Spring Term 2011 12:30 MWF Mr. Gregg
Math 420 is a course in applied mathematics. We will be studying the theory and implementation of some of the most important methods used in computational mathematics. Specifically, we will studying topics such as methods for solving algebraic equations and differential equations, polynomical approximations, and implementation of some algorithms in linear algebra.
Part of this course will involve implementing mathematical algorithms in Mathematica. I will be providing supplementary materials covering Mathematica for those of you who have not seen it before.
How this Course is Structured
We will meet three times a week for lectures. I will assign daily homework problems that will be collected approximately once a week.
We will have two midterm exams and a final exam. Midterm exams are tentatively scheduled for week 4 and week 8.
Assignments and exams have the following weights:
Problem sets - 50% Midterm exams - 12.5% each Final exam - 25%
Late policy for problem sets is that problem sets may be turned in one class meeting after the initial due date for a 10% penalty. If you turn in a portion of a problem set on time and the remainder late, the 10% penalty will only apply to those problems you submitted late. I will waive the 10% penalty if you have a valid excuse such as illness; however, you must contact me before the initial due date to ask for an extension.
Our text is Numerical Analysis, Ninth Edition by Richard Burton and J. Douglas Faires.
Office Hours
My office hours this term are 8:30-11:10 MWF and 1:30-3:30 TTh. You are welcome to stop in at other times as well, but please call first. My office is Briggs 413. My extension is 6736 and my email address is greggj@lawrence.edu.
The course web site is at http://www.lawrence.edu/fast/greggj/math420.html.
| Week | Topic | Chapter |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solving Equations in One Variable | 2 |
| 2,3,4 | Solving Systems of Linear Equations | 6,7 |
| 4 | First Midterm Exam | - |
| 5,6 | Polynomial Approximations | 3 |
| 6 | Numerical Integration | 4 |
| 7, 8 | Solving ODEs | 5 |
| 8 | Second Midterm Exam | - |
| 9 | Boundary Value Problems | 11 |
| 10 | Solving PDEs | 12 |