differential equations


ABOUT THE COURSE

a few facts

Basic Info

  • Instructor: Dave Feldman
  • Email: You can figure it out
  • Office: Second floor, Turrets Annex
  • Pronouns: he/him/his
  • Help Sessions: TBA, Dining Hall
  • Individual Meetings: By appointment
  • Tutors: Bianca Massacci

Textbook

There is no textbook for this course. We will use some online resources and I will distribute articles and perhaps some of my own notes.

Evaluation

Your evaluation will be based roughly as follows:

  • Homework assignments (25%)
  • Research project (70%)
  • Class participation (5%)
I will assign grades (for those who so opt) by following the guidelines in the COA Course Catalog. I do not have any quota of A's, B's, etc.

key policies and procedures

More Detailed Info

  1. Homework will usually be due Fridays at the end of the day. More than one unexcused late homework assignment will result in me mentioning this in your narrative evaluation and may result in a lowering of your grade.
  2. You are strongly encouraged to work together on homework. You can also consult me, other faculty, friends, and family. However, the homework you hand in should represent your own understanding. This means that if your friends get a homework problem and you don't understand how they did it, you shouldn't photocopy their solution and turn it in.
  3. You will need regular and reliable access to a computer that has python on it. If you need a loaner laptop from the school, please let me know.
  4. I will be sending out class info via email. Thus, it's important that you check your email.
  5. There will sometimes be reading to do before class. It is important that you do the reading and come ready to discuss and ask questions.
  6. Unless we have made arrangements in advance, you are expected to come to class and participate in group exercises.
  7. If either COA or MDIHS are cancelled due to snow or other winter calamities, class will (almost surely) not meet. Regardless of official cancellations, if you feel that it is not safe for you to come to class, don't come to class.
  8. By enrolling in an academic institution, a student is subscribing to common standards of academic honesty. Any cheating, plagiarism, falsifying or fabricating of data is a breach of such standards. A student must make it his or her responsibility to not use words or works of others without proper acknowledgment. Plagiarism is unacceptable and evidence of such activity is reported to the academic dean or his/her designee. Two violations of academic integrity are grounds for dismissal from the college. Students should request in-class discussions of such questions when complex issues of ethical scholarship arise.
  9. You should expect to spend 150 hours of academically engaged time on this course, or 15 hours per week. In addition to 4.5 hours per week in class, in a typical week you'll spend 2.5 hours reading and preparing for class and 8 hours attending help sessions, completing assignments, and working on your research project.

what's the deal with this course?

Other Thoughts

  1. I've taught this class four times before, and each time it's gone quite well. This year will be very similar to the version of the course I offered in 2014. So I'm pretty confident of how most things will go.
  2. This class is listed as an intermediate/advanced (I) class. It's not I because we'll be doing super hard, super tricky math. Rather, it's I because of what you'll be asked to do with some mostly straightforward math. You'll be asked to think with math and to use math creatively. You will also be expected to think about the structure of research and improve research skills.
  3. This class makes extensive use of ideas from calculus. It's important that you've had both differential calculus before and felt reasonably good about the experience, although it's ok if you've forgotten much of it. We will use the idea of a derivative almost daily, but we will rarely use the mechanics of calculus.
  4. Falling behind in this course is not a good idea. If you're confused about something, it's very important that you seek help sooner rather than later.
  5. I do not expect all of the homework assignments to be easy; I don't expect you to be able to sit down and do them easily the first time. The style of homework assignments in this class might be very different from what you're used to. Don't let yourself get frustrated. I strongly suggest working with others and seeking help if you need it.
  6. There will be few, if any, quick plug-in assignments. This class is not so much about mathematical calisthenics. Rather, there will be only a few problems, but they will be longer, requiring multiple steps. On some occasions you will be asked to form your own mathematical model as part of a problem.
  7. You will learn some of the basic elements of the python programming language. This is not a full course in python by any means; my goal is to teach you just enough so you can use it for what we need in this course, and also give you enough fundamentals so that you can learn further on your own if you want. I'm confident that this will work well.
  8. This course is structured to allow you to do a significant project as part of the coursework. You will need to start early on this and keep moving throughout the term. There will be numerous check-points throughout the term, including an oral presentation during week five. Falling behind in your project can be disastrous.
  9. Throughout I will be taking a (hyper) "modern" approach to differential equations. I emphasize qualitative, global analysis of differential equations, rather than specialized analytic tricks. We will frequently rely on numerical solutions to differential equations. We will use computers without guilt or apology to help us do mathematics and science. All of this might give the course a different feel than other math classes you've taken.
  10. There are three parts to this course: differential equations, python, and research projects. These strands will flow more or less in parallel. I don't think this will be a problem, but it may be just a tiny bit schizophrenic at first.

you can get help, and a lot more, at help sessions

Help Sessions

The Teaching Assistants and I will have a handful of help sessions. You are warmly invited and encouraged to attend these sessions. Things that happen at help session:
  1. The TAs and/or I am around to offer help on the homework.
  2. Some students do most of the homework while at a help session. They work through problems alone or with others, and find it comforting to know that help is immediately at hand if needed.
  3. Other students do the problems at home or in the library and come to the help session with specific questions.
  4. Usually there are a group of students working together at one or two tables in the dining hall. You can join this group.
  5. Some students prefer working in booths, which can be a bit quieter. I'll wander over to the booths and check in on students, or you can move over to the large table or summon me over.
  6. Help sessions are also a chance to ask general questions about the course. Conversations also wander into other areas: politics, the state of the world, what's for dinner, what classes are offered next term, and so on.
  7. Help sessions are a great way to meet other students in the class.
Everyone is welcome at help sessions! Attending these sessions help students do well in the class and get as much out of it as possible.

there are lots of good reasons why you might want to meet with me one-on-one

Individual Meetings

I am happy to meet with students one-on-one, either in my office or in the dining hall. The best way to set up an appointment is to send me an email. There are lots of reasons why you might want to me:
  1. You have some in-depth questions that there isn't time to explore in a help session.
  2. You have a question that you think is too basic or you're uncomfortable asking in a help session. (You shouldn't be uncomfortable, since, as the saying goes, there are no dumb questions! But I understand that you might be uncomfortable nevertheless.)
  3. You want to discuss some challenges you're facing in the class.
  4. You want to talk about other classes in energy or physics, or internships, senior projects, etc.
Please don't hesitate to reach out if there's anything you want to discuss.