Introduction to Differential Equations MA266
Important information: Main course page, where you can find the assignment list.
Office hours Tuesday 3:00 - 5:00 pm, (or by appointment)
Some useful links:
Khan Academy on Differential Equations Online lectures (first one here ) it basically goes through our
course in several 10 minute videos - also available on youtube.
MIT's open courseware: Differential equations and it's honors version
Important Dates, and grading scheme:
- First exam: February 23. Worth 20 % of the final grade.
- Second exam: April 12. Worth 20% of the final grade.
- Quiz every class (except exam days): Worth 12% of the final grade.
- Assignments are due weekly and together are worth 13% of the final grade. Three projects available on the
Main course page will be included into the assignment grade.
- Last lecture:
- Final exam: You can find the date/time/location here. The
final exam covers everything from day 1. It will be a multiple choice exam. The final is worth 35% of the final grade.
Textbook
- We will follow the text "Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value
Problems" by Boyce and DiPrima (9th Ed.). Using a slightly older edition should be OK except for the homework problems -
you will need to find someone with the current edition to make sure you have the right problems.
- The final exam is cumulative. It will be a multiple choice exam.
All sections of MA266 take the same exam. The homework should give a good guide for what to practice.
Also, past exams for this course (some of which have multiple choice problems, similar to the exam we will write) can be found following links from here.
Late homework
-
Policy on Late Homework and Missed Quizzes: Late homework will not be accepted, and no make-up
quizzes will be given, except in the case of an excused absense or a medical emergency (requiring documentation).
You must notify me before hand of any academic-related trip and have a letter from the organization.
At the end of the semester the lowest homework score and the 3 lowest quiz scores will be dropped.
Overview
A typical class will involve the presentation of the material and working through some problems on the board. Student participation in class is strongly encouraged.
Please ask questions at any time.
There will be two midterms, one final, weekly homework, and several in-class quizzes.
Midterms will be based on work presented in class and done on homework, but you should not expect it to be identical.
If you wish to contact me out of class or to make an appointment outside of office hours, it is best to do so by e-mail.
Extras:
We will learn about harmonic ocillators such as RLC circuits.
Here is a description of an everyday application of RLC circuits:
How AM radio works. (pdf)