The course aims to provide first-year economics students with the main mathematical tools that are used to analyse and solve a wide range of problems in economics, business, finance and insurance. This will be their first step towards achieving a broad training in quantitative disciplines, as well as a good methodological training for the analysis and critical interpretation of economic and business dynamics. This will allow them to acquire the useful tools for the formulation, implementation and control of decisions in the work contexts in which they will operate.

Knowledge and understanding: By the end of the course, students will have acquired a wide range of mathematical tools and will be able to understand and solve numerous theoretical and applied problems in economics, business and finance. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: By the end of the course, students will be able to apply quantitative tools to business decisions, to the analysis of economic phenomena and to the resolution of economic and business problems in the work contexts in which they will operate. Autonomy of judgment: By the end of the course, students will be able to develop a critical capacity in identifying the most suitable solution to the proposed problem, even in highly innovative contexts. Communication skills: By the end of the course, students will be able to develop both written and oral communication skills and to highlight the relationships between the theoretical concepts and the most important economic and managerial applications. Learning ability: By the end of the course, students will be able to stay up to date and improve their skills in examining the quantitative aspects of economics and management.

The mathematical analysis for functions of a single variable allows the students to introduce the fundamental mathematical tools (limits, derivatives, integrals) for the definition and study of the mathematical models in economics. The functions of several variables make it possible to develop models that are closer to real life economics. To this end, the tools already introduced for the functions of single variable are suitably adapted to the new context. The study of the matrices and the linear systems allows the design of models capable of including large amounts of data. The explanation is accompanied by economic examples to illustrate the importance, in real life’s settings, of the tools acquired tools in during the course.

Stefan Waner, Steven R Costenoble, Finite Mathematics and Applied Calculus, 7th edition, Cengage.

The teaching activity will consist of: - in presence and online teaching; - in presence and online exercises; - A weekly interactive online appointment on the applications of mathematics in economics; - material for in-depth study of the topics available on the learn.luiss.it page of the course. The teacher and the teaching assistant will set up weekly office hours to help students.

Student assessment will take into account individual performance, participation in activities, and involvement in workgroups. Specifically, for first-year students with consistent class attendance, grading criteria are as follows: Three midterms during the course, each weighted at 20%. Each midterm includes multiple choice and written exercises questions, with point values corresponding to difficulty. The tests are graded on a 0-30 scale, with a passing grade set at 18 or higher for each test Final exam 20 %, covering the whole course, including the economic applications of mathematics. Group activities focusing on the economic applications of mathematics 15% Participation 5%. In the December 2023 session, students can retake the individual midterms along with the final exam. In the May and September 2024 sessions, there will be a two-part exam: the final exam (worth 20%) and an exam covering all three midterms (worth 60%). For the students who did not participate in group activities and/or were absent from class, the final exam will account for the remaining percentage required to achieve a total score of 100%.

Interview with the teacher after the exam.