MATH 210:
Differential Equations with Applications
Mathematics Department, Bryn Mawr
College, Spring 2011
|
Professor: Victor Donnay |
Lecture:
MW 2:30 – 4:00
Rm. 338 |
|
Office: Park #330 |
|
|
Phone: 610-526-5352 E-mail: vdonnay@brynmawr.edu |
Office
Hours: tba |
Co-requisites: You should
have taken or presently be taking either Multi-variable Calculus or Linear
Algebra. Please speak to me if this is not the case for you.
Text: Differential
Equations by Blanchard, Devaney, and Hall, 3nd edition, published by
Brooks/Cole.
Course Web
Site: accessible
from Prof. Donnay's
homepage
All
materials for the course will be found on the web site or at the course
Blackboard site.
Goals of the
Course: In this
course, you will:
Do mathematical modeling
which involves studying real world situations using mathematics; in our case,
particularly using ordinary differential equations.
Learn to recognize real world
problems that are or could be examined using mathematical modeling. Be aware of
the power but also the potential weaknesses in using mathematical
modeling.
Develop an understanding of
linear and non-linear systems and how feedback effects in non-linear systems
can lead to unexpected behaviors.
Examine differential
equations using graphical (qualitative), numerical and analytical methods.
Communicate your mathematical
reasoning in writing and verbally.
Develop your ability to work as
an independent and self-sufficient learner:
What
to do when you do not know what to do
How
to take what you have learned in one situation and apply it to a new and
different situation (transfer of knowledge)
Get
comfortable with not knowing the answer immediately
Learn
material we have not covered in class by reading the book and applying this
newly learned information to solve problems.
Become
part of a community of learners who support, encourage and learn from one
another.
We
will cover most of the following sections from Blanchard et al:
Ch.1:
Section 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Ch.
2: Section 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Ch.
3: Section 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8
Ch.
4: Section 1, 2
Ch.
5: Section 1, 2
Ch.
7: Section 1, 2, 3, 4
Appendix
B.
Plus
additional topics as time and interest permits.
The topics from the last time I taught the
differential equations course are listed at the end of the syllabus to give you
a sense of what we will cover.
Additional
Reading: In addition to our text,
we will have supplementary readings that show how the material we are learning
in the course relates to real world issues and there will be homework
assignments involving the reading.
Computer
Assignments:
There
will be extensive use of the computer during the course both during class time
(with laptops) and as part of homework assignments. We will use the software that comes with the textbook:
Differential Equations.
You
will be encouraged to "play around" with the modules in this program
to develop a graphical understanding of the concepts in our course. We will
also use and write simple programs (possible systems include Excel,
Mathematica). No previous computer experience is necessary or assumed.
Exams:
There
will be a mid-term exam, a final exam and a final project. The tentative schedule
for the exams is:
Take-home Midterm exam: in the 6th (Feb 21-25) or 77h week (Feb 28- March 4).
Final Project: Due at the last class of the semester.
Students
will work in teams on a project of their choosing. The project might involve
using material from the course to study an applied situation, examining a
theoretical issue in more depth or studying a topic that extends the material
from the course. Projects will be written up in the form of a paper (10 - 15
pages).
Homework:
Homework
will be assigned for each class and will be collected once a week on Wednesday.
Late work will not be accepted unless
there is a special situation (ex. serious medical problem) and you get my
permission ahead
of time.
The
best way to learn mathematics is by doing lots of problems. Do not limit
yourself to just doing the problems that you are required to hand in. You
should do some problems after each class. This way, the next lecture will make
a lot more sense. Do not wait till the last minute and do all the problems at
once. You will have much more trouble understanding the lectures and will
therefore be using your time inefficiently.
You are encouraged to collaborate on
homework. This means you can talk with each other, figure things out together,
help each other. But when you finally write up your answer, you should do this
by yourself. You may not copy the answer that someone else has written. This
would be a violation of the honor code.
Quizzes:
There
will be a short quiz each week to give you feedback on your progress. Once you
get the quiz back, you are welcome to correct any mistakes and resubmit the
quiz to be re-graded.
Classroom:
During
class, there will be a mixture of lecturing by the professor and time spent by
the students working out problems and discussing their results in groups.
Research has shown that this type of active participation leads to improved
learning.
The
group work does not go well when members of the group are absent. Therefore it
is important that you attend to class. Please be respectful of your fellow
students.
If
you decide to take this course, you must commit to attending class regularly.
Attendance will be taken and substandard attendance will be taken into account
in determining grades.
Special
Event:
The class will carry out a role-playing
simulation game that applies aspects of differential equations to a real world
situation. This will require a three-hour time block and will take place during
an afternoon or evening in the third or fourth week of the semester. More
details will be forthcoming.
Final grades will be
determined using the following percentages:
|
Homework, quizzes, class
participation |
25% |
|
Midterm |
25% |
|
Final Project |
25% |
|
Final Exam |
25% |
|
Total |
100% |
Topics Covered in my Previous
Offering of Differential Equations:
Wk 1:
Mon Jan 16 (Lect 1): Course mechanics, introduction,
computer demonstration, introduction to modeling. (Sect 1.1). What it means for a function to be a solution of
a differential equation. Guess and Check method. Individual worksheet, Group worksheet. For Wed, fill
out the information survey part 1
and part
2.
Wed Jan 18 (L2): Examples of models (worksheet), calculating parameter values in
exponential model,
how good is the exponential population model (data table), logistic
population model and computer graphing.
