1/21/02                    SYLLABUS MATH 3200: Elementary Differential Equations

Spring Semester 2002
 

Professor: Weldon A. Lodwick

Office: CU-Denver Building, Room 622

Telephone: 556‑8462 (office - voice mail), 556‑8442 (secretary), 556-8550 (fax)

Note: If you fax your work, make sure my name appears on the first page, your work has a page number on each page and that your name is on each page.

E-Mail: weldon.lodwick@cudenver.edu

Web Site: http://www-math.cudenver.edu/~wlodwick

Text:       Modern Differential Equations 2nd Edition by Abell & Braselton, Harcourt College Publishers, 2001.

 

Office Hours:       Wednesdays                        10:30-11:30am        622 CU-Denver Bldg

                                Tuesdays/Thursdays          5:30-6:45pm           130 Science

Other times by arrangement

 

Students with Disabilities: If you have a disability that requires accommodation in this course, please see me as soon as possible.  I am happy to make appropriate accommodations, provided timely notice is received.

Cell Phones: Please turn off your cell phones prior to entering the classroom.  This is especially important when coming in for exams.

 

MY APPROACH TO TEACHING

I believe that teaching is a process that involves an active partnership.  My role is that of a guide to your learning.  Therefore, I am responsible to open the way, to encourage, and to nudge you toward your own learning.  I will help guide you toward this learning by providing mathematics for you to experience.  It is my aim to communicate mathematics in a way that is supportive and nurturing of your efforts. Your role is to find a way to experience and articulate the mathematics that is presented and that you encounter.  I believe that it is your responsibility to let me know when you find yourself not understanding mathematical concepts that are presented in class.  Once you make this known, it is our responsibility to work on trying to attain clarity.  I will try to be as proactive as possible.  I believe that results on examinations and take-home technology quizzes give us the opportunity to clearly see where the areas of mathematical understanding are and what areas need more attention.

 

The tentative plan is to cover the following sections: 1.1-1.2, 2.1-2.5, 3.1 - 3.3, 4.1-4.8, 5.1-5.3, 6.1, 6.3-6.5, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1-8.6.  If we are behind this will be altered.  This material represents the basic core topics and those most important in applications.  There are several nice sections on a variety of applications in the sections at the end of chapters 2-8 titled “Differential Equations at Work”. These are assigned as optional reading assignments and will not be covered in class.  The lectures, material in the book, exams and quizzes will contain a mixture of theory, applications and computations.  The beauty of this subject is the way that the theoretical, applications and the computational components interact.

 

There are three evaluative criteria: exams, take-home quizzes and technology quizzes.

 

EXAMS: There are two tests (1.25 hours each) and a comprehensive final (2 hours).  The final exam covers all the material we’ve studied in the semester and weighted roughly 33.3% from material covered on the first two tests and 66.7% from the material covered between the second test and the last lecture.  All exams are in-class, closed book, closed notes (no “cheat” sheet) and open mind.

 

Note about asking me questions during an exam.  I will NOT answer questions about the exam.  Understanding what the problem is asking is part of the problem.  It may be the case that for a problem, there will be someone for whom the problem is not clear.  Everyone must work with the problems as stated.  If you think the problem is in error, please correct the error and state precisely what was in error and how you corrected it.  Then continue with the problem.  If you are correct, you will receive full credit and perhaps a bonus if it is more than a typo.  If you were to come up and ask for help on a problem, you disturb others.  A colleague and I take the exam prior to your taking the exam.  Thus, the exam will have been “debugged” and tested to the best of our ability.

 

Review sessions: There will be three review sessions on the Friday prior to your exams.  These will be held in a seminar room of the math department (6th floor of the CU-Denver Bldg).  I will schedule a time with the department secretary and relay this information to you.  The review sessions will be held: 3/1, 4/12, and 5/10.

 

QUIZZES: There are 10 quizzes containing roughly 110 textbook problems in all.  Each problem is worth 2 points except for chapter 3 problems that are worth 4 points each.  Of the roughly 240 possible points, 200 points (28.6% of your grade) count toward your final grade.  That is, once 200 points are reached, any points that are made do not count toward your grade.  Students are encouraged to work together in cooperative groups on the take-home quizzes; however, each person must turn in her/his own quiz.  I expect each student to obtain the full 200 points.

