MTH 306 J and K with Prof. Ringland, Spring 2025
Ordinary Differential Equations
Exams
Miterterm Exam 1, Tuesday, March 4
Coverage: Chapter 0, Chapter 1 except 1.5 Substitution and 1.8 Exact Equations, Chapter 2 through section 2.2. This corresponds to Homeworks 1 through 5.
No calculators.
One 1-sided sheet of handwritten notes - on provided template only.
Labs on Friday Feb 28 will be devoted to answering questions you may have in preparation for Exam 1.
First projects
Here are the options and instructions for the First Projects. Study the options and determine your preferences. The sign-up form will be posted at 5pm on Tuesday, March 4.
Office hours
Mine: Wednesdays 4:00-4:50pm in 206 Math Bldg
Yanzhan's for 306 J: Wednesdays 2:00-3:00pm in 137 Math Bldg
Tom's for 306 K: Wednesdays 11:00am-12:00pm in 137 Math Bldg
Score sheet
Here is the score sheet.
Chalkboard photos and illustrations
| Day 1, 1/22, Slope fields | |
| Day 2, 1/28, Separable DEs | Day 3, 1/30, Linear DEs |
| Day 4, 2/4, E/U and Euler's method | Day 5, 2/6, Euler, Qualitative |
| Day 6, 2/11, 2nd order linear | Day 7, 2/13, 2nd order linear const coeffs |
| Day 8, 2/18, fishing, mechanical vibrations, illustrations | Day 9, 2/20, forced 2nd order linear |
| Day 10, 2/25, forced damped oscillator, Ch. 3 Systems, boards, notebook | Day 11, 2/27 matrix-vector product |
| Day 12, 3/4, Exam 1 | Day 13, 3/6, Matrix determinants |
| Day 14, 3/11, eigenvectors and eigenvalues boards, house app, eigenvector app |
Labs
Policies and logistics
Timetable (provisional timetable subject to adjustment)
Homework
Please enroll yourself immediately in the UBx online homework system by following the instructions here. Homeworks are due at 11:59pm Wednesdays, the first on Jan 29.
Software and hardware
You will need to have a computer with a Python programming environment. The (free) Anaconda distribution (note you can "skip registration"), which comes with all standard packages included, is strongly recommended. You'll need a computer running Linux, MacOS, or Windows.
Download and install Anaconda before the first lab on Friday, Jan 24.
You should always bring your laptop to the labs.
Second project
Description forthcoming later
Textbook
PDF. Physical copy available from Amazon for $8: see Logistics and Policies.
Piazza forum
A place to ask and answer questions about the course. I will enroll everyone on Jan 23.