MAP 2302 — Differential Equations — Syllabus
Prerequisites: C (2.0) or better in MAC 2313, or C (2.0) or better in MAC 2283.
Course Description: The course meets for approximately 45 hours during
a 15-week semester. Successful completion of the course merits 3 semester hours
of credit. The schedule outlined below allows time for three midterm exams plus a cumulative final exam, which are the norms for this course. (Note: A “lecture” is defined as a 50-minute time period.)
Text: Fundamentals of Differential Equations, 7th Edition, by Nagle, Saff, and Snider
Course Content
Chapter 1. Introduction. (1 week)
Background
Solutions and Initial Value Problems.
Direction Fields. (optional)
The Approximation Method of Euler. (omit)
Chapter 2. First Order Differential Equations. (2-3 weeks)
Introduction: Motion of a Falling Body.
Separable Equations.
Linear Equations.
Exact Equations.
Special Integrating Factors.
Substitutions and Transformations.
Chapter 3. Mathematical Models and Numerical Methods Involving First Order Equations. (1 week)
Mathematical Modeling.
Compartmental Analysis.
Heating and Cooling of Buildings.
Newtonian Mechanics.
Electrical Circuits. (omit)
Improved Euler's Method. (omit)
Higher-Order Numerical Methods: Taylor and Runge-Kutta. (omit)
Chapter 4. Linear Second Order Equations. (3-4 weeks)
Introduction: The Mass-Spring Oscillator.
Homogeneous Linear Equations; the General Solution.
Auxiliary Equations with Complex Roots.
Nonhomogeneous Equations: the Method of Undetermined Coefficients.
The Superposition Principle and Undetermined Coefficients Revisited.
Variation of Parameters.
Variable-Coefficient Equations. (omit)
Qualitative Considerations for Variable-Coefficient and Nonlinear Equations.
A Closer Look at Free Mechanical Vibrations.
A Closer Look at Forced Mechanical Vibrations.
Chapter 5. Introduction to Systems and Phase Plane Analysis. (omit)
Interconnected Fluid Tanks.
Elimination Method for Systems with Constant Coefficients.
Solving Systems and Higher-Order Equations Numerically.
Introduction to the Phase Plane.
Applications to Biomathematics: Epidemic and Tumor Growth Models.
Coupled Mass-Spring Systems.
Electrical Systems.
Dynamical Systems, Poincare Maps, and Chaos.
Chapter 6. Theory of Higher-Order Linear Differential Equations. (1-2 weeks)
Basic Theory of Linear Differential Equations.
Homogeneous Linear Equations with Constant Coefficients.
Undetermined Coefficients and the Annihilator Method.
Method of Variation of Parameters.
Chapter 7. Laplace Transforms. (2-3 weeks)
Introduction: A Mixing Problem.
Definition of the Laplace Transform.
Properties of the Laplace Transform.
Inverse Laplace Transform.
Solving Initial Value Problems.
Transforms of Discontinuous and Periodic Functions.
Convolution.
Impulses and the Dirac Delta Function. (omit)
Solving Linear Systems with Laplace Transforms. (omit)
Chapter 8. Series Solutions of Differential Equations. (1-2 weeks)
Introduction: The Taylor Polynomial Approximation.
Power Series and Analytic Functions.
Power Series Solutions to Linear Differential Equations.
Equations with Analytic Coefficients.
Cauchy-Euler (Equidimensional) Equations.
Method of Frobenius.
Finding a Second Linearly Independent Solution. (omit)
Special Functions. (omit)
Chapter 9. Matrix Methods for Linear Systems. (1-2 weeks)
Introduction.
Review 1: Linear Algebraic Equations.
Review 2: Matrices and Vectors.
Linear Systems in Normal Form.
Homogeneous Linear Systems with Constant Coefficients.
Complex Eigenvalues. (omit)
Nonhomogeneous Linear Systems. (omit)
The Matrix Exponential Function. (omit)
Chapter 10. Partial Differential Equations. (omit)
Introduction: A Model for Heat Flow.
Method of Separation of Variables.
Fourier Series.
Fourier Cosine and Sine Series.
The Heat Equation.
The Wave Equation.
Laplace's Equation.
[ Return to Course
Descriptions ]