MATH 204, Elementary Differential Equations, Section 1H, Course #71741
Spring 2011 Course Syllabus
Instructor: Dr. Yanzhi Zhang
Phone: 341 – 4651
Office:
110 Rolla Building
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 2:00pm – 3:30pm, or by appointment.
Course Webpage: Course material and announcements will be posted on Blackboard.
Prerequisite: Mathematics 22 (Calculus with Analytic Geometry III) with a grade of “C” or better.
Class: Tuesday and Thursday 11:00am – 12:15pm, Campus Support Facilities G5E
Main Text: Elementary Differential Equations (9th edition), Boyce and DiPrima, John Wiley &
Sons, 2009.
Recommended: Schaum’s Outline of Differential Equations (3rd edition), Bronson and Costa,
McGraw-Hill, 2006. (The Schaum’s Outline is very good for many worked examples. Also, the 2nd
edition (1994) of the Schaum’s outline will work just fine.)
Topics to Be Covered:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Section 5.4
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Introduction
First-Order Differential Equations
Second-Order Linear Equations
Higher-Order Linear Equations
Euler Equations
The Laplace Transform
Systems of First-Order Linear Equations
Attendance and Drop Policy: You are expected to attend every class period. If you know in advance
that you will not be able to attend, please check with me ahead of time to determine what work you
will miss. If you miss a class, you are responsible for all material, announcements, and assignments
that you missed. (Talk to others in the class, check the course schedule, and check Blackboard.) After
four absences, you will receive an academic alert; after seven absences, you can expect to be dropped
from the course.
Grading: Grades will be determined based on demonstrated proficiency on homework and
examinations. The final grade will be based on the following:
Homework
Common Midterm Exams
Common Final Exam
100 points
300 points (three exams at 100 points each – at night, dates below)
200 points (Wednesday, May 4th, 8:00-10:00am, room to be announced)
Grading Scale: If you score 90% or more of all possible points, you are guaranteed to earn an A; 80%
or more guarantees a B; 70% or more guarantees a C; and 60% or more guarantees a D.
Night Exams: Common Math 204 midterm exams are scheduled for 7:30pm -- 8:30pm on Thursday
2/17, 3/24, and 4/21. IF YOU HAVE A CONFLICT WITH ANY OF THESE EXAMS, LET ME KNOW AS SOON
AS POSSIBLE! Samples of Math 204 exams, with solutions, are posted online in the library’s electronic
course reserve.
Exam Replacement: I will replace your lowest score on one midterm exam with your percentage
score on the final exam, if it is higher. Note that this accounts for a midterm exam that is missed (for
any reason): your score on that midterm exam will be replaced with your percentage score on the final
exam. There will be no exceptions.
Grading Details: Homework will be assigned each class period and collected about once per week.
Answers that are unsupported by your work will not receive credit. The presentation of your work is
important. If you submit sloppy or illegible work, you may lose points.
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All homework assignments are listed on the course schedule posted on Blackboard.
Each graded homework assignment is worth 10 points.
Your ten highest homework scores will count for a total of 100 points.
Late Homework: Homework turned in after the specified deadline will not be accepted. There will
be no exceptions.
Course Homework: A thorough understanding of the homework is a vital component of this course.
You are permitted and to a great extent encouraged to seek the advice of others. However, you should
ensure that you have a firm understanding of the material. If you do not finish or completely
understand the assigned homework problems, expect to perform poorly on the exams. Therefore, if
you are having trouble with certain concepts or homework problems, be sure to get help from a
classmate, LEAD, the mathematics tutoring room, or the instructor. If you can’t make my office hours,
feel free to contact me to arrange another time to meet. Solutions to practice problems are posted in
the library electronic course reserve.
Opportunities for Help:
• LEAD – details to be posted on Blackboard.
• Mathematics tutoring room – details to be posted on Blackboard.
• Office hours – please feel free to email me for appointment, if you can’t make my office hours.
Course Ethics: As mentioned above, you are permitted and to a great extent encouraged to seek the
advice of others. However, there is an obvious difference between a constructive discussion about a
homework problem with a classmate and copying a classmate’s homework. Copying is not permitted.
Any help/advice you receive must be fully documented so that you do not falsely represent yourself
and your work.
Disability Support Services: http://dss.mst.edu/
If you have a documented disability and anticipate needing accommodations in this course, you are
strongly encouraged to meet with me early in the semester. You will need to request that the Disability
Services staff send a letter to me verifying your disability and specifying the accommodation you will
need before I can arrange your accommodation.
Academic Honesty: http://registrar.mst.edu/academicregs/index.html
Page 30 of the Student Academic Regulations handbook describes the student standard of conduct
relative to the System's Collected Rules and Regulations section 200.010, and offers descriptions of
academic dishonesty including cheating, plagiarism or sabotage.
Course Egress Map: http://registrar.mst.edu/documents/egress/egress_csf_g5e.pdf
In case of an emergency, the egress route for evacuation of our classroom is posted at the link above.
Question/Concern Resolution: If you ever have a question, problem, or concern about anything in
this course, please come see me first. If your concern still is unresolved, then see the Mathematics and
Statistics Department Undergraduate Coordinator, Dr. Ilene Morgan, in room 212 of the Rolla
Building. If you still have a concern, then see our Department Chair, Dr. Leon Hall, in room 202 of
the Rolla Building.