Math 307, Differential Equations
Fall '97

Important dates: There will be a quiz on Friday October 24 which will not count towards the final grade; it is for you to judge your own progress. The midterm is on Friday, November 14, and the final is 8:30-10:20 a.m. on Tuesday, December 16 (check this date!). You must use a blue book for exams.

Office Hours: Wednesday, Friday 1:30-2:30 in Padelford C-418, and by appointment.

The textbook is ``Elementary Differential Equations'', 6th Edition, by Boyce and DiPrima. We will cover the following: Sections 2.1-2.7. All of Chapter 3 plus a review of complex numbers. We will also use the Math 307 notes ``Infinite Series'', which are available from ASUW Lecture Notes. We will finish with Sections 5.1-5.3 of Boyce-DiPrima.

The prerequisite is Math 125, and Math 126 is strongly recommended.

By the end of the course you should appreciate some of the issues involved in the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940.

You are responsible for any material or information that is handed out or discussed in the lectures. Handouts and homework are distributed during one and only one lecture; if you miss that lecture, then you must come to my office to obtain the handout or homework. If you must leave during the lecture please let me know beforehand, and sit near the door so as not to disturb the class.

Homework is assigned for almost each class. Except in extraordinary circumstances, late homework will not be accepted. Questions about the homework will be answered after you hand it in at the beginning of each class. In each homework set only two problems will be graded. Each graded problem is worth 5 points. There are 25 homework assignments, but only your 15 best will count towards the final grade. In order to perform well in this course, you will have to do more homework problems than are assigned. The homework is listed at the end of this handout. The due dates are not cast in stone, but they give you some idea of the flow and pace of the course. Actual due dates will be specified on a day by day basis in order to maintain some degree of flexibility in the rate at which each topic is covered.

Your final grade will be determined by the total you achieve on the homework, Midterm, and final. Your fifteen best homework scores, are worth 150 points. The quiz (Friday October 24) on Chapter 2 is worth 50 points; the midterm (Friday Nov. 14) on Chapters 2 and 3 is worth 100 points; the Final Exam (8:30-10:20 on Wednesday Dec. 17) is worth 200 points. In this scheme the greatest possible score is 500 points. The final GPA will be based on a class curve.

NO CALCULATORS ARE NEEDED OR PERMITTED DURING EXAMS

The grader for this course is Sam Chiu. Her email address is

syc@u.washington.edu

  • October 24 quiz

  • Answers to October 24 quiz

  • First Midterm and solutions

  • Second Midterm and solutions

  • Practice Final
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