Differential equations are the language in which the laws of physics are expressed, and have numerous applications in the physical, biological, and social sciences. We will discuss many standard applications. We will also briefly discuss some numerical methods for solving differential equations.
Textbook: Differential Equations: Computing and Modeling, 4th Edition, by Edwards & Penney, Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2008.
Warning: While the texts of previous editions of the book are rather similar, they contain substantially different problems! If you plan to use another edition, you will therefore need access to a copy of the fourth edition for your homework assignments. You might ask to look at a copy owned by a friend, the library, or the Math Learning Center.
Prerequisite: The completion of one of the standard calculus sequences (MAT 125-127, MAT 131-132, or MAT 141-142) with the grade C or higher in MAT 127 or 132 or 142 or AMS 161. The course will rely heavily on material covered in the standard calculus sequences. Familiarity with complex numbers and the basic concepts of linear algebra will be important, so the 200-level courses MAT 203/205 (Calculus III) and/or AMS 261/MAT 211 (Linear Algebra) are strongly recommended.
Instructor: Marcus Khuri, Math Tower 4-119, Office Hours: TTh, 11:30 am-12:30 pm, or by appointment. Email: khuri@math.sunysb.edu
Recitation instructors and graders:
Luca Fabrizio di Cerbo, Math Tower 2-114, Office Hours: M 11:30 am-12:30 pm, TTh (in MLC) 4-5 pm,
Email: luca@math.sunysb.edu
Chaya Rosen, Math Tower 3-103, Office Hours: M (in MLC) 12-2 pm, T 5:30-6:30 pm, Email: rosen@math.sunysb.edu
Ki Song, Math Tower 2-104, Office Hours: M 1:30-2:30 pm, TTh (in MLC) 10-11 am, Email: kiwisquash@math.sunysb.edu
Class schedule:
| LEC 1 | TuTh | 12:50pm-2:10pm | Library | W4525 | Marcus Khuri |
| R01 | F | 11:45am-12:40pm | Physics | P125 | Ki Song |
| R02 | W | 11:45am-12:40pm | Physics | P125 | Luca Fabrizio Di Cerbo |
| R03 | M | 10:40am-11:35am | Library | W4530 | Chaya Rosen |
Homework: Homework is a fundamental part of this course, and you will have to work hard on the assigned problems in order to succeed. Assignments will be posted on the web and will be collected in class on Tuesdays. Late homework will not be accepted.
The homework consists entirely of analytic problems, the solutions to which require only pencil and paper. While some students may nonetheless wish to check their homework solutions using a computer program like Maple, Mathematica or MATLAB, they are strongly cautioned against becoming overly dependent on such technological assitance.
Homework 1 (Due 2/8) - 1.1: 6, 23, 45, 46;
1.2: 4, 14, 26, 42; 1.3: 8, 13, 18, 22.
Homework 2 (Due 2/15)- 1.4: 13, 21, 34, 37, 48, 61;
1.5: 12, 18, 22, 31, 36.
Homework 3 (Due 2/22)- 1.6: 9, 30, 33, 38, 60;
3.1: 8, 17, 24, 33, 36, 44.
Homework 4 (Due 3/1)- 3.1: 22, 26, 31, 39;
3.3: 8, 21, 22; 3.4: 3, 8, 22.
Homework 5 (Due 3/15)- 3.5: 2, 5, 8, 13, 37, 53;
3.6: 15, 19, 21, 24.
Homework 6 (Due 3/22)- 3.3: 12, 24, 27, 33;
3.5: 22, 27, 28; 3.6: 20, 25.
Homework 7 (Due 3/29)- 5.1: 3, 14, 26, 35, 41;
5.2: 19, 28, 35.
Homework 8 (Due 4/5)- 5.2: 9, 26, 29, 36;
5.4: 4, 13, 21.
Homework 9 (Due 4/12)- 5.4: 18, 33, 35;
5.5: 4, 12, 26, 35.
Homework 10 (Due 5/3)- 5.6: 9, 13, 25;
3.7: 4, 9, 15, 21.
Homework 11 (Due 5/10)- 7.1: 8, 15, 28;
7.2: 7, 13, 20, 28.
Exams:
Grading: Your course grade will be based on your examination performance and homework, weighted as follows: two in-class midterms 25% each, homework 20%, and the final exam 30%.
Help: The Math Learning Center (MLC) is located in Math Tower S-240A, and offers free help to any student requesting it. It also provides a locale for students wishing to form study groups. The MLC is open 10am-6pm Monday through Thursday.
A list of graduate students available for hire as private tutors is maintained by the Undergraduate Mathematics Office, Math Tower P-143.
All necessary information regarding the course will be regularly posted on the internet, and can be accessed by pointing your browser to