Math 211
Ordinary Differential Equations and Linear algebra
Rice University, Spring 2005
Below you will find all of the necessary information about this course.
| Class meetings: | Tuesday, Thursday 10:50-12:05, HZ 210 |
| Instructor: | Theron Hitchman |
| Instructor office hours: | TR 2:30-4pm, W 11am-noon, and by appt. |
| Graduate TAs: | Jer-Chin (Luke) Chuang and Shuijing (Crystal) Li |
| Help Sessions: | Monday, 7-9pm, Ryon 102 |
You can also print the
First Day Handout
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The final project is due Wednesday, May 11th by 5pm. More information can be found on the projects page, including the assignment and a link to a guide for writing the report.
Collected links for reference
MATLAB information page
class notes page.
the homework page.
the projects page.
the exams from previous semesters
Important Dates
| First Exam: Thursday 2/17, 7-8:30pm | Second Exam: Tuesday 4/5, 7-8:30pm | Final Exam: self-scheduled |
introduction
This class is an introduction to differential equations and linear algebra. The class should appeal to anyone with an interest in any science, as differential equations is the part of mathematics most used by scientists (of all types) to describe the world.
Most of the semester will be a focus on the basic principles of differential equations. There will be an interlude on basic linear algebra to prepare us for understanding the nature of systems of differential equations and higher order equations.
We shall use the textbook by Polking, Boggess and Arnold titled Differential Equations and the accompanying MATLAB lab manual (the manual is now in a third edition). We will use MATLAB (a computer algebra system) a great deal to help with computations and visualizations, so it is important to have your Owlnet account setup properly. For more information on this facet of the course, see the information page, and the Math 211 FAQ provided by Owlnet. Familiarize yourself with this stuff as soon as possible.
class notes
In the case that you miss a class, I will try to stay in the habit of posting my notes on a separate
class notes page. However, I anticipate two problems with this:
- I am lazy and these won't necessarily be up-to-date, and
- They might be a bit sketchy.
The second problem stems from the fact that these are my "at-the-board" notes, not a text book. So they will often skip steps, lack some of the discussion I give and not refer to any computer stuff we do with any detail.
That being said, they might help you in some way.
exams
The first exam is over. Man, it was awesome. Here are the solutions, for the curious.
The second exam is over. Man, it was awesome. Here are the solutions, for the curious.
Homework
I will assign homework weekly, and I'll keep an up-to-date list of assignments and due dates here.
Homework is not pledged. You are free to work in groups to complete exercises, but each student must write up their own solutions for grading. Late assignments will not be accepted.
For more details, see the homework page.
Projects
During this course, students will complete two independent projects in differential equations. The first will be a warm-up, really. That is, it is a real project, but the effect on your grade is significantly smaller than the big project.
The final project is a major part of the course. It will involve most (if not all) of the major themes of the course, and will require significant effort.
I will announce the topics for these later in the term. For more information on the type of things you should expect, see the projects page.
Grading Policies
Final course grades will be determined by weighting scores from various assessments in the following manner:
| homework | 10% | | first exam | 20% |
| initial project | 5% | | second exam | 20% |
| final project | 20% | | final exam | 25% |
Accommodations
Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments or accommodations should speak with me during the first two weeks of class. All discussions will remain confidential. Students with disabilities should also contact Disability Support Services in the Ley Student Center.
For the curious
If you are curious about the type of mathematics you will learn in this class, here is a link to a page with many of the exams from previous semesters. I suppose these might serve as an informal study guide, too, when the time comes.