Wk 2:
Mon Jan 24 (L3): Estimating derivative from a
data table. Slope fields (Sect 1.3). Slope field worksheet pt1, pt2. Long term behaviour, sensitive
dependence, constant solutions (worksheet).
Wed Jan 26 (L4): Finished with worksheet on long term behavior, sensitive dependence, butterfly effect
and chaos; also constant solutions, attracting (sink) and repelling (source)
equilibrium solutions.
Wk 3:
Mon Jan 30 (L5): Homework session.
Wed Feb 1 (L6): Phase line (picture/portrait)
(Sect 1.6), Euler’s method (Sect 1.4) with group worksheet.
Wk 4:
Mon Feb 6 (L7): Separation of Variables (Sect
1.2), worksheet. Fishing
game. Article about real world
fish stock collapses on reserve in the library.
Wed Feb 8 (L8): Review of modeling via
exponential model,
population models, start of logistic model with harvesting (Sect.
1.7), Harvesting worksheet,
Mixing model worksheet. Readings about environmental issues
handed out: “Biologists sort lessons of Fisheries Collapse” and “Canada to
shield 5 million forest acres” – available in hard copy from Prof. Donnay.
Wk 5:
Mon Feb 13 (L9): Paper review of harvesting
write up (feedback rubric),
harvesting rewrite
instructions. Handout of answer key to mixing problem
(paper copy available). Strategies for solving modeling problems.
Wed Feb 15 (L10): People who had studied the
same C value compare their results and write up summary. Creating bifurcation
diagram (Sect 1.7) and its implications for fishing limits (group worksheet).
Wk 6:
Mon Feb 20: (L11): Review for midterm (worksheet).
Wed Feb 22: (L12) Start existence and uniqueness of
solutions of differential equations (Sect 1.5). Learn about the harvesting problem of the Tibetan snow lotus
plant and the attempt to determine a sustainable harvesting level on National
Public Radio.
Wk 7: Mon
Feb 27 (L13): Formal Existence Theorem and Uniqueness (notes Sect 1.5), Linearity and
application to linear differential equations (notes Sect 1.8)
Wed
March 1 (L14): Techniques for finding particular solutions to non-homogeneous
linear differential equations (Sect 1.8). Method of Undetermined
Coefficients = educated guessing! General first order linear system. Constant
coefficients and non-constant coefficients. (notes)
Wk 8: Mon
March 13th (L15): Systems of Ordinary Differential Equations (Sect.
2.1, 2.2). Drawing solution
curves using HPGSystemSolver . Graphing a vector field (pdf version).
Wed
March 15th (L16): Predator-Prey model derivation. Very simple,
uncoupled system; its solutions and phase space. More
complicated model with coupling caused by predator-prey interaction.
Finding equilibrium solutions. Saddle equilibrium.
Wk 9: Mon
March 20 (L17): Comments about
upcoming hw assignment and how to interpret the
coefficients in a model.
Curve
given by parametric equations (x(t), y(t)); its
tangent/velocity vector (x’(t), y’(t)). A curve is a solution of the system of
differential equations if its tangent/velocity vector matches up with the
vector field given by the system.
A non-linear system can be studied by finding
equilibrium points and examining phase portrait in neighborhood of equilibrium
point. These phase portraits agree
with the phase portrait given by a linear system (the linear approximation to
the system, where the approximation is based at the equilibrium point). The non-linear phase portrait is created by patching together the
linear approximation pieces.
For a while we will focus on linear systems; such systems can be written
in vector notation using matrices. Interpret a matrix as giving a linear
transformation from R2 -> R2. Worksheet and graph paper.
Wed
March 22 (L18): Go over the matrix
transformation worksheet. Learn about eigenvectors and eigenvalues (worksheet) (Sect 3.2) and Linearity
(Sect 3.1).
Wk 10:
Mon March 27 (L19): Connect eigenvalues and eigenvectors to systems of
differential equations. Eigenvectors and eigenvalues combine to give particular
solutions – the straight line solutions Y1
and Y2. Then using
linearity of the system, which is based upon a matrix transformation being
linear, we showed that the general solution is a linear combination of the
straight line solutions: Y(t) = k1 Y1(t)
+ k2 Y2(t). Worksheet.
Wed
March 29 (L20): Practice using eigenvalues, eigenvectors to find solutions of
systems and to draw phase plane pictures by doing a long, multi-step problem.
Wk 11:
Mon April 3 (L21): Complex eigenvalues; real and imaginary parts of solutions;
spirals. Sect 3.4. Worksheet.
Wed
April 5 (L22): More on complex eigenvalues. Repeated
eigenvalues (Sect. 3.5).
Wk 12:
Mon April 10 (L23): Sect 5.1: Non-linear systems and linearization. Worksheet.
Wed
April 12 (L24): Sect 5.1: Linearization via Jacobian matrix, Improved numerical
methods (Ch 7). Lab instructions, Euler method, Improved Euler method, Runge-Kutta method.
Wk 13:
Mon April 17th: Improved Euler, Runge-Kutta.
Wed
April 19th: review for midterm.
Wk 14:
Monday April 24th: Mathematical epidemiology: SIR and SIRS models.
Wed
April 25th: surveys; playing with fun programs: Butterfly effect;
Lorentz equations, Chemical Osciallations,TD
Animations.