UW MATH 124: Calculus with Analytic Geometry I
MATH 124 is UW's first-quarter calculus course: limits, derivatives, and their applications, taught with an emphasis on word problems and graphical reasoning. It's required for engineering, CS, and most science majors, making it one of the largest courses on campus.
Fennie is independent and not affiliated with University of Washington. This is an unofficial study guide.
What makes it hard
UW's calculus exams are famous for multi-step word problems: related rates and optimization built on unfamiliar setups rather than textbook templates. Students with strong high school calculus still get caught off guard because memorized procedures don't survive contact with UW's exam style. The course is also a key GPA input for capacity-constrained majors.
What you'll cover
- • Limits and continuity
- • Derivatives and differentiation rules
- • Implicit differentiation
- • Related rates
- • Optimization
- • Linear approximation and curve sketching
The MATH 124 study guide
How to study for UW MATH 124, step by step.
- 1
Patch precalculus gaps in week one
Most lost points in MATH 124 are algebra and trig errors, not calculus errors. Spend the first week drilling factoring, trig identities, and function manipulation before the related-rates wave hits.
- 2
Treat weekly WebAssign as the floor, not the ceiling
The online homework keeps you current, but it's easier than UW's exams. Finish it early each week, then add textbook problems on the same topics at higher difficulty.
- 3
Work the math department's past final archive, timed
UW posts old MATH 124 exams, and they're the truest signal of what you'll face: long word problems with unfamiliar setups. Work them under exam timing from the midpoint of the quarter onward.
- 4
Drill related rates and optimization setups separately
Practice translating word problems into equations without solving them. Setup is where UW's exam style does its damage. Ten setups beat three full solutions.
Today
Today's MATH 124 plan
What a Fennie Daily Plan looks like for MATH 124. Yours is built from your own syllabus and adapts every day to your deadlines and progress.
First plan free, no card required. Fennie is independent and unaffiliated with your school.
FAQ
Is MATH 124 at UW hard?
Harder than its AP equivalent because of exam style: long word problems with novel setups. Students who only practice template problems often score a full letter grade below expectations.
Should I take MATH 124 if I have AP Calculus credit?
If you earned AP credit for it, most majors let you start in MATH 125. Some students retake 124 for a grade boost, but the unfamiliar exam style makes that a riskier bet than it sounds.
How do I study for MATH 124 exams?
Work the posted exam archive under timed conditions. The lecture and homework are easier than the exams, so the archive is the truest signal of what you'll face.
More UW courses
MATH 125: Calculus with Analytic Geometry II
MATH 125 covers integral calculus: techniques of integration, applications like volume and work, and an introduction to differential equations. It's the second quarter of UW's calculus sequence and a prerequisite for most engineering and physical science coursework.
MATH 126: Calculus with Analytic Geometry III
MATH 126 finishes UW's calculus sequence with multivariable calculus (vectors, partial derivatives, double integrals) plus Taylor polynomials and Taylor series taught from UW's own course notes. It's the final calculus prerequisite for most STEM majors.
MATH 207: Introduction to Differential Equations
MATH 207 (formerly numbered MATH 307) is UW's introductory ordinary differential equations course: first- and second-order equations, solution techniques, and the Laplace transform, with applications to physical systems. As of autumn 2021, students may use either the 207 or 307 number toward degree requirements.
MATH 208: Matrix Algebra with Applications
MATH 208 (formerly MATH 308) is UW's applied linear algebra course: systems of linear equations, matrices, vector spaces, subspaces, orthogonality, least squares, eigenvalues, and eigenvectors. As of autumn 2021, either the 208 or 308 number counts toward degree requirements. It underpins machine learning, graphics, and most quantitative fields.