MATH 251, Fall 2007
Undergraduate ordinary and partial differential equations:
Useful informations can be found in the syllabus
and on the map.
Guidelines, Policies and all that...
No late assignments are accepted under any circumstances but only your ten best results between homeworks and quizzes will count. Please put 251 in the subject when writing an email, this is the safest way to ensure your mail won't get lost in the junk. Book: W.E. Boyce and R.C.DiPrima, ISBN 0 471-33338-1 Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems, 8th Edition, Wiley. You can study also on older editions, but homeworks are taken from the 8th edition so, please, do cross check with your fellow students that you're doing the right exercises if using a different edition. Grading: Total: 450 points 100 homeworks, 100 each midterm, 150 final. Few guidelines: print your name neatly (no script or italic) and don't use a red pen. Staple your work before handing in! First Midterm: Thursday October 4, time: 6.30P - location: TBA Second Midterm: Monday November 12, time: 6.30P - location: TBA. Final: some time during the finals week as scheduled by the allmighty Registrar. Homeworks and News Homework 1, Due Monday 10th Sept: 2.1: 16-20, 22(b)(c), 25(b)(c), 27, 28.
2.2: 4, 6, 7, 8, 21, 22, 25. Homework 2, Due Monday 17th Sept: 2.3: 3, 8(a,b)
2.4: 3-6, 7-10 2.5: 1-4. Friday 14th Sept: a list of suggest problems, for those of you looking for some extra practice, is here (thanks to Vivek).
Some of these may be already part of your homeworks. Homework 3, Due Friday 21st Sept:
(Yeah, I know. Two assignments due the same week. But: 1) the midterm is quickly approaching, 2)from now on the homeworks will be always due on friday, with all the great benefits of a free weekend.) 2.6: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 15
3.1: 5-8, 13-16, 20 Homework 4, Due Friday 28th Sept:
3.1: 1-4, 10, 11
3.2: 4, 8, 12, 14, 17
3.4: 1, 3, 11-14, 18, 19 Midterm Preparation: Midterm covers up to section 3.6. Some old goodies are here. From two years ago, Mr. Mock Exam fuguwith keys. ... more to come. Homework 5, Due Thursday 4th Oct: 2.1: 13, 14 2.2: 1,2,3 2.6: 4, 10, 12
3.4: 17, 20, 21
3.5: 3-5, 14 3.6: 5-8, 13-16 Homework 6, Due Friday 12th Oct:
3.4: 2, 6, 7-10
3.5: 6-10, 11-13 3.8: 1-4, 6, 7 Homework 7, Due Friday 19th Oct:
6.1: 5(a)(b), 7, 8, 9, 10
6.2: 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 17 And a required reading here. Homework 8, Due Friday 26th Oct:
6.3: 1, 2, 3, 4, 8,
6.4: 2, 5, 6, 7, 8,
6.5: 2, 3, 5. And a required reading here. Homework 9, Due Friday 2nd Nov:
7.5: 1, 2, 3 (no plots, no direction fields).
7.6: 1, 2, 3 (no plots, no direction fields).
7.8: 1, 2, 3 (no plots, no direction fields). Homework 10, Due Friday 9th Nov: 7.8: 7, 8 (no drawings). 9.1: 1, 2, 3, 4. 9.3: 6, 7, 13.
9.5: 1, 2. Please review very carefully homeworks #6 to #10 and homework #5 section 3.8. Midterm prep goodies: - The midterm covers from section 3.8 to 9.5 and obviously includes ONLY the topics covered in class. In particular, skip chapters 4,5,8. - mock exam v.2 (keys). This was from two years ago, sometopics we didn't cover in class. - Example notes on Laplace-ology (both covered in class, but very detailed); - Shinshou gave me this detailed solutions for some of the exercises in the mock exam. - Recap notes on the phase plane. Homework 11, Due Friday 30th November:
10.2: 13, 14, 16. 10.3: 1, 2, 3 (please sketch graphs too) 10.1: 1,3, 5, 7, 9, 10
Homework 12, Due Friday 7th December:
10.1: 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
10.4: 1, 2, 5 (justify your answer!), 7, 9, 11
10.5: 7, 8
Final prep goodies:
- A collection of past midterms and finals for 250 and 251 bundled in one
big pdf file is here.
- A list of things you DON'T have to know for the final is here.
Optional Homework 13, Due Friday 14th December:
10.2: (only b - find Fourier series) 19, 20, 21
10.6: 9(a), 12(a)(b)
Winter Break Homework:
Do what you love.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to respect the academic integrity policies
of the Eberly College of Science. All Penn State Policies regarding
ethics and honorable behaviuor apply to this course.