Course information
Learning outcomes
Students develop their understanding of the core mathematical tools that are needed in many practical applications in business mathematics and analytics. After the course, the student understands and can solve systems of simultaneous equations, understands the concepts of rate of change and differentiation, understands functions of multiple arguments and the basics of optimization in the presence of constraints, is familiar with basic concepts and some practical applications of integration, and is familiar with the core concepts of common numerical search- and optimization methods and their application in practice.
The course aims to simultaneously build understanding of the core mathematical tools as well as their practical utility and applications using suitable computational software such as Excel or R.
Content
Systems of linear and nonlinear equations, basics of linear algebra, basics of linear optimization, basics of differential and integral calculus and applications of these tools in constrained and unconstrained multivariate optimization and other related numerical search methods.
Teacher
Sami Helander
Study material
The materials presented in the lectures, exercises and on MyCourses.
Workload
Lectures, exercise sessions, individual study.
Prerequisites
Recommended:
ISM-A1002 Introduction to data analytics or 30A01100 Introduction to business analytics. Good grasp of the basic mathematical curriculum of Finnish upper secondary school (Lukio) as well as basic skills in a programming language suited for scientific computation (such as R or Python for example) will aid the student on the course.
Evaluation
Exercise problems and course exam.
Teaching time and location
The teaching time and the location of the course can be found in the Sisu information system.
- The link leads to Completion methods tab of the course page
- From the top of the page (Version drop-down menu), check that academic year 2026-2027 is selected
- From the blue bar, choose the right teaching and open the Groups and study events tab to see the teaching time and location of the course. To see exam times, click Exam.
Exam instructions at the Open University
The teacher has four (4) weeks to grade the exam submissions starting from the exam date.
Further information
Equivalences to other courses:
30C00355 Business Mathematics II, 30C00350 Mathematics II, 30C00300 Mathematical Methods for Economists
Online learning environment for the course
MyCourses online learning environment is a tool for both students and teachers for communication and managing everyday course work. You need an Aalto User ID to log in to the course's MyCourses workspace and participate in teaching.
Digital workspace of the course:
MyCourses
More details on completing the course will be available at MyCourses closer to the start of the course.
Registration and course fee
Registration for Open University courses is done via the link below:
Course registration
Registration for this course starts on 10.8.2026 at 9.00
Registration for this course ends on 5.9.2026 at 23.59
It is not possible to register before the registration period has started or after it has ended.
The number of participants is limited to 10.
This course is organized by the Aalto University School of Business.
The course fee is paid upon registration for each course at a time and it is binding. Familiarize yourself with registration and payment rules as well as other guidelines for students:
Registration, payments and rules
