Mathematical tools for analytics

Course information

Learning outcomes and content

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 the concepts of expectation and integration as well as some of their practical applications, and is familiar with the core concepts of common numerical and stochastic 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.

Teacher

Sami Helander

Study material

The materials presented in the lectures and exercises.

Workload

Lectures, exercise sessions, individual study.

Prerequisites

Recommended prerequisites: 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 at Sisu information system

1. The link leads to Completion methods tab of the course page
2. From the top of the page (Version drop-down menu), check that academic year 2025-2026 is selected  

3. From the blue bar, click Lecture and open the Groups and teaching times tab to see the teaching time and the location of the course. Exam times can be seen by clicking 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 4.8.2025 at 9.00  
Registration for this course ends on 25.8.2025 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

Activating Aalto ID and Multifactor Authentication

You can activate your Aalto User ID the day after the registration and you should activate it no later than the day before the start of the course.
Instructions for activating your Aalto user ID

Once you have activated your Aalto user ID, also enable multifactor authentication. Some of Aalto University's services require multifactor authentication.

Instructions for using Multifactor Authentication