MATH 254 – Intro to ODEs

Section 12        TR 9:30—10:45am, Rm. 207 Gittings

Spring 2015

 

 

Instructor:     Shankar Venkataramani

Office:            math308

Phone:            621-2906

Email:            shankar@math.arizona.edu

Course Webpage: http://d2l.arizona.edu


Office hours:   Mon. 12-1 (in Math East 145)

                         Wed. 2:40-3:40

                         Also by appointment

 

 

Notes:  Lecture notes will be available on D2L.

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Attendance:  Students are expected to attend every scheduled class and to be familiar with the University Class Attendance policy as it appears in the General Catalog.  It is the studentÕs responsibility to keep informed of any announcements, syllabus adjustments or policy changes made during scheduled classes. Students are expected to behave in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct and the Code of Academic Integrity. The guiding principle of academic integrity is that a student's submitted work must be the student's own. University policies can be found at  http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/policiesandcodes.

 

 

Homework: Homework will be submitted in two formats throughout the semester.  A computer grading program called WebAssign will be used for problems assigned from the text (scroll to the bottom for more information). Hand-written homework showing all work with proper notation will also be submitted when required. A final homework score based on 75 possible points will be assigned. Homework is an essential component of the course, whether it is assigned for grading or not.

 

Quizzes: Short in class quizzes will be given every class when possible. No calculators are allowed unless otherwise announced. There are no make-up quizzes. Some quizzes will be dropped. A final quiz score of 25 points will be assigned.

 

In-Class Exams:  The four in-class exams are scheduled for Wednesday, September 14; Wednesday, October 12; Friday, November 4; and Friday, December 2.  The total points for the exams will be 300 points. All electronic devices, particularly cell phones, must be turned off during all exams. Silence and vibration modes are not allowed.

 

Missed Exam Policy: In general, there will be no make-up exams in the course. However, in complex and unusual circumstances which are beyond control, a make-up exam may be given on a case-by-case basis. This will require providing a detailed account of the situation and any supporting documents. Approval in these cases is at the sole discretion of the instructor and/or the dean of students.

 

Final Exam: The final exam is a common department exam worth 200 points. It is scheduled for Monday, December 12 from 8:00 – 10:00 am.  Additional information and a study guide can be found at http://math.arizona.edu/~calc. The UniversityÕs Exam regulations will be strictly followed (see http://www.registrar.arizona.edu/schedule111/exams/examrules.htm).

 

Calculators:  A graphing calculator is an important tool that will be used in this course.  Students are expected to have a working calculator for each exam.  No calculator swapping is permitted during exams. Calculator programs can be found at http://math.arizona.edu/~krawczyk/calcul.html.

 

 

Grades:  The total number of points available on tests and homework is 600.  Grades will be no lower than those set forth in the following table

 

540 £ points £ 600

90% to 100%

A

480 £ points £ 539

80% to 90%

B

420 £ points £ 479

70% to 80%

C

360 £ points £ 419

60% to 70%

D

    0 £ points £ 359

0%  to 60%

E

 

The Department of Mathematics Undergraduate Committee recently adopted a new policy that a grade of C or better in Math 129 is a necessary prerequisite for Math 215 (Linear Algebra), Math 223 (Vector Calculus) or Math 254 (Differential Equations).  This policy will take effect for classes that start in the Fall 2010 semester. Students who receive a D in Math 129 will receive credit for the course towards graduation requirements, but will not be automatically qualified to register for Math 215, 223 or 254.

 

 

Students with disabilities:

If you anticipate issues related to the format or requirements of this course, please meet with your instructor to discuss ways to ensure your full participation in the course.  If you determine that formal, disability-related accommodations are necessary, it is very important that you be registered with Disability Resources (621-3268; drc.arizona.edu).You should notify your instructor of your eligibility for reasonable accommodations by Monday, January 24.You and your instructor can then plan how best to coordinate your accommodations.

 

Students withdrawing from the course:

If you withdraw from the course by February 8, the course will be deleted from your enrollment record. If you withdraw from the course by March 8, you will receive a grade of W provided you have a passing grade at the time of withdrawal.  The University allows withdraws after March 8, but only with the DeanÕs signature. Late withdraws will be dealt with on a case by case basis, and requests for late withdraw with a W without a valid reason may or may not be honored.

 

 

Incompletes:

The grade of I will be awarded if all of the following conditions are met:

1.     The student has completed all but a small portion of the required work.

2.     The student has scored at least 50% on the work completed.

3.     The student has a valid reason for not completing the course on time.

4.     The student agrees to make up the material in a short period of time.

5.     The student asks for the incomplete before grades are due, 48 hours after the final exam.

 

 

Computing Resources: Information about using computers on campus, setting up a UA email account, and computer support can be found at http://www.oscr.arizona.edu. A list and map of open access computing facilities on campus can be found at http://www.oscr.arizona.edu/maps.

 

Instructions for WebAssign: To create an account for our class go to http://webassign.net, click on the Log-In button, then click on the I Have a Class Key button.

Our class key is arizona  7024 4979. You must do this even if you have used WebAssign in the past or are using it for another course this semester. There is a 14-day grace period (from the first day of classes) before you must purchase/ submit your access code for our class. Each time you log-in, you will see a reminder.