| Instructor: | Dr. Peter Howard, Blocker 620D |
| Phone: 862-3459 | |
| Email: phoward@math.tamu.edu |
Office hours: MW 3:00-4:00; R 1:30-2:30. Also, by appointment.
Class time and place: MWF 11:30-12:20, TBA.
Section web page: http://www.math.tamu.edu/~phoward/M442.html
Textbook: Suggested MATLAB text: An Introduction with Applications, 3rd Edition, by Amos Gilat. Also, students will be expected to download a considerable amount of material from the course web site.
Prerequisites: M304 (Linear Algebra) and M308 (Differential Equations), or consent of instructor.
Catalogue Description: The construction of mathematical models from areas such as economics, game theory, integer programming, mathematical biology, and mathematical physics.
Course Goal: The main goal of the course is to introduce students to both deterministic and probabilistic techniques useful in the mathematical description of physical events and situations. The main topics will be regression analysis, dimensional analysis, modeling with ordinary differential equations, and discrete and continuous methods of probabilistic modeling. We will also work with two software packages, MATLAB for number crunching and LYX for typesetting reports.
Homework Assignments: An individual homework assignment will be made on most Fridays during the semester, due the following Friday. Individual assignments will depreciate by 5 points for each class period they are late for up to one week, at which time a 0 will be assigned.
Projects: Three projects will be assigned during the semester, each of which will be roughly two to four weeks in duration. The first project will be individual, the remaining two carried out in groups of two or three students, with the groups changing after the second project. Projects will not be accepted late.
Exams:
There will be two exams during the
semester, a midterm
and a comprehensive final. The midterm exam will be
an evening exam, Wednesday October 28, 7-9 p.m. The final exam for this
class will be on Wednesday December 16, 10:30 a.m.--12:30 p.m.. Please make a
note of
these dates.
Grades: Final grades will be determined in the following manner: Semester Projects: Individual: 10%, Group: 15% each; Homework assignments: 10%; Exams : 25% each. Grade ranges will be standard: 89.50-100, A; 79.50-89.49, B; 69.50-79.49, C, 59.50-69.49, D; below 59.50, F.
Make-up policy: Make-ups for exams will only be given if the student can provide a documented University-approved excuse (see University Regulations). According to University Student Rules students are required to notify an instructor by the end of the next working day after missing an exam. Otherwise the student forfeits his or her right to a make-up.
Scholastic
Dishonesty: Copying work done by
others, either
in-class
or out of class, is an act of scholastic dishonesty and will be
prosecuted
to the full extent allowed by University policy. "An Aggie does not
lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do." Please refer to the
Honor Council Rules and Procedures, available at the Office of the Aggie Honor System.
Copyright policy: All printed materials disseminated in class or on the web are protected by copyright laws. One xerox copy (or download from the web) is allowed for personal use. Multiple copies or sale of any of these materials is strictly prohibited.
Students with Disabilities: The following statement was provided by the Department of Disability Services: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact Disability Services, in Cain Hall, Room B118, or call 845-1637. For additional information visit http://disability.tamu.edu.
Class Schedule: Roughly speaking, we should cover the following material on the following schedule:
| Week of Monday | Material Covered |
|---|---|
| August 31 |
Introduction to MATLAB and LyX (Fri. Sept. 4 is last day for drop/add.) |
| September 7 |
Solving ODE with MATLAB |
| September 14 |
Curve fitting and parameter estimation |
| September 21 |
Dimensional analysis and
non-dimensionalization (Dimensional Analysis project assigned Fri.
Sept. 25.) |
| September 28 |
Modeling with ODE |
| October 5 |
Modeling with ODE (Dimensional Analysis project due Fri. Oct. 9, HIV project assigned.) |
| October 12 |
Analysis of ODE models |
| October 19 |
Analysis of ODE models |
| October 26 |
Review. Midterm Wed. Oct. 28, 7-9
p.m. |
| November 2 |
Modeling with probability (Fri. Nov. 6 is last day for Q-drop.) |
| November 9 |
Modeling with probability (HIV infection project due Fri. Nov. 13, Hold'em project assigned.) |
| November 16 |
Modeling with probability |
| November 23 |
Modeling topics (Thurs.-Fri. Nov. 26-27 is Thanksgiving holiday.) |
| November 30 |
Modeling topics |
| December 7 |
Review (Hold'em project due
Monday,
Dec. 7, last day M442 meets.) |