MATH 355

ANALYSIS OF ORDINARY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

Section 2, Spring Semester 2012

Course Homepage Tests Homework & Reading Assignments Software Slides

COURSE POLICIES

INSTRUCTOR:
    J. M. Cushing
    Office: 502 Mathematics Building
    Contact Information on Departmental profile page

CLASS TIME & PLACE:
    Tuesdays & Thursdays from 11:00am - 12:15pm.
    Room 210 Biological Sciences West

OFFICE HOURS:
    Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:45am -10:45am
    Thursday at 12:30 - 1:30pm

COURSE PREREQUISITE: Math 129 (Calculus II) and Math 215 (Introduction to Linear Algebra)
TEXT: Differential Equations: An Applied Approach, Version 12, by J. M. Cushing. Copies are available at Student Union bookstore. (If not found on the bookshelf, request a copy from Print-on-Demand at a Customer Service counter.) A pdf copy of the Student Solution Manual is available here. (Note: Professor Cushing receives no revenue from the sale of this book.)

SYLLABUS: Chapters 1 - 7. Selected sections (to be announced) will be skipped.

SOFTWARE: Computer software will be needed for some topics in the course. There are many online, freeware, and commerical programs that numerically solve and plot the solutions of systems of differential equations. For a selestion of online and (Windows) freeware see Software. The Windows program SYSTEMS was written for use in Math 355.

EXAMS:
     Mid-term Tests: There will be two mid-term Tests. Information about exams appears the Exams page. Each mid-term test will have an in-class part and a take-home part. The in-class part will consist of problems similar to (and probably taken from) the more routine, drill-type exercises in the textbook. (Therefore, it is important to work the suggested homework.) The take-home part will consist of other types of problems including, for example, applications and case studies of the type found in the textbook.
     Final Exam: The Final Exam will take place on Thursday, May 10, 1:00pm - 3:00pm. The Final Exam will consist of two parts corresponding respectively to the material covered on the two in-class mid-term Tests.
     Make-up Tests: In lieu of the Final Exam grading policy described below, there will be no make-up tests. (The Final Exam serves to make-up missed mid-term in-class Tests.)

HOMEWORK: Homework is an important part of the course. There will be three categories of homework.
    (1) Suggested drill-type exercises will be posted weekly on the Homework & Reading Assignments page. These will not be handed-in or graded. These types of exercises will make-up the in-class part of the two mid-term tests.
    (2) Assigned drill-type exercises to be handed-in. These will be assigned nearly every week. They will be graded and the results used in the calculation of the course grade. Late homework won't be accepted for grading.
    (3) Application-oriented readings & exercises will be assigned approximately every two weeks. These projects will be graded and the results used in the calculation of the course grade. An Undergraduate Teaching Assistant will be the tutor for these projects.

GRADES: A course percentage grade will be calculated as follows.
    H = %-score of graded drill-type homework exercises
    A = %-score on the application-oriented homework exercises
    Ti = %-score on the i^th take-home mid-term Test (i = 1 and 2)
    Mi = max { %-score on the i^th in-class mid-term test, %-score on i^th part of the Final Exam } where i = 1 and 2
These percent scores will be used to calculate a course percentage:

CP = ( H + A + M1 + M2 + T1 + T2 )/6

The letter grades cutoffs, using the course percentage CP, will be no higher than A > 90% > B > 80% > C > 70% > D > 60% > E.

Note that under this grading policy, the Final Exam can improve your course grade, but cannot lower it.

IMPORTANT DATES: For important dates (e.g. withdrawal dates) see the official university calendar.

INCOMPLETES: The grade of I will be awarded if the student has met all of the following conditions:

completed all but a small portion of the required work;
scored at least 50% on the work completed;
has a valid reason for not completing the course on time;
agrees to make up the uncompleted requirements within a short period of time;
asks for the incomplete before course grades are due (48 hours after the Final Exam).

ATTENDANCE: Students are expected to attend every scheduled class and to be familiar with the University Class Attendance Policy as it appears in the General Catalog. Frequent unexplained non-attendance may result in a student being dropped from the class. Experience has shown that regular class attendance is necessary for success in this course. It is the student's responsibility to keep informed of any announcements, syllabus adjustments or policy changes made during scheduled classes.

CLASSROOM CONDUCT and ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Students at The University of Arizona are expected to conform to the standards of conduct established in the Student Code of Conduct and the Code of Academic Integrity. Conduct prohibited by these Codes includes:

All forms of student academic dishonesty, including but not limited to, cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty and plagiarism.
Failing to observe rules of academic integrity established by a faculty member for a particular course.
Endangering, threatening, or causing physical harm to any member of the university community or to oneself causing reasonable apprehension of such harm or engaging in conduct or communications that a reasonable person would interpret as a serious expression of intent to harm.
Interfering with university or university-sponsored activities, including but not limited to classroom related activities, studying, teaching, research, intellectual or creative endeavor, administration, service or the provision of communication, computing or emergency services.
Assisting or attempting to assist another to violate these Codes.

Students found to be in violation of these Codes are subject to disciplinary action.

STUDENTS WHO REQUIRE REASONABLE ACCOMODATIONS BASED ON DISABILITY: If you anticipate issues related to the format or requirements of this course, please meet with your instructor to discuss ways to ensure your full participation in the course. If you determine that formal, disability-related accommodations are necessary, it is very important that you be registered with Disability Resources (621-3268).You should notify your instructor of your eligibility for reasonable accommodations by Friday, September 4.You and your instructor can then plan how best to coordinate your accommodations.

J. M. Cushing / Department of Mathematics / Program in Applied Mathematics / University of Arizona / Tucson, AZ, 85721-0089