 

The problems for the sections to be turned in will be confirmed on the Thursday before the Tuesday on which they are due.  If you skip class, please make sure you check with a classmate to make sure that the problems that you are to turn in are actually due.  Alternatively, I will not ask for more problems than what are scheduled so that you can always turn in the problems that are listed in this syllabus as being due and you will always be safe.  You may be turning more problems than necessary, but you will never turn in fewer problems than necessary.  If you turn in more problems than necessary, I will simply return these to you to turn in with your next quiz.

 

Quizzes are due on the Tuesdays listed.  You are free to turn in your quiz on the following Thursday, at the beginning of class with no penalty.  After 10am on Thursday, quizzes are not accepted.  If you are unable to turn in your quiz (regardless of the reason), the extra points are to be used for just such occasions.  So simply use them this way without asking.  If you miss several weeks legitimately, then we will have to find a way to make up the missed work.

 

You are always to show your work sufficient for me to understand how you obtained your answer.  You are to show your work even if the textbook does not require it.  If you do your problems using a computer system (like derive, scientific notebook or maple), you must attach a hardcopy of what you did to obtain your answer.  If you are using a powerful scientific calculator, you will have to show your work as if you did it by hand using the calculator to make sure your answer is correct unless you can get a hardcopy printout of what your calculator did to give you the solution.  If you are graphing by hand, you are to make sure that you put in a number scale on both axes.  Please make hand-drawn graphs as neat as possible.  Format: Please staple your take-home quizzes.  If your quiz is not stapled, you will be assessed 2 points.  I do not carry a stapler with me.  Please turn in a neatly written assignment.

 

TECHNOLOGY QUIZZES: There will be two 50-point technology quizzes (14.3% of your grade) that will need to be taken in the mathematics lab (room 130 Science Building) that involve either calculator solutions or software solutions to problems.  Technology quizzes will involve “word problems” in which you will be asked to set up the problem and use a calculator and/or computer to solve the problem.  Instructions and examples/practice problems indicating what to expect will be given before you take the quizzes.  It is possible to substitute a project for the two technology quizzes.

Tech quiz 1: Taken on the week of February 24th, 50 points

Tech quiz 2: Taken on the week of April 28th, 50 points

Test 1: March 5th - covers sections 1.1,1.2, 2.1-2.5, 3.1-3.3, 100 points

Test 2: April 16th - covers sections 4.1-4.8, 5.1 - 5.3, 100 points

Final: (week of May 13th – time/date to be assigned by Auraria) – covers test 1/test 2 material (about 33.3%)and 6.1,6.3 - 6.5, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1 - 8.6 (about 66.7%), 200 points

 

The grading scheme for the course is outlined below.  For each exam, the grading scale for the exam will be given after the exam, but will never be harder than the standard ten-point scale.  The quiz grades are based on the standard ten-point scale.

 

 

 

 

POINTS POSSIBLE

POINTS

 

 

 

Technology Quizzes

2x50

100

Take-home Quizzes

240

200

Tests

2x100

200

Final

200

200

Total

 

700

 

General advice: Keep all materials that I turn back in case you think I have not credited you with the points you earned.  I can only correct your score if you have what I have turned back to you. It is a good idea to xerox anything that you turn in just in case I lose what you turn in.  Please check to make sure that the points you earned are the points I have recorded.  The statistics that I have read about correctness of professors in grading and recording grades state that there is a 6% error rate.  Please make sure that I have correctly graded and recorded your points.

 

Advice on exam taking: Some exams may be longer (or more demanding or both) than what you are accustomed.  Thus, it is wise (imperative) for you take exams as follows.  Do all the problems you can do first.  Don't waste too much time on making sure that you have done your arithmetic correctly since arithmetic mistakes are usually discounted at half a point per mistake unless your arithmetic mistake totally trivializes the problem in which case the deduction will be severe.  That is, you should work on generating the most number of points per unit of time.

