The successes of the differential equation paradigm were impressive
and extensive. Many problems, including basic and important ones, led to
equations that could be solved. A process of self-selection set in, whereby
equations that could not be solved were automatically of less interest
than those that could. -- Ian Stewart, Does God Play Dice?
The Mathematics of Chaos
PRACTICE MIDTERM 2 --SOLUTIONS
PRACTICE MIDTERM 1 --SOLUTIONS
This is the homepage for Math 30(1), differential equations (TTh 9:55-11:10 in Hicks 211), taught by Jim Wiseman, Spring 2002.
Office: 3 Whittier Place, Room 255, 690-5763.
Email: jwisema1@swarthmore.edu
Office hours: Tuesday 5:00 - 6:30 (Math 81 students have priority), Wednesday 5:00 - 6:30 (Math 30 students have priority), and by appointment.
Text book: Boyce and DiPrima, Elementary Differential Equations, 7th edition, available at the bookstore.
Plan: We'll cover roughly chapters 2-9 of the book. A more detailed schedule is at www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/jwisema1/math30(1)/syllabus.html , but it's subject to change.
Homework: Working problems is vital to learning math; there will be homework assignments every week, due in class on Thursdays (I will accept them in my office until 5:00 Thursday). Assignments will be posted at www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/jwisema1/math30(1)/homework.html - you are responsible for checking the assignments, as I won't give them in class. It's very important that you keep up with the homework: if you haven't figured out Tuesday's lecture, Thursday's will probably be pretty frustrating.
Group work: I strongly encourage you to work on the homework
in groups. I suggest that you work on the problems by yourself first,
making a note of anything giving you trouble; then meet with your group
and work through the remaining problems together; and finally write up
the solutions by yourself.
Every group member must write up his or her own
solutions independently; just copying the group's answers is plagiarism
and is unacceptable.
Computer projects: I will assign three or four projects during the semester that will require the use of Mathematica, ODE Architect, or both. You'll work in pairs or small groups. I'll give you more detailed information later in the semester.
Getting help: As Talking Barbie says, "Math class is tough."
(Unless she's the hacked version - then she says, "Eat lead, Cobra.")
Chances are that sooner or later you'll get stuck on something, so don't
get frustrated. Think hard, and if you're still stuck, do something
else for a while. (It's amazing how often that works.)
My office hours are above - these are times when
I'm guaranteed to be in my office and willing to talk. If you want
to see me at other times, the best thing to do is to set up an appointment
with me by email or after class. Of course, you're welcome to just
drop by my office, as long as you don't mind if I'm not there or don't
have time to talk.
A good resource is the Math
Clinic in Cornell Library, which runs Sunday-Thursday, 7 - 10 pm.
Finally, I can't emphasize enough that your classmates
are your best source of help.
Grading: Homework 15%, computer projects 15%, each midterm 20%, final 30%
Exam schedule:
Feedback: I'm very interested in your feedback throughout the class: what you like, what you don't, what's working for you, what isn't - anything that you think might help me make the course better. If you have any comments (and you probably should), the easiest thing to do is to talk to me (or send email) about them. If you want to remain anonymous, you can fill out the anonymous feedback form on my feedback page.
Webpage: Please check my webpage for updated information.
http://www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/jwisema1/math30(1)