Partial Differential Equations, Fall 2010

Course Information

Course Section: MAT311H5F LEC0101
Meetings: Tue 10:00 - 12:00 (SE 3093), Thu 11:00 - 12:00 (NE 228)

Instructor: Tom Alberts
E-mail: tom.alberts@utoronto.ca
Office Hours Tuesdays and Thursdays, 14:00 PM to 15:00 PM, or by appointment

Course Homepage: Here, or available through Blackboard. I encourage you to use Blackboard as you'll be able to check your grades online, and there will be a discussion board that can be used to ask questions. If you don't know how to access Blackboard please e-mail me.

Textbook (required):  "Partial Differential Equations: An Introduction", Walter A. Strauss.
Available in the Bookstore.

Grading Scheme

Important Dates

Topics to be Covered

This course introduces a range of mathematical concepts and techniques in the theory of partial differential equations. Emphasis will be on specific equations and methods for solving them, rather than on general theory. Most of the course will be devoted to studying the heat equation, wave equation and Laplace's equation. All PDEs we study will be introduced using motivations from physics but then studied in a strictly mathematical framework. By the end of the course students can expect to have a working understanding of the three main PDEs and techniques for solving them. Roughly speaking we will follow the first six chapters of the textbook.

Students are expected to have a solid background in calculus, including all aspects of multivariable calculus. Familiarity with basic linear algebra and ordinary differential equations is also required, but not as important. In particular students should already know: