Math 252, Spring 2012

Welcome to Math 252, Section 02.

  • Instructor: Po Lam Yung
    Office: Hill 224
    Office hours: Thursdays 2:15pm-3:15pm

Some general information about the course can be found on the following departmental webpage. Information specific to our section are posted below or on the Sakai page.

You can also find an approximate syllabus here. (But we may deviate from it a little bit from time to time.)

Textbook:

  • Paul Blanchard, Robert L. Devaney & Glen Hall, Differential Equations (fourth edition); Brooks/Cole, 2011 (864 pp.); (ISBN: 0-495-82674-X; ISBN13: 9781133109037)

  • Some supplementary reading material can be found below.
    • N1 Introduction to first order equations, with an emphasis on modeling.
    • RTB1 Euler's method, including error estimate and application to existence and uniqueness of solutions.
    • N2 Some comments on bifurcations.
    • N3 Some Remarks on Phase Planes.
    • N4 Introduction to Matrix Exponentials.
    • RTB2 An easily remembered formula for exponentials of matrices with complex eigenvalues.
    • BW1 The method of variation of parameters for solving inhomogeneous systems.

  • You are expected to read the sections of the textbook we cover every week, as well as the above notes as we proceed through the course.

Online java applets:

Grading Scheme:

  • Final Exam: 200 points.

  • Two mid-term Exams: 100 points each, held in class on February 28, 2012 (Tuesday) and on April 10, 2012 (Tuesday).

  • Quizzes: 10 points each. These are to be held in class every Tuesday (unless otherwise specified). These will be about homework problems that are assigned the previous Tuesday (see below). The two lowest scores will be dropped.

Homework:

  • Homework will be assigned every Tuesday. While this will not be part of your grade, you are encouraged to turn as much of that in as possible. In addition, you will be quizzed about them the next Tuesday in class.

  • All homework will be assigned from the textbook unless otherwise specified.
Homework 1 Review your calculus (Math 151/152/251) and linear algebra (Math 250).
See also these problems 		Quiz on Jan 24
Homework 2 Read notes N1 and solve all problems at the end of the notes.
Section 1.1: 3, 5, 17, 21
Section 1.2: 1, 3, 7, 13, 25, 29, 31, 35 		Quiz on Jan 31
Homework 3 Section 1.3: all odd 1-13, 14, 15, 17
Section 1.4: 1, 13, 15
Section 1.5: 1, 3, 5, 7, 10
Section 1.6: 23, 25, 27, 31, 33, 37, 39 		Quiz on Feb 7
Homework 4 Read notes N2
Section 1.6: 1, 3, 5, 7, 13, 15, 43
Section 1.7: 1, 3, 5, 11, 13, 17
Section 1.8: all odd 1-11, 17, 21, 23. 		Quiz on Feb 14
Homework 5 Read notes about exact equations by Paul Dawkins, and solve these problems
Section 1.9: all odd 1-11, 25
Section 2.1: 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 17, 25, 26, 27, 29
Section 2.2: all odd 1-27 except 7 and 19. 		Quiz on Feb 21
Homework 6 Section 2.2: 7, 19
Section 2.3: 1(a), 3(a), 5(a)
Section 2.4: all odd 1-13 		Quiz on Mar 6
Homework 7 Section 3.6: all odd 1-11, 36(a)(b)
Section 3.1: 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 25(a), 35
Section 3.2: all odd 1-9 (a)(b)(e)
[Optional: Read these notes about second order equations, and the following wiki page about reduction of order.] 		Quiz on Mar 20
Homework 8 Section 3.1: 27, 29, 33, 35
Section 3.2: 11, 13, 15, 17, 19
Read notes N4 and solve all problems at the end of the notes.
Quiz on Mar 27
Homework 9 Section 3.2: all odd 1-9(c)(d)
Section 3.3: all odd 1-15 		Quiz on Apr 3
Homework 10 Section 3.4: all odd 3-7(a)(b)(d)(e), all odd 9-13. No quiz but these will be on the midterm
Homework 11 Section 3.4: 15, 21
Section 3.5: all odd 1-11, 17, 19
Review Exercises for Chapter 3: 29(a)(c) 		Quiz on Apr 17
Homework 12 Section 3.7: part (c) of 3, 7, 11, 13
Section 3.8: part (a)-(c) of 4, 5, 6, 7
Section 4.1: all odd 1-41 		Quiz on Apr 24
Homework 13 Section 4.2: all odd 1-13; also write the steady states of the solutions in the form C cos(at + b) for some suitable constants a, b and C.
Section 4.3: all odd 1-17, 21
Section 5.1: all odd 1-17 except 5
Section 6.1: all odd 1-9, 15, 19, 23 		No quiz but these will be on the final exam
Final Review See these problems ---