Math 320: Computer Methods in Mathematical Sciences I

Course Description

Prerequisites: Math 240 already taken or permission of instructor. While students do not need to already know how to program a computer, they should not be computer-phobic.

The students will write and run programs in matlab, which uses a programming language similar to C. Students will be taught rudimentary matlab and sample programs will be provided to be modified and built upon. The course covers: round-off error, root-finding, numerical integration, numerical differentiation, numerical linear algebra, and numerical solutions of ODEs (both initial value problems and boundary value problems). Theoretical and computational aspects of the methods will be discussed along with error analysis and a critical comparison of methods (accuracy and stability).

Class meets TuTh, 9:00 -- 10:20.

For the curious, last year's web-page

Matlab Primer View the matlab primer using ghostview
Matlab Primer View the matlab primer using Adobe Acrobat
WARNING: Don't try to print the primer from acrobat, you'll get gibberish!

Class Policy (homework, midterm dates, etc)
How to write up your homework.
On numerical integration.
Show you can save and execute a file. Due before Tuesday's class (9/14)
Homework due Tuesday September 22.
the matlab diary from class 9/15
the matlab diary from class 9/17
solutions to the homework due on 9/22
Homework due Thursday October 1
the matlab diary from class 9/24
On numerical differentiation
Homework due Tuesday October 6
the matlab diary from class 9/29
the maple worksheet showing how to do those finite-difference derivations.
the matlab diary from class 10/1
Homework due Tuesday October 13
Homework due Tuesday October 20
On root-finding.
Homework due Tuesday October 27
the matlab diary from class 10/20
the matlab diary from class 10/27
Homework due Tuesday November 3
Homework due Tuesday November 10
On Gaussian elimination
Homework due Tuesday November 17
On LU decompositions
On solving tridiagonal problems
Homework due Wednesday November 25 at 5 pm.
On iterative methods
the matlab diary from class 12/1
Homework due Tuesday December 8
On numerically solving ODEs
the matlab diary from class 12/8
Homework due Friday December 18 at 5 pm
the matlab diary from the morning class 12/10
the matlab diary from the afternoon class 12/10