 

POLICIES

Drops and incomplete grades: See Schedule of Courses for the relevant dates with respect to dropping this course.  The incomplete policy of the Mathematics Department and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is strictly enforced.  Incomplete grades are given only in situations in which a student who has been in good standing all semester, is prevented from completing a course assignment (for example the final exam) due to circumstances beyond her/his control (for example, hospitalization, jury duty, revised job assignments, death in the family).

 

Missing Examinations: If you miss a test for acceptable reasons and we have met before the test and agreed that indeed this is the case you will be given a make-up exam.  You are to take the final exam on the given date.  If you have more than two final exams on date of our final, this will have to be resolved at least one week in advance of our final exam.  There are cases where an exam is missed without your being able to notify me ahead of time.  These will be exceptional cases and we can work these out as long as your reasons are legitimate.

 

Legitimate Excuses: Legitimate excuses for missing tests and quizzes are for some situations that are beyond your control.  You may be required to produce official, signed documentation.  If you are needed in a wedding, for example, you must talk to me prior to the (blessed) event.  If you are legally arrested, then this is not a legitimate excuse.  For matters that are within your control, the general rule is that it is not excused.  However, talk to me prior to the event.

 

Quiz problems

 

Section/problems                                 Planned due-date

Q1 1.1/10 (why?), 20, 22, 38, 46                          2/5                                          

      1.2/6, 10 (use calculator or computer system)

      2.1/4, 20, 32, 38, 54 (why?)           

      2.2/2, 8, 28, 32

Q2 2.3/ 2, 8, 12, 20, 28, 38                                     2/12

      2.4/6, 18, 34, 48                                                                               

Q3 2.5/8 (why?), 12 (why?), 18                           2/19                                        

      3.1/4, 16, 24 (4 points each)

Q4 3.2/5, 8, 16 (4 points each)                            2/26

      3.3/2, 8, 20 (4 points each)

Q5 4.1/6, 12, 16, 28                                                3/12

      4.2/8, 20, 26                                                     

      4.3/4, 6, 14

      4.4/6, 18, 34

Q6 4.5/2, 10, 12, 28, 36                                          3/19

      4.6/6, 18, 42                                                     

      4.7/8, 24, 32

Q7 4.8/8, 10, 14                                                      4/9

      5.1/10, 14, 16                                                  

      5.2/8, 12, 20                                     

      5.3/4, 8, 12

Q8 6.1/2, 10, 14                                                      4/23

      6.3/4, 14, 26b                  

      6.4/2, 10, 28, 36                                               

Q9 6.5/4 (undetermined coefficients),               4/30

           22, 28 (variation of parameters)                              

      7.1/4a, 18, 28

      7.2/2, 8, 20

Q10 8.1/8, 16, 22, 38, 48, 74, 84, 88      5/7

      8.2/4, 8, 18, 26

      8.3/2, 6, 22, 28, 50, 60                     

                                               

Please look at the following problems before the final exam. Note: You’ll need to know how to solve systems of ODE’s using Laplace Transforms (to be done in class).  I can over these during our last review session.

     8.4/6, 12, 18, 20

      8.5/4, 14, 24                                                     

      8.6/8, 14, 18

 

Tentative SCHEDULE of material

Section                  Date to complete 

1.1,1.2                     1/24                                                                        

2.1, 2.2                    1/31                                                        

2.3, 2.4                    2/7                                                          

2.5, 3.1                    2/14                                        

3.2, 3.3                    2/21                                        

Tech quiz 1           2/25-3/2

 

Tentative SCHEDULE of material (continued)

Section                  Date to complete 

4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4      2/28

Review session    3/1

Test 1                     3/5

4.5                           3/7                                          

4.6, 4.7                    3/14

4.8, 5.1                    3/21

Spring break          3/24 -3/31

5.2, 5.3                    4/4          

6.1-6.3                               4/11

Review session    4/12

Test 2                     4/16

6.4                                         4/18

6.5, 7.1, 7.2             4/25

Tech quiz 2           4/29-5/4

8.1-8.3                     5/2

8.4-8.6                               5/9

Review session    5/8

Final                       week of 5/13