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SCHEDULE
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Class is scheduled to meet on Mondays 3:30-5 and Thursday 1:30-3:00.
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| INSTRUCTOR
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Ron
Buckmire
320 Fowler
Math Department
Occidental College
1600 Campus Road
Los Angeles, CA
90041
323-259-2536
ron@oxy.edu
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| OFFICE HOURS
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I am almost always in my office from noon till around 6pm.
My official office hours will be Monday and Wednesday 2:30pm-4pm and Thursday 1pm-3pm.
I am readily accessible by electronic mail (preferred) and by phone.
If you need to see me at a time not specified here, then contact me and make an appointment and I will be happy to meet with you.
Official Fall 2001 Schedule |
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TEXTBOOK
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Complex Analysis, Mathews and Howell, Jones and Bartlett,
2001
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| ONLINE MATERIALS |
MATH312 Blackboard Course
I have decided to use Blackboard to manage the website for the course.
All course announcements will occur on the Blackboard site. All students will be expexted to login to http://blackboard.oxy.edu and enroll themselves into the Math312 Complex Analysis course.
I have prevoiusly taught this course.
The URL for that course is http://abacus.oxy.edu/~ron/math/312/98/.
There is a class mailing list available at math312-l@oxy.edu which reaches all the members of the class.
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| NATURE OF THE CLASS
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The main goal of the course is for you to learn different aspects of complex analysis. I shall be teaching the course with an idea towards how complex variables are used to solve real-world or physical problems in other disciplines. We shall be covering topics such as elementary and analytic functions of a complex variable, contour integration, conformal mapping, series, Laurent and Taylor series, and residues and their applications. These topics are found in the first nine chapters of the textbook.
We shall be using a number of computer algebra systems like Mathematica, Maple, and F(z) to assist us in the visualization of some complex structures and also to assist with algebraic manipulations.
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FORMAT OF THE CLASS
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Homework and problem sets will be an integral part of the class where learning how complex variables are used will be achieved by doing, not listening to me talk about it, or watching me do it on the board.
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| GOALS
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The goal of the class is that you gain an appreciation for and dexterity with,
complex variables. And to have fun doing it! Complex variables was my
favorite class when I was an undergraduate, and I hope to make Complex Analysis yours. Specifically, by the end of the class you should feel comfortable
manipulating complex numbers as well as you manipulate real numbers
- solving equations containing complex variables
- differentiating and integrating functions of a complex variable
- constructing mappings from one 2-D region to another
- calculating Residues to evaluate improper integrals
among other skills.
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TESTS
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There will be 3 EXAMS in this course.
The two tests and one final exam are scheduled for
- TEST 1: Wednesday, September 19, 2001
- TEST 2: Wednesday, November 21, 2001
- FINAL: Take Home, due DECEMBER 18, 2001
Dates of these tests are subject to change (with notice).
It should be noted that students generally think that my tests are too hard and that I try to address that concern.
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TERM PROJECT
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I
will provide more information about the term project later in the semester.
It will probably consist of either a 5-paged written presentation or a 15-minute oral presentation (your choice) which describes some topic in
volving complex variables which is of interest to the student.
You could choose to write about a particular interesting question on a quiz or problem set, write a computer program or talk about an application of complex var
iables to some other field.
The point is to communicate to me that at least one topic covered in the class
was interesting enough to write about, and why. Here are some examples of previous student projects in Complex Analysis. |
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ACADEMIC HONESTY
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I expect the highest level of academic honesty from my
students. If you have any questions about academic honesty you should read the
sections on ``Spirit of Honor'' (front cover) and ``Academic Policies'' (pp 111-112) found
in the Student Handbook. Any instances of plagiarism or cheating will be dealt
with strictly and in accordance with procedures outlined in the Handbook.
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| GRADES
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Your course grade will be composed of the following:
- Two (2) Tests: 20%
- Quizzes and Problem Sets: 50%
- Final Exam: 10%
- Term Project: 10%
- Class Participation/Oral Presentation: 10%
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| OTHER NOTES |
We will not have class on Monday September 3 (Labor Day), Monday September 24 (I'm out of town) and November 16-25 (Spring Break). I will let you know atleast one week in advance of any other cancelled classes. |
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