When and Where: MTWTF between 9.50-11.20 am in HA 368.
My office hours: Kartik's office hours are Mondays and Wednesdays between 11.30-12.30 pm, or by appointment. To set up an appointment please send me an email in advance.
Course webpage: The official webpage for this course is located at http://www4.ncsu.edu/~kksivara/ma341summer07. It is your duty to check the webpage regularly for course announcements. I will also post course material, including handouts, review problems, and solutions to exams here. The webpage should be up to date. However, please inform me about missing links, and necessary updates by sending me email.
Course prerequisites: MA 242 or (MA 132 and MA 231) are the prerequisites for the course.
Course objectives: This course is a unique blend of the theory of differential equations, analytical and simple numerical techniques for their solution, and finally their exciting application to real world problems. First and foremost, the course is a rigorous study of ordinary differential equations and can be fully understood by anyone who has the necessary prequisites. We will also consider a number of exciting applications from science and engineering. These applications are entirely self contained. First, the problem to be solved is outlined clearly, and one or more differential equations are derived as a model for the problem. These equations are then solved, and the results are compared with real world data.
Course topics: The following topics will be covered in the course.
Review Problems: I will post review problems on the course webpage at the end of each class. I expect you to work out these problems in sufficient detail with your other classmates. You are not expected to turn in the review problems and they will not be graded. However, they will serve as excellent preparation for the tests and the final exam.
Exams: There will be three one hour tests during the semester and a comprehensive final exam. See the course schedule on the class webpage for more information on the tests. Although the tests are closed book, you can use a crib sheet of formulas during the tests. The final exam will be held in class on Tuesday, August 7 between 8-11 am. As you expect, each exam has to be your own work. You will not miss an exam without a certified medical excuse or prior instructor approval. If you cannot make it to an exam, please let me know well in advance!
Grading: Please make it a point to pick up graded exams. If you detect mistakes in the grading, please notify me immediately. Exam scores will not be changed one week after they have been returned!
Calculation of course grade: A weighted average will be calculated as follows: Class participation: 10 %, Tests (3): 60 %, and final exam: 30 %. The grade scale is the following: 90-100 A-,A,A+; 80-89 B-,B,B+; 70-79 C-,C,C+; 60-69 D-,D,D+; below 60 F.
Textbook:
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Nagle, Saff, and Snider, Fundamentals of Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems, 4th edition, Pearson and Addison Wesley Press, 2004. This will serve as the required textbook for the course. A link to the book at amazon.com. |
Academic Integrity: Please review the guidelines posted at the following website.
Students with disabilities: Please check the following website for more information.