MATH 370: Numerical Analysis

SCHEDULE

Class will meet on Mondays in Fowler 127, and Wednesdays and Fridays from 2:30pm-3:25pm in Fowler 201.

INSTRUCTOR

Ron Buckmire
402 Fowler
Math Department
Occidental College
1600 Campus Road
Los Angeles, CA 90041
(213) 259-2536
ron@oxy.edu

OFFICE HOURS

I am almost always in my office from noon till around 6pm. My official office hours will be Monday and Wednesday 2:30pm-3:25pm. I am readily accessible by electronic mail and by phone. If you need to see me at a time not specified here, then contact me and make an appointment.

TEXTBOOK

Numerical Analysis, by Burden and Faires, Brooks/Cole (5th Edition).

CLASSROOM

On Mondays we will be in Fowler 201, on Wednesdays/Fridays we will meet in Fowler 127.

NATURE OF THE CLASS

Numerical Analysis is the study of computational methods used for the solution of mathematical problems. In this class, I shall introduce you to a number of modern approximation techniques and algorithms. I will explain how, why and when these methods can be expected to work. The class will be of an introductory nature, but with enough depth to provide a solid basis for further study in numerical analysis and/or scientific computation.

We shall be using a number of computer algebra systems like Mathematica, Maple, and Derive to assist us in the visualization of some complex structures and also to assist with algebraic manipulations.

FORMAT OF THE CLASS

We will be using a number of computer algebra systems such as Maple, Mathematica and supplied computer code written in Fortran or Pascal. I will also translate some of these programs into TruBasic and you will be modifying the code in order to solve particular problems.

GOALS

At the end of this class you will have been exposed to a number of standard numerical methods and algorithms which you can use when you are faced with certain typical mathematical problems. The idea is that you are being trained to be someone who can solve various numerical problems using computers. Even though computer programming in any particular language is not a large part of the course, you should be able to express HOW to solve a problem using ``pseudocode'' and also be able to demonstrate how you would solve a problem by hand or using a calculator.

GRADES

Your course grade will be composed of the following:

3 Exams: 45%
Weekly Assessments: 20%
Term Project: 15%
Class Participation: 10%
Portfolio: 10%

TESTS

There will be 3 EXAMS in this course. The three tests are scheduled for

February 14 1997 Rescheduled to Feb 21, 1997
March 14 1997
April 18 1997

Dates of these tests are subject to change (with notice). There will be no final exam.

GROUP PROJECT

In groups of 2 or 3 you will select a topic in numerical analysis that we have not covered in the course, but which is either an extension of material covered in the course or is related to material you have taken in another course. I would like it if you come up with Project Topics, but some suggested topics that come to mind are Muller's Method, Numerical Quadrature in 2 or 3 dimensions, Improper Integrals, Bezier Curves, etc.

PARTICIPATION

This consists of two parts: online participation and offline participation. Online participation consists of electronic mail exchanges with me and your classmates. In order to get full credit for this you must send a total of 10 messages throughout the semester, or about one per week. Offline participation consists of visits during office hours, attendance of class, asking questions in class, answering questions in class, private appointments and over all participation in the class.

PORTFOLIO

This will consist of a 2-5 page overview of your semester's work in this course. You will select atleast three (3) pieces of work (e.g. homework, quiz, journal entry, exam question, email) which illustrate how you learned a particular topic in this course. One of the most important parts of this assignment is that you will have to PONDER/ANALYZE/CONSIDER/REFLECT ON/ THINK OVER your own work in the course. You are doing this in order to identify some idea, skill, algorithm or technique you learned in this course and explain how the selected material illustrate this fact.

WEEKLY ASSESSMENTS

There will be weekly ``assessments'' of what you are learning in the class. These will take many different forms: quizzes , homework questions, reflective writing assignments. They will have two parts: one part on the content, one other part of your feedback on how the class is going and your learning process.

OTHER NOTES

We will not have class on Monday January 20 (MLK Day), Monday February 17 (Presidents Day), March 17-21 (Spring Break)

ON-LINE MATERIALS

I have set up a web page for the course, where announcements about the class will be reproduced. The URL is http://abacus.oxy.edu/~ron/math/370.html.

CAVEAT

This online version of the syllabus may contain updates of the paper version of the syllabus handed out in class.