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SyllabusIntroductionThis course will cover the following topics, as stated in the graduate student handbook:
I will also try to cover some numerical methods for solving differential equations. The class web page is http://www.ccs.uky.edu/~douglas/ma214. The syllabus is online at http://www.ccs.uky.edu/~douglas/ma214/syllabus.html. Both of these web pages contain numerous hyperlinks that you will useful. Please check the class web page often since it will be updated weekly. GradingYour grade will be based on the homework (50%) and the exams (50%). The number of points that an assignment or exam is worth will be on the class web page's calendar. Only letter grades will be given (no +/-'s). The course will be graded on a curve. The starting percentages that you need to ensure a grade are the following: 90% (A), 80% (B), 70% (C), 60% (D). Doing all of the homework correctly gets you a long way towards passing the course. From a legal viewpoint, I am allowed to change the grading system anytime in the course as long as I give adequate notice to the class. The university ombud issues memorandums that cover this and many more topics. However, you should watch the class web page for any changes in the grading policy. Exam PoliciesThe regular exams will be one hour each (7-8pm) on Tuesday, September 28, October 19, and November 16. The final exam is scheduled for Tuesday, December 14 (6-8pm) in the classroom, CP 367. Exams will be open book. The policy on calculators and laptop computers will be determined before the first exam (the class web page will have the policy when it is decided). Homework and Computer PoliciesI will collect homework at the beginning of each class. Unlike some of the other sections of MA 214, I will not have homework quizzes. While I will suggest a number of problems that the class should do all of, I will assign specific problems to turn in each week. Problems that are not required to be turned in, but are suggested, may appear on the exams. I will take late homework only if there is a compelling reason; please contact me in advance if at all possible, however. I will give you an extension for a serious health problem, a job interview, the death of a relative, or a similar, serious situation. If you cannot attend a class lecture when an assignment is due, please leave it before class in 325 McVey Hall with one of the administrative assistants. The office is open from 8:30-4:30 weekdays. Alternately, put it under the door of 321 McVey if nobody is inside either office. All students must have access to a computer account. Some of the homeworks will require using a computer. You should also have access to Maple, e-mail, and the web. If you can get access to Matlab, so much the better. Behavioral PoliciesAll assignments and programs should be done individually. However, you are allowed to consult your peers for ideas as long as you cite them appropriately (i.e., you must state their name and what they contributed). I want you to do the programs and to write the assignments up by yourself, however, unless I specifically state that groups are allowed. Computers and symbolic calculators are allowed unless specifically prohibited. I will trust you to follow this doctrine. Failure to meet my expectations can lead to a failing grade with all sorts of legal ramifications that neither you nor I ever want to experience. Office Hours and Contact InformationMy office hours will be reached by class consensus during the first class and posted as part of the electronic syllabus. Office hours will be on Tuesday through Thursday:
or by appointment on those days. My primary office is 321A McVey Hall. My office telephone number is 257-2326 and the FAX is 323-1029. Feel free to telephone my office as late as 11:00pm. In a pinch, I can be reached at home on weekends at 203-625-9449. Please do not call me at home before 8:00am or after 9:00pm. I respond to e-mail (douglas@ccs.uky.edu) fairly quickly (always include a phone number where I can call you back). If you are stuck on something, please do not hesitate to contact me. Warning: The entrance to my office is inside another office (321 McVey). I really do not hear knocking on the outer office's door. Please just walk in and continue right into 321A and let me know that you are present. Do not assume that I will know that you are in the outer office. If I am not in my office, go straight to 325 McVey and ask where am I. I may well be in there and have to be extracted from another inner office. Please be utterly brazen. Reading MaterialThe textbook is
We will cover sections of the following:
In addition, I would recommend that you consider consulting any of the following:
If you find any other source that you think would be useful to the rest of the class, please e-mail me the information and I will post it here. IntegrationThe assignments will involve integrating formulae. You are free to do this using a computer system like Maple, Mathematica, or Matlab unless a methodology is specified as part of the assignment. I would recommend that you do as many of the assignments in Maple as you can. Note that using Maple will probably save you a lot of time over hand evaluations. Time cannot be reversed, so any time that is wasted is a part of your life that cannot be recovered for useful things that you choose. It is up to you to choose which methodology that you use. |
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