GATE DA - 2025
CALCULUS
SYLLABUS
GATE - 2024
1. Function of single variable
2. Limits
3. Continuity 2 - 2 marks
4. Differentiability 1 - 1 mark
5. Taylor Series
6. Maxima & Minima 1 - 2 mark
7. Optimization involving a single variable 1 - 1 mark
Total - 8 marks in Gate DA 2024
What is Calculus?
In simple terms, calculus is the mathematical study that deals with rate of
change and accumulation.
Study that deals with rate of change - Differential Calculus
Study that deals with finding the area under specific region - Integral
Calculus
part of GATE DA syllabus
Why Calculus?
Calculus helps us to analyze the variables involved and make us understand
the data and make decisions based on that analysis.
Let see some interesting examples to understand even more.
Example 1:
Performance analysis
Average trend in IPL over the years from 2008 - 2023 for Virat, Rohit & Dhoni
What does the above graph explains?
1. Virat average gradually increases and his performance was extremely well during 2015-18
2. Dhoni started very well but his batting form dips over the years especially inbetween 2011-2017
3. Rohit started his initial career very well and his form was ON and OFF over the time period.
These analysis we shall make by the studying the graph as we notice rate of change in their averages in that
particular years.
Example 2:
Decision Making
Covid trend in 2020-21
What does the above graph explains?
1. In 2020, covid cases was very low but we could some significant increase during (May - June 2020) which
indicates the first wave. This data would help government to analyze and that helped in decision to put India in
lockdown during that period.
2. In 2021, the covid cases was extremely high and this is the phase government decided to vaccinate
everyone throughout the country to control the spread of disease.
These data help us arrive at a decision which even saves many human life.
Example 3:
DESIGN A BALL GAME
Let say you are designing a game where each players should throw a ball from
their position and player who covers the maximum area is declared as a winner.
Assume, we have three players in this game. Let say, currently, VenKee, ViKy
and Kumaran were playing this game.
Above graph indicates, A1 region covered by Viky, A2 region covered by
VenKee and A3 region covered by Kumaran. To declare the winner of the
game, you need to calculate max(A1,A2,A3) and to calculate A1, A2 & A3,
we need to understand integral calculus. But its not part of Gate DA.
CALCULUS FOR DATA SCIENCE & MACHINE
LEARNING:
Human Learning
For better understanding of above pictorial context, let me detail it here.
How we prepare for Gate Exams? ---- We study lot of topics from
various lecture tutorails, books and notes. Along with that we have
multiple practice tests (say we have 100 tests from T1, T2,...,T100). All
of these were part of GATE training.
Why do we do that? To do well on our unseen test data(GATE 2025
Main exam)
Once we covered the topics, we start giving practice test T1, we will
make some mistakes and get back to our books and revise to ensure
we don't do the same mistake next time and in next test T2 we will
make some other mistakes and get learn for subsequent tests.This will
ensure that we prepare wide variety of topics and make us avoid such
mistakes in final GATE Exam.
So when number of training data (practice tests) increases, your score
in Test (GATE DA) is expected to increase.
But how this can be replicated by Machine Learning Model?
Machine Learning
For better understanding of above pictorial context, let me detail it here.
How machines prepare for Gate Exams? ---- the same set of training
data is also fed to model as input.
Model will start giving practice test T1, we will make some mistakes
and backpropagate (calculus is used here to calculate the gradient)
and update the weights and the process keep on repeating till the loss
is minimized.
The concept of loss and backprogation and updating weights might
seems confusing, but these will be covered during neural network
classes as part of GATE DA. The purpose of this is to note that,
calculus is involved in backpropagation method and many optimization
methods in machine learning.
So when number of training data (practice tests) increases, even ML
Model score in Test (GATE DA) is expected to increase.
Do you believe that a ML model could give exams like GATE and still
clear it?
Yeah it could. Let's look into what some of the recent
advancements happened in the filed of ML after GENERATIVE
AI (ChatGPT entry).
Here are some of the exams that ChatGPT has cleared.
1. Wharton MBA Exam (got B/B- grade on test)
2. Google Coding Interview (hired at L3 position - salary $1.83L)
3. United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE - 60%)\
4. Law Exams at the university of Minnesota (passed 4 courses)
Attaching the link for more details:
https://english.jagran.com/technology/chatgpt-chatbot-cleared-
these-5-competitive-exams-with-great-ease-details-
inside-10066202
So now we could ensure that if model is trained properly it could
even clear the exams like GATE.
From now, let's dive deep into the world of CALCULUS
CHAPTER 1 - FUNCTION OF SINGLE VARIABLE
Why to study about functions?
❇ In calculus, we study most things that will change according to the pattern. These patterns will be mathematically represented by functions.
Function in simple terms
Relationship between two variables
Means one variable is dependent on other variable.
Mathematical Definition
❇A function f from a set A to a set B is a rule that assigns to each element x in A to one and only element y in B. We denote it by f: A →B.
❇If a function f is described by y=f(x), then we call x the independent variable and y the dependent variable.
Domain & Range of a Function
❇The set A is called the domain of the function. The elements y in B called the values of f at x is denoted by f(x). The set of all values y=f(x), as x varies over the
domain of f is called the range of f.
Example 1:
f(x) = x, find domain and range
Solution:
x can vary from -inf to inf
as x vary from -inf to inf, even f(x) can vary from -inf to inf
so, Domain = (-inf, inf)
Range = (-inf, inf)
Example 2:
f(x) = sqrt(x), find domain and range
Solution:
if x vary from -inf to -1 (negative numbers), sqrt(x) doesn't exist. So it
exists only for [0, inf)
as x vary from 0 to inf, even f(x) can vary from 0 to inf.
Some may have doubt that, sqrt(x) can be both positive and
negative, then range should be (-inf to inf). If you have this doubt,
then this explanation is for you.
Let take example,
Note:
Here in these problems, sqrt(x) indicates principal square root of a number is always positive.
-sqrt(x) is considered as negative. In more details,
sqrt(25) = 5
-sqrt(25) = -5
So this sqrt(x) can be drawn as follows.
How to determine whether it is a function or not just by seeing graphs?
It can be done by VERTICAL LINE test.
What is Vertical Line test?
Vertical line test states that a vertical line needs to cuts the graph of a
function at only one point for it to represent a function. If the graph is cut by
the vertical line at more than one point, then the graph is not a function.
Examples:
Identify whether the following graphs represents functions or not.
Piecewise Function:
It is a function that behaves differently for two types of input.
If a function takes on any input and gives the output as 1. It can be
represented as f(x) = 1. But in case of piecewise function, it is defined by
individual expression for each interval.
These functions are useful to model real-life scenarios in terms of
mathematical functions and then solve the problem.
Evaluating a Function
Given a function f(x) = 3x+20, to evaluate the function f at real number a,
we simply replace x by a in the function equation.
Exponential Functions
The figure shows the plot of a function over the interval [-4, 4]. Which one of the
options given CORRECTLY identifies the function?
