As always, topics may be added, deleted, or rearranged during the course of the semester. Any changes will be announced in class and here.
| Date | Class Topic | Reading (Nagle, Saff, and Snider) |
|---|---|---|
| 8/29 | Course introduction | 1.1-2 |
| 8/31 | Direction fields | 1.3-4 |
| 9/5 | Lab 1 -- Direction fields in Maple | 1.3-4 |
| 9/7 | Separable and 1st order linear equations | 2.1-3 |
| 9/12 | Exact equations, integrating factors | 2.4-5 |
| 9/14 | Substitutions and transformations | 2.6 |
| 9/19 | Modeling with ODEs -- compartmental analysis | 3.2 |
| 9/21 | Heating and cooling of buildings | 3.3 |
| 9/26 | Lab 2 -- More on heating and cooling | 3.3 |
| 9/28 | Mass-spring systems | 4.1 |
| 10/3 | Second order linear equations with constant coefficients | 4.5-6 |
| 10/5 | Midterm I | Chapters 1 - 3 |
| 10/10 | Columbus Day Break (no class) | 4.5-6 |
| 10/12 | Linear differential operators; fundamental sets of solutions | 4.2-3 |
| 10/17 | Superposition, method of undetermined coefficients | 4.7-8 |
| 10/19 | Variation of parameters | 4.9 |
| 10/24 | Lab 3 -- forced mechanical vibrations and resonance | 4.11 |
| 10/26 | Systems of ODE and the phase plane | 5.1-2 |
| 10/31 | Predator-prey models | 5.2 |
| 11/2 | First order linear systems | 9.4 |
| 11/7 | The constant coefficient case -- solution via eigenvectors/values | 9.5 |
| 11/9 | Midterm 2 | Chapters 4,5 (only sections covered in class) |
| 11/14 | The case of complex eigenvalues | 9.6 |
| 11/16 | Lab 4 -- Qualitative aspects of the solutions of linear systems | 9.5-6 |
| 11/21 | Nonhomogeneous systems | 9.7 |
| 11/23 | Thanksgiving Day (no class) | 9.8 |
| 11/28 | The general solution -- matrix exponentials | 9.8 |
| 11/30 | Semester wrap-up |
The final exam for this course will be given at 2:30pm on Thursday, December 14.
Last modified: August 14, 2000