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Differential Equations Lab Course

APPM 2460, Fall 2008


   News.
More/Less...

   Course policies & grades
  • Purpose: The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the tools and techniques used to numerically solve differential equations. We will be exploring the Matlab and Mathematica software packages and give you the means to better understand and complete the lab projects you'll be doing for the Differential Equations & Linear Algebra course.
  • Grades: Grades are pass/fail and are based entirely on i) attendance and ii) the completion of small assignments that will be given during class. These assignments must be emailed to your TA by the Friday following class at the latest(before 11:59PM). Each week you will recieve 1 point for attending class and another 1 point for completing the assignment. Even if you miss class for some reason you can still get the assignment for that week from the webpage and submit it via email by the normal time. IMPORTANT: You can lose no more than 4 points during the semester and still pass the course.
  • Attendance: You're expected to arrive to class on time and stay until I dismiss everyone. I reserve the right to mark you as absent if you show up late to class or leave early! Finally, if you need to miss class for any reason, communicate this with me via email immediately!
  • Assignments: After going over the material at the beginning of class, you'll be given time each week to work on a small assignment that lets you practice what you've learned. The assignment must be finished and submitted via email to me by the Friday following that class.
  • Help: All of that unpleasantness aside, I'm here to help! Please feel free to ask questions during class or during office hours to clear up any problems you might be having. Communicating with me is the best way to ensure that the semester goes smoothly!
More/Less...

   Schedule *** Homework is due by midnight on the Friday following class unless otherwise noted.***
Week 01, 8/26:
    Introduction to Matlab. Worksheet 1. HW1.
   
Week 02, 9/02:
   Solving first-order ODE's. Worksheet 2. HW2.  

Week 03, 9/09:
    For loops. Worksheet & HW3. euler.m
   
Week 04, 9/16:
    If statements in Matlab. Worksheet & HW4.

 Week 05, 9/23:
     Introduction to Mathematica. Notebooks 1 and 2.
    Solving differential equations with Mathematica

Week 06, 9/30:
    Lab 1 Help; Attendance required
      
Week 07, 10/7:
    Basic linear algebra. Worksheet & HW6.
 
Week 08, 10/14:
    Linear algebra continued. Worksheet & HW7.

Week 09, 10/21:  
    Solving systems of ODE's. Worksheet & HW 8
   
Week 10, 10/28:
     Lab 2 help; Attendance required

 Week 11, 11/4:
    Eigenvalues & eigenvectors. Worksheet & HW | HW suggestions


Week 12, 11/11:
    Mathematica notebook

Week 13, 11/18:
     More linear algebra in Mathematica. Mathematica notebook | HW

 week 14, 11/25:
    Fall Break

 Week 15, 12/02:
     Lab 3 help; Attendance required

Week 16, 12/09:
    Laplace's equation ,  FCQ's
   Lab reports

Important due dates:   Lab 1 - October 3,   Lab 2 - Oct 31,  Lab 3 - Dec 5    APPM 2360 schedule

Guidelines for lab write-ups - Please read through these carefully! Pay special attention to how the report is to be presented and formatted. This is a major source of lost points for many people on the first lab!

Sample lab assignment with "good" and "bad" reports.