4.30-5.50 MW, CHL 015
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Final Exam: Monday, 10 December, 4.30-6.20, CHL 015
Final Review/Office Hours: Friday, 7 December, 3.30-5 ART 336
Practice Exams: 1 |
2 |
3
(Additional sample questions can be found here
thanks to Professor Ed Curtis.)
PDF Syllabus
Quiz 1: Wednesday, 3 October
Quiz 2: Wednesday, 17 October
Quiz 3: Wednesday, 24 October
Quiz 4: Wednesday, 21 November
Quiz 5: Wednesday, 5 December
Midterm: Wednesday, 7 November (Solutions)
Sample Exams: 1
| 2 |
3
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Instructor: Luke Gutzwiller
E-mail: gutzwill@math.washington.edu
Office: ART 336
Office Hours:
Homework will be due (almost) every week on Wednesday. Assignments will be posted on the web. If you can't make it to class for whatever reason, you can leave your homework in my mailbox, which is in the Math Lounge in Padelford. The Lounge closes at 5. Only a few problems--possibly three--from each homework set will be graded; of course, I won't tell you which ones beforehand. That would spoil the fun.
This course is a culmination of the sequence begun in 307 with the study of ordinary differential equations and continued in 308 with the study of linear algebra and systems of linear equations. In 309 we will combine the two previous courses to study systems of ordinary differential equations, as well as partial differential equations and boundary value problems. We will learn how to reduce any ordinary differential equation to a system of first-order equations, and in the case of a linear system we will use matrix methods like diagonalization to obtain solutions. We will also discuss nonlinear systems, although most of the time we will not be able to solve them exactly. We will also discuss Fourier series, an extremely useful example of an orthogonal function expansion with extremely broad applications. The methods we learn are used in mathematical biology, physics of all sorts, economics, and many branches of engineering.
The textbook is Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems, 8th Edition by Boyce and DiPrima. The book, and our lectures, will avoid most of the theoretical argumentation and proof to focus on hands-on techniques for solving problems motivated by the sciences and engineering. We will cover chapters 7 and 10 of the book, with perhaps a hint of chapter 9.
I will try to keep a schedule online here to keep track of what I cover in lecture each day.
Final grades for the course will be based on a weighted average of one's percentage grades on the quarter's assignments. There will be weekly homework assignments worth a total of 10% of your overall grade. There will also be short quizzes, about 30 minutes in length and announced in advance in class and on the course webpage. These quizzes will count for 30% of your overall grade. There will also be one midterm and a final exam, worth 30% of your overall grade each. Grades on individual exams or whatnot will not be curved, but your final, total grades for the course will be determined by a piecewise linear curve based on the overall performance of the class.
The exams and quizzes will of course be closed-book. You may bring one 8.5x11" sheet of notes to the midterm and to the final. Feel free to use both sides if you like. You may not use notes on the quizzes. You may use a scientific or a graphing calculator if you wish. You will be required to show all your work to get full credit.
You may not make up a missed exam unless you have an extremely good excuse, like a medical emergency, funeral, or fire. If you know in advance that you will have to miss one, try to contact me at least one week beforehand to request a makeup. I may or may not grant you one, depending on the circumstances. If you miss an exam due to a sudden emergency, contact me as soon afterwards as possible. I may ask you for some kind of written confirmation, such as a doctor's note.