Mathematics

MA 341-003 Home Page

Semester: Fall 2006
Meeting time: TH 10:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Meeting place: HA 263

Name: Stephen Schecter
E-mail address: schecter@math.ncsu.edu
Office location: HA 349
Office hours: MTWHF 9:10 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Office telephone number: 515-6533
Office fax number: 513-7336

Students will
1. Learn to solve ordinary differential equations using various techniques: mostly analytical, some numerical and graphical.
2. Learn to model problems from the sciences as ordinary differential equations, and to relate solutions to the original problem.

MA 242, or MA 132 and MA 231, or equivalent.

Nagle, Saff, and Snider, Fundamentals of Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems, 4th edition (ISBN: 0-321-14571-2), Addison-Wesley, 2003, $104.48 (Amazon).

Students are expected to arrive on time and to stay until the class ends. Attendance at all meetings of the class is expected. We will take attendance beginning Monday, August 28. Attendance records are used to answer questions from University administrators and academic advisors; they are not used for grading.

I will assign homework regularly, to be discussed at the next class. It will not be graded, but you will find that doing it is essential. If you miss class please check the homework page.

I strongly suggest that you find some other students to work on homework with. Staring at a problem you don't understand is not a good use of your time!

I sometimes send e-mail to the class. E-mail goes to the address you have given to the University. To see what this address is, go to the University OnLine Directory and look yourself up. If that is not the e-mail address you want, there is a link that lets you change it.

There will be three tests and a final exam.

Calculators may be used only to do arithmetic and evaluate the numerical value of expressions (for example, e^(.2) or sin(.7)). They may not be used for differentiation, integration, albegra, solving differential equations, graphing, etc.

The table of integrals on the inside front cover of the text may be used on tests. Once we get to Laplace transforms, the table on the inside back cover of the text may be used.

If you miss a test, I will need a letter documenting the reason. Makeup tests can only be given for reasons such as illness, family emergency, participation in a University-sponsored event, required court attendance or military duty, or religious observances as certified by the Department of Student Development.

If you know you will be absent on a test date, you must clear the absence with me in advance and schedule a makeup date. In the case of an unanticipated absence on a test date, you must give me documentation and schedule a makeup date as soon as possible. See the University policies.

For University guidelines on academic integrity, see the Code of Student Conduct.

I will calculate your grade two ways.


• Method 1
  • Each in-class test counts 22% of your grade.
  • The final counts 34% of your grade.
  
  
• Method 2
  • The lowest in-class test counts 12% of your grade.
  • Each of the other two in-class tests counts 24% of your grade.
  • The final counts 40% of your grade.

I will use whichever method gives the higher grade.

You can check your grades on the Grade Book.

We will not use technology in this class but you may wish to explore it on your own. See the Technology and DE's page of this web site for suggestions on using Maple and the Interactive DE Tool that comes with the text.

Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with verifiable disabilities. In order to take advantage of available accomodations, students must register with Disability Services for Students at 1900 Student Health Center, Campus Box 7509, 515-7653. For more information on NC State's policy on working with students with disabilities, please see the Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Regulation here.

Try the Mathematics Department Multimedia Center.

The textbook publisher offers tutoring for a small fee. Go to http://www.aw-bc.com/tutorcenter.

NC State home page