Math 4430 – Ordinary Differential Equations

Instructor Dr. Thomas Ivey office: RSS 327, phone: 953-7276,

email: iveyt@cofc.edu, web page: http://www.math.cofc.edu/faculty/ivey/

My office hours are tentatively 11-12 MWF and 1:30-3pm Thursday. If these times aren’t convenient for you, please contact me to make an appointment for another time.

Textbook Differential Equations and Their Applications (4^th ed.), by Martin Braun

Course Outline  This is a semester course on ordinary differential equations (ODEs), at the introductory level, for second- or third-year students in mathematics and science.  The pre-requisites are calculus (especially differentiation, integration and series), and linear algebra.  We begin with applications and solution techniques for first-order DEs, including theoretical and numerical ways of constructing solutions.  We then study second-order linear DEs, which are used to model phenomena as diverse as the swinging of a pendulum, the behaviour of electric circuits, and forced mechanical vibrations. We will discuss series solutions to DEs, Laplace transforms, and finish with systems of differential equations and phase plane analysis. (This selection of topics corresponds to most of Chapters 1 through 4 in the textbook.)

Homework Problems from the text will be assigned at the end of each class, and will be collected once a week, on Fridays.

Important Dates In-class tests take place on Feb. 13, March 12 and April 9. The last date to withdraw from class with a grade of W is Feb. 20. The final exam for this course takes place on Wed. April 30, noon-3pm.

Grade Formula Your grade will be based on your course work, in roughly the following proportions:  30% homework, 25% final exam, and 45% for the three tests.

Make-ups Late homework will be accepted and make-up exams will be given only in the cases of verifiable illness or family emergency. Accommodations will be made for students who miss tests due to participation in university-sponsored activities.

Letter Grades  Some degree of subjectivity in grading is inevitable in any course; bearing this in mind, a course grade of 60% or more ensures a D, 70% ensures a C, 80% ensures a B, and 90% an A. Grades in the upper part of the B or C range may be modified by a plus.

Academic Honesty Discussing assignments and comparing results with your classmates is expected and encouraged.  However, when you hand in an assignment with your name on it, it is expected that a substantial part of it represents your own thoughts and is your own work.

Please turn cell phones off in class!