SYLLABUS FALL 2017

The University of Iowa

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Department of Mathematics

ORDINARY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS I: MATH:6600, Section 0001

11:30AM-12:20PM MWF in 214 MLH

http://www.math.uiowa.edu/~ljay/m6600_17.dir/m6600-syll.html


Some of the policies relating to this course (such as the drop deadline) are governed by its administrative home, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 120 Schaeffer Hall.

Instructor: Laurent O. Jay

Office: 225L MLH

Office hours: Tuesday 8:45-11:00 AM and Thursday 11:15 AM-noon. I will also be available at other times. Just drop by my office or send me an e-mail to make an appointment.

Phone: (319)-335-0898

E-mail: laurent-jay@uiowa.edu

Mailbox: in Mailroom 15 MLH

DEO contact information: Professor Maggy Tomova, 14 MLH, E-mail: maggy-tomova@uiowa.edu. The Department of Mathematics has offices in 14 MLH. To make an appointment to speak with the DEO, call 335-0714 or contact the Departmental Secretary in 14 MLH.

Course information: Assignments and other information about the course will be given on ICON and at Recommended readings will also be posted on the course web page at http://www.math.uiowa.edu/~ljay/m6600_17.html. Students are responsible for checking regularly ICON and the course web page.

Prerequisite (for undergraduate students):

Description of course: Topics to be covered:

This course plan may be modified during the semester. Such modifications will be announced in advance during class periods, on ICON, and on the course web page; each student is responsible for keeping abreast of such changes.

Objectives and goals of the course: This course is an advanced graduate course and it is assumed that you can work along the course in an independent fashion. This course is a natural continuation of MATH:5600 (nonlinear dynamics with numerical methods). Though the course is mostly about the theory of ordinary differential equations (ODEs), we may consider this theory in conjunction with some theoretical and practical aspects of numerical methods for ODEs. We will cover as many topics as possible, but of course several of them will be skipped due to time limits.

Textbook (recommended):

We will neither follow closely, nor cover entirely the whole textbook. It is only intended to be a reference and a complement giving a different view of the material. Aside from the textbook, class notes will be handed out based on the lectures.

Class procedures: The majority of each class period will be lecture oriented. I will generally hand out my own class notes on the material covered in class. Readings may be assigned. Standard out-of-class preparation is at least six hours per week.

Homework: Will be assigned approximately weekly. Presentation of your results is very important. Scratch paper will not be accepted. Do not expect good grades if your solution to a problem is poorly communicated. Like for everything, if you cannot explain something in great details, you certainly have not fully understood it. The importance of doing homework cannot be overemphasized, most of human people learn by doing, not only by watching and/or listening. Late homework may not be accepted, you need to request permission first or to provide a reasonable justification. Late homework is not accepted once a correction is given.

Grading procedures: In assigning grades, the plus/minus grading system will be used. The A+ grade will be used only in extraordinary situations. The final grade will be based as follows:

  1. attendance to account for 15% of the course grade.
  2. homework participation (and grading depending on the availability of a grader) to account for 35% of the course grade. The worst 4 homeworks will not count.
  3. A midterm examination to account for 25% of the course grade, to be held tentatively Wednesday October 18 for its first part and sometime in November for its second part.
  4. A final examination to account for 25% of the course grade.
  5. You have the possibility to work on a project during the semester. If you choose this option it can account for up to 25% of the course grade and it will replace any portion of the semester grade with a lower score. A project can only improve your grade, not lower it. Examples of projects: typing in Latex some material related to ODEs (proposed by instructor); solving some problems involving ODEs (proposed by instructor); you can also propose a project to be approved by instructor.

The midterm and final examinations are open books and open notes examinations. Smartphones/computers are not allowed.

Final examination: The final examination will be held on Tuesday, December 12, 2017, 10:00AM-noon in room 214 MLH. The final examination date and time will be announced by the Registrar generally by the fifth week of the classes. All students should plan on being at the UI through the final examination period. Once the Registrar has announced the date, time, and location of each final exam, the complete schedule will be published on the Registrar's web site and will be shared with instructors and students. I will announce the final examination date and time for this course in class, here, and at the course ICON site once it is known. Do not plan your end of the semester travel plans until the final exam schedule is made public. It is your responsibility to know the date, time, and place of the final exam. Only under exceptional circumstances will a student be permitted to shift the time of this examination. The final examination will be done with open books and open notes. Smartphones/computers are not allowed.

Course policies: Your responsibilities to this class and to your education as a whole-include attendance and participation. You are also expected to be honest and honorable in your fulfillment of assignments and in test-taking situations (the College's policy on plagiarism and cheating is on-line in the College's Student Academic Handbook). You have a responsibility to the rest of the class-and to the instructor-to help create a classroom environment where all may learn. At the most basic level, this means that you will respect the other members of the class and the instructor, and treat them with the courtesy you hope to receive in turn. Smart phones, cell phones, and pagers must be on silent mode during lecture and they are not allowed in class during exams. If you do bring a phone or pager to an exam, you may leave it in the front of the class during the exam. If a student is found to have a phone or pager during an exam, the phone or pager will be taken from the student and procedures for cheating will be followed.

