MTH 256 Applied Differential Equations
Fall,
KIDD 364, MWF: 11:00-11:50pm

Instructor: Prof. Juan M. Restrepo
Office/Phone: Kidder Hall 046, (520) 990-4866 (email is best)
Office hours: W 3:00 p.m. -- 5:15 p.m., or by appointment.
Email: restrepo@math.oregonstate.edu
Homepage: www.science.oregonstate.edu/~restrepo

Recitation Instructor :
Darren Marotta
Office: Kidder Hall Rm 052
Office hours: Mon 4-5, Tue 12-1, Wed 4-5, In MLC: MWF 10:00–11:50 a.m. or by appointment.
Email: marottad@math.oregonstate.edu

Prerequisites : MTH 254 or equivalent.

Text:

Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems, by Boyce and DiPrima. I will follow the 9th Edition.
There are a lot of used copies for sale (or for rent) on the web.

Learning objectives: upon successfully completing this course a student should:
• Recognize and solve first order differential equations.
  • Know how to interpret geometrically autonomous first order differential equations.
  • Solve second and higher order differential equations with constant coefficients.
  • Formulate a differential equation as a model for certain types of physical or engineering problems.

    • Class Syllabus, Notes, and Other Material

  • Syllabus, from Boyce and DiPrima 9th Edition.
  • Lecture notes should be downloaded prior to the lecture.
    They are written in such a way to allow you to annotate these during the lecture itself.
  • Homework Problems Assigned.

    Exams

  • To test your preparation for this course, you should take this exam.
    You do not need to prepare for it. Take the first three tests. If you score less than 60% on any of these three topical exams,
    you are going to have a very tough time with this course.
  • The midterm exam will be on Oct 8, in class.
    Material covered by midterm is from Chapter 1 and Section 2.1. Closed book, no calculators/computers.

  • Performance Analysis: there were nearly 110 students taking the exam.
  • The grade histogram appears above (on the x-axis is the grade received, on the y-axis the number
    of students getting grades in each bin).
  • 60% of the grade came from questions based upon material in the class or the homework.
    Hence, if your grade is below 60, it can be said that you need a new class strategy to ensure success in this class.
  • Make an email appointment: I'll be happy to discuss class progress, the exam, and suggestions for class strategies.

    Final Exam Review Session: Tuesday Nov 27, 4-5:30, Rm 364 Kidder. NOTES FROM REVIEW ARE HERE.

    The final exam takes place on Thursday Dec 6, 7:30-9:30am, Withycombe 105.

    The exam consists of 16 multiple choice questions and 4 written questions.
    No notes or calculators are allowed.
    You will be given the     FORMULA SHEET and
    the table of Laplace transforms.



    No make-up midterm or final exam will given after the scheduled time under any circumstances:
    if you miss the midterm for a documented emergency, your final exam will be worth 300 pts.
    If you miss the recitations or final, you will be given an incomplete fail.


    Some practice material for the final:

  • solution exam 1.
  • FORMULA SHEET.
  • practice exam1.
  • practice exam1 key.
  • practice exam2.
  • practice exam2 key.
  • spring 2015 midterm exam2 key.
  • practice final.
  • practice final key.

    HOW TO SUCCEED IN THIS COURSE:

  • This course requires a lot of time. Plan accordingly: for every hour of class time, plan on 2-3 hours of study time.
  • Most students who find this course challenging have poor command of calculus.
  • Many students who perform best, not surprisingly, are those that seek help
    during office hours from the instructor or the recitation instructor. Make time for office hours. It's one of the
    best and fastest ways to clarify questions and perform better in exams
  • The exams are structured to reward hard work and/or for being clever, and clear and structured ideas.
  • If you come prepared for the exam, you should be able to do well: there will always be
    homework problems and there will always be something done in class. This is 60% of your grade.
    That means that there is no reason to have less than 60/100 if you were doing all of your homework and going over all of your classnotes. The rest of the exam is problems similar to those that appear in your homework.
  • Study in small groups.
  • If you miss a day of class you should try to obtain notes from one of your classmates and study the missed lesson as soon as possible.
  • Calculus classes move fast and MTH 256 will be no exception, and you will find it difficult to catch up if you fall behind.
  • Be sure to seek help immediately if you are having trouble with any concepts by asking questions in class, by making full use of the
    free tutoring services provided by the MLC located in Kidder 108, or the instructor during the scheduled office hours.



    Grading information:
    Recitation/Homework200 points
    1 Midterm Exam100 points
    Final Exam200 points
    Total points possible500 points

    The grading scale for the course is guaranteed to be no higher than the following cutoffs:
    A:450 – 500
    B:400 – 449
    C:300 – 399
    D:275 – 299
    F:0 – 274

    Course Catalog Description

    OSU Academic Dishonesty Policy

    Disability Access Services

    Last modified on Sep 2, 2014 by Juan Restrepo.