Course: Math 20D (Course Catalog)
Title: Introduction to Differential Equations
Credit Hours: 4
Prerequisites: Math 20C (or equivalent)
Catalog Description:
Ordinary differential equations: exact, separable, and linear; constant coefficients, undetermined coefficients, variation of parameters. Series solutions. Systems, Laplace transforms.
Textbook:
Elementary Differential Equations (10th Edition) by William E. Boyce and Richard C. DiPrima; published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; 2013.
Material Covered:
We shall cover parts of chapters 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 of the textbook. A list of topics scheduled to be covered each day can be found on the Calendar.
Lectures: Attending the lecture is a fundamental part of the course; you are responsible for material presented in the lecture whether or not it is discussed in the textbook.
Reading Assignments: Reading and doing the examples in the sections of the textbook corresponding to our discussions in lecture will help you learn and understand the course material better. If you work through the relevant examples in the book before you start your homework problems, you will probably solve the homework problems more easily and perform better on your exams than if you do not do the reading.
Labs: This course has an independently managed MATLAB component. It has separate homework, and will count for 10% of the grade. The MATLAB assignments are a required part of the course. See Matlab page https://sites.google.com/site/math20d16s2/home/matlab for more information.
Discussion Sections:
Discussion sections will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays. Please note that there is no discussion section on Monday, August 1. Attendance is not strictly mandatory, but is highly recommended. Check the Home page for the exact dates of the discussion sections.
Quizzes & Midterm:
There will be two quizzes and one midterm. Check the Exam page
https://sites.google.com/site/math20d16s2/home/exams for the exact dates of the quizzes and midterm. You may bring one 8.5 by 11 inch sheet of notes with you to the midterm and final exam, but not for the quizzes.
Final Exam: The final examination will be held from 8:00am - 10:59 am on Saturday September 3 in the usual classroom. It is your responsibility to ensure that you do not have a schedule conflict involving the final examination; you should not enroll in this class if you cannot sit for the final examination at its scheduled time. You may bring one 8.5 by 11 inch sheet of notes with you to the final examination. No calculators will be allowed during the final examination. If you violate the instructions of the final exam or communicate in any way with any other student during the final exam, you will receive a zero on the final exam.
Regrades: All graded materials will be returned in the discussion sections. If you find a grading or point totalling error on any graded material, you must return it immediately to your TA. Regrade requests will not be considered once the graded material leaves the room. If you do not retrieve your graded materials during discussion section, you must arrange to pick them up from your TA within one week after they were returned in order for any regrade request to be considered.
Grade Recording Errors: This course will have a page on TritonEd(also called Ted); your homework and midterm grades will be recorded on Ted. Please always make sure that your grades have been inputted and inputted correctly. Keep all of your returned exams and assignments. If there is any mistake in the recording of your scores, you will need the original exam or assignment in order for us to make a change. In particular, if there is any mistake in the recording of your homework scores, you must notify your TA within one week after the score was posted to Ted (otherwise your request will not be considered).
Grading Policy:
Your cumulative average will be the BEST of the following two weighted averages.
10% Matlab+10% Quiz 1+ 25% Midterm Exam+10% Quiz 2+ 45% Final Exam
10% Matlab+10% Best Quiz+20% Midterm Exam+ 60% Final Exam
Your grade will be computed using both methods and then the better grade will be used. After your weighted average is calculated, letter grades will be assigned based on the following grading scale:
We may adjust the above scale to be more lenient (depending on the overall class performance), but we guarantee that we will not adjust the scale to make it harder to get a better grade. Also please note that there are no D grades in the Math 20 sequence.
Make-up Exams: Make-up exams will not be given. In particular, it is your responsibility to ensure that you do not have a schedule conflict involving the midterm exams or the final examination; you should not enroll in this class if you cannot take the midterm exams or the final exam at the scheduled times.
Electronic Computing Devices: Graphing calculators and computer programs (or online computing websites such as WolframAlpha) can be very helpful when working through your homework. However, a calculator/computer should be used as an aid in the learning concepts, not just as a means of computation. You should use these devices when working on math problems at home, but always keep in mind that you will not be allowed access to any electronic computing devices during exams. Of course, this also means that you will not be asked to solve problems on exams that require the aid of an electronic computing device.
Electronic Devices: Please do NOT use devices such as laptops, tablets, cell phones for non-class-related purposes while in class. It is very distracting to students around you if you are using Facebook, Twitter, email, etc. during class. Also the use of electronic devices will NOT be permitted during exams.
Academic Dishonesty: Academic dishonesty is considered a serious offense at UCSD. Students caught cheating will face an administrative sanction which may include suspension or expulsion from the university. Any indication of cheating will result in a failing grade with your name being turned in to the administration. It is in your best interest to maintain your academic integrity. (Click here for more information.)
Suggestions: Below are some suggestions that we hope will help you to succeed in this course:
Spend sufficient time on the course. According to the policy of UCSD's Academic Senate, "The value of a course in units...shall be reckoned at the rate of one unit for three hours' work per week per quarter on the part of the student." Since this course is worth 4 credits, you should be willing to spend about 12 hours per week on it.
Keep up with the homework and do not miss a quiz or midterm.
Get started on the homework assignments early. This will enable you to make the most of your discussion section time by coming prepared with specific questions.
Think about mathematics every day.