Student Collaboration on homework: The homework for this course is designed to help you master your knowledge related to the topics covered during lecture. As such, you may discuss on the homework problems with others or use online resources. However, please be aware that to master the skills needed for this class, practice is required and that to do well on the final exam you will need to work many of these problems multiple times without help. Be sure to test your knowledge by doing much of the homework on your own. Students are allowed to partially collaborate with others on homework through discussion for the most difficult problems. However, each student must turn in their own homework and it must not be a copy of someone else homework. Students are responsible for understanding this policy; if you have questions, ask for clarification. Word per word copies will not be tolerated. In extreme cases students may be requested to stop any kind of collaboration with other students.

Linux computer accounts: Linux computer accounts are available on the Linux network in MLH (computer lab rooms B5 and 301). Set up a CLAS Linux Account here by just entering your hawkid and passphrase. To access your Linux computer account remotely. you can use FastX, a graphical Linux virtual desktop environment remotely accessible in your web browser. As long as you have an active Hawk ID and you login at least once in the past year, your CLAS Linux account will remain active. If you fail to use your account in a year, you will receive three notices, and then your CLAS Linux account will be deleted. Also, once your Hawk ID becomes inactive, your CLAS Linux account will be deleted.

Grader: Gordon Aiello, e-mail: gordon-aiello@uiowa.edu. Office: B20J MLH. Phone: 335-3650.


The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Policies and Procedures

The CLAS policy statements have been summarized from the web pages of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Administrative Home: The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the administrative home of this course and governs matters such as the add/drop deadlines, the second-grade-only option, and other related issues. Different colleges may have different policies. Questions may be addressed to 120 Schaeffer Hall, or see the CLAS Academic Policies Handbook at http://clas.uiowa.edu/students/handbook.

Electronic Communication: University policy specifies that students are responsible for all official correspondences sent to their University of Iowa e-mail address (@uiowa.edu). Faculty and students should use this account for correspondences (Operations Manual, III.15.2, k.11.)

Accommodations for Disabilities: The University of Iowa is committed to providing an educational experience that is accessible to all students. A student may request academic accommodations for a disability (which includes but is not limited to mental health, attention, learning, vision, and physical or health-related conditions). A student seeking academic accommodations should first register with Student Disability Services (SDS) and then meet with the course instructor privately in the instructor's office to make particular arrangements. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between the student, instructor, and SDS. See http://sds.studentlife.uiowa.edu/ for information.

Nondiscrimination in the Classroom: The University of Iowa is committed to making the classroom a respectful and inclusive space for all people irrespective of their gender, sexual, racial, religious or other identities. Toward this goal, students are invited to optionally share their preferred names and pronouns with their instructors and classmates. The University of Iowa prohibits discrimination and harassment against individuals on the basis of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, and other identity categories set forth in the University's Human Rights policy. For more information, contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, diversity@uiowa.edu, or visit diversity.uiowa.edu.

Academic Honesty: All CLAS students or students taking classes offered by CLAS have, in essence, agreed to the College's Code of Academic Honesty: "I pledge to do my own academic work and to excel to the best of my abilities, upholding the IOWA Challenge. I promise not to lie about my academic work, to cheat, or to steal the words or ideas of others; nor will I help fellow students to violate the Code of Academic Honesty." Any student committing academic misconduct is reported to the College and placed on disciplinary probation or may be suspended or expelled (CLAS Academic Policies Handbook).

CLAS Final Examination Policies: The final examination schedule for each class is announced by the Registrar generally by the fifth week of classes. Final exams are offered only during the official final examination period. No exams of any kind are allowed during the last week of classes. All students should plan on being at the UI through the final examination period. Once the Registrar has announced the date, time, and location of each final exam, the complete schedule will be published on the Registrar's web site and will be shared with instructors and students. It is the student's responsibility to know the date, time, and place of a final exam.

Making a Suggestion or a Complaint: Students with a suggestion or complaint should first visit with the instructor (and the course supervisor), and then with the departmental DEO. Complaints must be made within six months of the incident (CLAS Academic Policies Handbook).

Understanding Sexual Harassment: Sexual harassment subverts the mission of the University and threatens the well-being of students, faculty, and staff. All members of the UI community have a responsibility to uphold this mission and to contribute to a safe environment that enhances learning. Incidents of sexual harassment should be reported immediately. See the UI Office of the Sexual Misconduct Response Coordinator for assistance, definitions, and the full University policy.

Reacting Safely to Severe Weather: In severe weather, class members should seek appropriate shelter immediately, leaving the classroom if necessary. The class will continue if possible when the event is over. For more information on Hawk Alert and the siren warning system, visit the Department of Public Safety website.