so they are intended to be somewhat readable introductions to the basic ideas.
You can browse the pages organized into threads, which are sequences through a subset of pages organized by particular topics. An index can help you find pages discussing a particular term. You can also search through the pages, applets, and image captions. A few pages allow you to change the notation system used to render the mathematics.
We hope Math Insight can help you understand key mathematical concepts. We welcome comments on how we can improve it.