The main web page for this course is at http://www.math.vanderbilt.edu/~schectex/courses/diffeq/. Bookmark that location, and check it occasionally. Its contents may change. Here I will be posting links to
Probably I will use Oak to post grades, so that you can see how you're doing throughout the semester.Instructor: Dr. Schechter (pronounced "shektur"). Email: eric.schechter@vanderbilt.edu. Office: 1529, in the top floor of the Math Building. For my schedule, including office hours, see my web page.
Textbook/syllabus: We will use Zill, A First Course in Differential Equations with Modeling Applications, 8th edition. (Note new edition.) This is available at the bookstore. You almost certainly will need a copy of the book for studying and for homework, but I believe that you will not need to bring your textbook to class. You might be able to manage with an earlier edition of Zill, with some inconvenience; I'm not sure how great the inconvenience would be. The supplement "student solutions manual" is optional.
We will probably cover most of Chapters 2, 4, and 6; if time permits we may also do some of Chapter 7. We will also cover a few pages of material on complex numbers, written by me and distributed in class for free (or more precisely, at no additional charge to you).
I tend to emphasize computational methods, not proofs, but you will need to understand at least a little of the theory.
You will notice that I tend to skip most of the "applications" --- chapters 3 and 5. That is not because I consider them unimportant. I actually consider those to be the most important part of the subject, and I urge you to look through those chapters. However, I think you can learn physics better from your physics teacher than from me; you can learn engineering better from your engineering teacher than from me; etc. Those chapters are not really about mathematics, and they do not add to your knowledge of mathematics; they simply apply the mathematics already developed in the preceding chapter.
Prerequisites: Math 170b or 175 or equivalent. You must know calculus fairly well before taking this course, or you'll just be wasting your time.
Semester grades will be based on
| three 75-minute tests,
tentatively on Tuesdays:
February |
each worth 15% of your grade; |
| lots of homework, | totalling 30% of your grade; and |
| 120-minute final exam, Friday April 29 at noon or Wednesday May 4 at 3:00 p.m. (pick either date). | worth 25% of your grade. |
Other noteworthy dates:
| Wed Jan 12 | classes begin in A&S |
| Thurs Jan 13 | first meeting of this class |
| Wed Jan 19 | change period ends |
| Wed Mar 9 | deficiency reports turned in |
| Mar 7-11 | no classes in A & S |
| Fri Mar 18 | last day to drop courses |
| Sun Apr 3 | turn clock ahead an hour |
| Tues April 26 | our last class; last classes in A&S |
Disabilities: Please inform me during the first week of classes about any disabilities that may require special arrangements.
Missing or late work: Illness and job interviews are acceptable excuses. Weddings, Mardi Gras, and family reunions are not. I will judge other excuses on a case-by-case basis. Unexcused work will score 0. That applies to both homework and tests. Work that is more late requires a stronger excuse. In some cases I may partially excuse late work; typically that means half credit.
Rules about homework: Homework should be turned in, on time, on the day that it is due, at the beginning of class. Homework will make up a large portion of your grade, so don't skip any assignments. Homework must be done neatly, so that the grader can read it easily. (For most students, that means print is preferable to cursive script. Typing or computer-printing is permitted but not required.) Circle your final answer to each problem.
Homework should be done in black or blue, not in red; but bring a red pen or pencil to class for marking that we will do together in class.
You are encouraged to study with your classmates and with anyone else who is willing to help, on the odd-numbered problems, before you actually do your assigned homework. However, the homework assignment itself (a selection of even-numbered problems) is to be done individually, not as a team or group project. In doing the homework assignment, you may consult books, but not other people.
Use of a calculator is permitted on homework, and on tests and the final exam, but I don't think it will help much -- most of the problems are to find a function, not a number. If you do use a calculator, you are responsible for knowing how to use it, and be sure to bring extra batteries to any test or exam.
Classroom participation: You will not be graded for class participation -- at least not directly -- but your participation probably will improve your learning and consequently your scores on graded work. I try to encourage people to ask questions, and I think I'm pretty good at answering them. Please don't be bashful about asking questions -- the only "stupid questions" are the ones you don't ask. ... If there is something that you don't understand, there are probably a dozen other students in your class who are foggy on the same concept. Think of yourself as a duly elected representative of the silent and clueless masses. If one of you can manage enough partial understanding to at least formulate a question, you'll be doing a big favor for the other students.
Most of what I write on the board is correct, but once in a while I do make a mistake. I am grateful when students catch my errors. If you're not sure whether I've made an error, please ask. And please don't wait until after class, when everyone else has left the room -- if all your classmates have copied an error into their notes, that frustrates me greatly.
Useful links:
