Spring 2009 Course Syllabus
Course: 4041.001.
Course Title: Partial Differential Equations.
Time: Tuesdays, Thursdays, 8:40--10:00.
Place: Wachman Hall (CC) 617.
Instructor: Conrad, Bruce P.
Instructor Office: Wachman Hall (CC) 616.
Instructor Email: bruce.conrad@temple.edu
Instructor Phone: 215-204-2896.
Course Web Page: The course is on Blackboard
Office Hours: Tuesdays, Thursdays, 10:40--11:30; Wednesdays, 11:40--12:30. If you can't make it to these office hours, you are welcome to make an appointment at a more convenient time.
Prerequisites: Math 0251 or equivalent (Ordinary Differential Equations). If you haven't had a linear algebra course, get the Schaum Outline (in the bookstore).
Textbook: \emph{Partial Differential Equations}, Second Edition, by Walter A. Strauss. Wiley, ISBN 978-0-470-05456-7.
Course Goals: Partial differential equations are a vast topic, and the subject of much current research. Our first goal is to see how partial differential equations arise in scientific and engineering settings, and what a mathematician can be expected to do with one. There are methods for finding explicit solutions in particular situations, and one goal is to become proficient with some them. There are also existence and uniqueness theorems, and as was the case in your ODE course, the goal is to understand their meaning, but perhaps not their proofs.
Topics Covered: This course will introduce you to the classical aspects of the subject. I will be sensitive to the interests of the class in the choice of topics, as there are many possibilities. At a minimum, you will learn about Fourier series and the classical equations of elliptic, parabolic, and hyperbolic types.
Course Grading: Your grade will be based on two midterm exams (15\% each), the final exam (20\%), twelve graded weekly homework assignments (40\%), and oral presentations (10\%). The exams are not curved. Instead of makeups, students who miss test 1 or test 2 (or wish to improve a bad grade on one or both of these) will be given the opportunity to give additional oral presentations on an assigned topic. All students will make three short oral presentations on solutions of homework problems, and one thirty-minute presentation on an assigned topic during the last two weeks of the semester. Oral presentations will be graded A+, A, B, C, D, F, or F-- (see the right column of the Homework Grade Table shown on the next page for numeric score equivalents). Each homework assignment will be graded on a scale of 0--10. Late homework is not accepted unless you have a great excuse.
Exam Dates: Test 1: Thursday, February 19\\ Test 2: Tuesday, March 31\\ Final Examination: Tuesday, May 12, 9:00--11:00.
Attendance Policy: I require attendance, and active class participation.
Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible. Contact Disability Resources and Services at (215) 204-1280, 100 Ritter Annex, to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.
Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The University has adopted a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy # 03.70.02) which can be accessed here.
Students will be charged for a course unless a withdrawal form is processed by a registration office of the University by the Drop/Add deadline date given below. For this semester, the crucial dates are as follows:
- The first day of classes is Tuesday, January 20.
- The last day to drop/add (tuition refund available) is Monday, February 2.
- Spring recess is the week of Monday, March 9.
- The last day to withdraw (no refund) is Monday, March 30.
- The last day of classes is Monday, May 4.
During the first two weeks of the fall or spring semester or summer sessions, students may withdraw from a course with no record of the class appearing on the transcript. In weeks three through nine of the fall or spring semester, or during weeks three and four of summer sessions, the student may withdraw with the advisor's permission. The course will be recorded on the transcript with the instructor's notation of "W," indicating that the student withdrew. After week nine of the fall or spring semester, or week four of summer sessions, students may not withdraw from courses. No student may withdraw from more than five courses during the duration of his/her studies to earn a bachelor's degree. A student may not withdraw from the same course more than once. Students who miss the final exam and do not make alternative arrangements before the grades are turned in will be graded F.
The grade I (an "incomplete") is reserved for extreme circumstances. It is necessary to have completed almost all of the course with a passing average and to file an incomplete contract specifying what is left for you to do. To be eligible for an I grade you need a good reason and you should have missed not more than 25% of the first nine weeks of classes. If approved by the Mathematics Department chair and the CST Dean's office, the incomplete contract must include a default grade that will be used in case the I grade is not resolved within 12 months.