Instructor: John Ringland. Email: ringland@buffalo.edu Office: 206 Math Bldg Office hours: Wednedays 4-4:50pm.
Lecture times/places:
| Section | Day | Time | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 306J | Tuesdays and Thursdays | 12:30-1:50pm | NSC 222 |
| 306K | Tuesdays and Thursdays | 2:00-3:20pm | NSC 228 |
Lab times/places
| Section | Time | Place | TA | TA Email | TA Office | TA Office Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J1 | Fridays 2:00pm-2:50pm | Cooke 127A | Yanzhan Liao | yanzhanl@buffalo.edu | 137 Math Bldg | Wednesdays 2-3pm |
| J2 | Fridays 3:00pm-3:50pm | Baldy 117 | Yanzhan Liao | yanzhanl@buffalo.edu | 137 Math Bldg | Wednesdays 2-3pm |
| K1 | Fridays 4:00pm-4:50pm | Bell 138 | Ka Yue (Tom) Cheuk | kayueche@buffalo.edu | 137 Math Bldg | Wednesdays 11am-12pm |
| K2 | Fridays 5:00pm-5:50pm | Park 146 | Ka Yue (Tom) Cheuk | kayueche@buffalo.edu | 137 Math Bldg | Wednesdays 11am-12pm |
Prerequisite: MTH 142.
Course website: http://blue.math.buffalo.edu/306. This website provides much of the information you need for the class, including links to all lecture material and to homework assignments. You are expected to bookmark this page and check it at least once a day. This is an open unrestricted website, so a few addresses we don't want to make public will not be posted there and will instead be emailed to you.
Online homework system: Most homework will be done through the online system called learning.buffalo.edu, also known as UBx. (This is UB's instance of the Open edX platform.) Here are instructions for registering and enrolling in the 306 course on UBx. Homeworks will be due weekly at 11:59pm Wednesdays.
Email: Class announcements and some other important information and instructions will be sent to you via email. You are expected to check your UB email at least daily for the duration of the course.
UBLearns: The only use we will make of UBLearns is as a place to upload projects and some homework assignments that are not done via UBx.
Discussion forum: I have created a Piazza discussion forum. In past semesters Piazza has proved very useful for sharing information and getting difficulties resolved quickly. All posts should be civil and respectful.
Textbook: The required textbook for the course is Notes on Differential Equations by Jiri Lebl et al., 2nd UB Edition. This is available free as a PDF, and a new physical book can be purchased from amazon.com for about $8. Yes, $8!
Content and timetable: See timetable. I will likely make a few adjustments as we go.
Relevant Dates
Grade: Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
Class participation: This portion of the grade will be based on several aspects of class participation, including attending class and recitation, pop quizzes, and responding promptly to questions and requests.
Homework: Homework 1 is already available and is due on Wednesday, Jan 29 at 11:59pm. All deadlines are precise to the minute: the system will not let you submit an answer after the deadline has passed.
Exams: You will be allowed to bring a single page of notes to each exam, handwritten on a sheet that I will provide.
Projects: You will conduct each of the projects in teams of 4 students that I will assign. Each team will turn in a single report, but there will be other individual requirements to measure how fully each team member participates.
Software: We will use the programming language Python (3.12) to do numerical, graphical, and symbolic computations that would be painful or impossible by hand. 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 recommended. You'll need a computer running Linux, MacOS, or Windows.
Laptop: You should always bring your laptop to labs. If you do not have a laptop you can bring, talk to me right away so we can discuss possible accommodations.
IMPORTANT: Use of a laptop, tablet, phone or other communication device for non-class purposes during class is prohibited: any and each infringement of this will result in penalty of one third of a letter grade on your overall course grade.
Academic Integrity: Cheating in any form will not be tolerated. Any violation of the University's Academic Integrity policy will be pursued to the fullest extent.
Posting of grades: Grades will be posted anonymously on the public course website so that you can see how you are doing, both in absolute terms and relative to everyone else. Please use this form to provide me with an "alias" (a made-up name) of your choice, so you - and only you - know which row in the grade sheet is yours: this alias can be anything you like that cannot be traced to you (cannot be your real name or an abbreviation of it, not your person number, not your Instagram or Xitter username, etc.).
How to be successful in this course: Sustained steady effort: starting today! Make full use of the resources available to you: the website, me (Ask questions in class! See me during office hours, and by appointment.), Wikipedia, Google, Youtube, etc., the TA (in labs, during office hours, and by appointment), and last but definitely not least your fellow students! Get a study-group together. Start homework assignments early.
Incomplete Grades: A grade of Incomplete (I) will only be given under extraordinary circumstances. Additionally, an incomplete will only be given if you have a passing average on all previously graded work in the course. To make up an Incomplete in a math course you must :
Accessibility Resources: If you have a diagnosed disability (physical, learning, or psychological) which will make it difficult for you to carry out the coursework as outlined, or requires accommodations such as note-takers, readers, or extended time on exams, please advise me before the first day of the course so we may review possible arrangements for reasonable accommodations.
