MATH 428-1 DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS II

SPRING SEMESTER 2006 (January 22 - May 9)

Instructor: Dr. A. Muleshkov, Associate Professor of Mathematics

Location: CBC C215 Time: Mo We 4:00 - 5:15 P. M.

Office: CBC B206 Phone/Voice mail: 895-0387

Office Hours: Mo We 3:00 P. M. – 4:00 P. M.

Tu Th 11:45 A. M. – 1:00 P. M.

E-mail address: muleshko@unlv.nevada.edu

Web site: http://www.scsv.nevada.edu/~muleshko/

Textbook: ELEMENTARY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS AND BOUNDARY VALUE PROBLEMS, 8e Edition - William E. Boyce & Richard C. DiPrima

(Chapters 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 and an additional topic, First Order Partial Differential Equations, which is not in the book, are intended to be covered fully or partially.)

Prerequisite: MATH 427 (min. grade C) or MATH 431 (with the instructor’s permission)

The final grade for the course is obtained from the total (max 500) of:

-- homework and/or quizzes - 120 points

-- midsemester test - 120 points

-- final exam (partially comprehensive) - 220 points

-- instructor's discretion - 40 points

In this class, the textbook is only a tool rather than a self-study text. Very often, easier and more powerful methods are going to be presented in class. This textbook was chosen by the instructor because of the good choice and order of topics and also because of the quality and relevance of the problems. Further natural continuations of this class are the graduate Ordinary Differential Equations class, as well as the undergraduate and graduate Partial Differential Equations classes. Mastery of integration techniques, especially integration by parts as well as series, especially power series is absolutely necessary for understanding the course from the beginning. Students are encouraged to review these topics and study the distributed handouts extensively from the beginning and to seek the instructor's assistance if needed. Since Differential Equations (and Complex Analysis) are the first and most important parts of Applied Mathematics, the main goal of this and the other above mentioned classes (at least when I teach them) are going to be analytical, semi-analytical/approximate, and some numerical solutions of differential equations. Issues of existence, uniqueness, stability, convergence, etc. will also be considered, but their formal treatment will be secondary in these classes. Use of Fortran, C++, etc. codes and software packages such as Mathematica, Maple, MATLAB, etc. is encouraged but will not be considered in this and the other above mentioned classes. As it is seen from the previous remarks, this is a very serious and time-consuming class. Besides coming to class, students need to review past material, work on homework, prepare for quizzes and tests, read the text, and consult the instructor and/or tutors. Accordingly, students should plan to allow sufficient time. Regular attendance, prompt arrival, and taking elaborate class notes are strongly recommended; students who do not maintain these good habits do not usually succeed in this course. Knowledge of a phone number of and keeping in touch with a classmate could be very helpful.

Please keep this syllabus for future reference. If you have any questions about the issues raised here or other issues, please come to my office hours.