A Telescopic View of CalculusMaster ClassIn-Person

What if there were a hidden thread running through many of the most useful ideas in calculus—one that reveals how complicated expressions can collapse into something simple and beautiful? In this master class, mathematician Steven Strogatz will explore the magic of telescoping: sums and integrals in which pieces cancel perfectly, leaving behind an elegant answer.

Together, participants will investigate telescoping structures across the curriculum—from geometric series and the sum of powers of integers to the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus itself. Along the way, they’ll discover how telescoping ideas illuminate everything from basic algebraic tricks to advanced topics in multivariable calculus. With hands-on examples, lively group work, and opportunities for classroom-ready exercises, teachers will build an intuitive sense for when and why telescoping works.

We’ll also take a brief historical journey back to Leibniz and others who first recognized these cancellations as a source of profound insight. By the end, participants will come away with a unifying theme that connects summation and integration—and a truly telescopic view of calculus.

MATH