Mathematics

MA 341-005 Home Page

Semester: Spring 2005
Meeting time: MWF 1:30 p.m. - 2:20 p.m.
Meeting place: HA 201

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

Name: Terry Ford
E-mail address: ttford@unity.ncsu.edu
Office location: Withers 139
Office hours: T 2:30 - 3:30 in WI 139, W 2:30 - 3:30 in HA 244
Office telephone number: 515-7324

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, 2004, $120.

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, January 24. 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.

WebCT can be used for on-line discussions about the course, and to check your grades.

To log in to WebCT, go to http://webct.ncsu.edu, log in, and click on MA 341-005. Then click on "Discussions" or "My grades."

If you click on "Discussions," you will see a list of discussion topics, and you will see if there are any messages you have not read. You can post messages under the various topics, read messages, and reply to messages. Only people in our class have access to these messages.

You can use the topic "About us" to introduce yourself to the class. The topic "All" includes all the messages from all the topics.

Apparently only the instructor can create new topics. If you would like a topic added, send me an email.

Some suggestions about messages:


• When you compose a message, try to give it a subject that helps people decide if they want to read it. The subject should not be "Re: previous message" if a different subject would be clearer.
• The compose window has an equation editor to help you type mathematics.
• If you post a message that you later regret, let me know. I can delete it.

Some suggestions about WebCT:


• WebCT pages have help buttons at the upper right.
• The managers of WebCT suggest that you not use your browser's back and forward buttons within WebCT.
• There is much helpful information at http://webct.ncsu.edu.

There will be three tests and a final exam. 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.

• Each in-class test counts 22% of your grade.
• The final counts 34% of your grade.

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.

The NC State policy on working with students with disabilities can be found 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