2024 Spring Course Syllabus - Mathematics 2121.001

Course: Mathematics 2121.001.

Course Title: Mathematical Modeling and Simulation.

Credits: 3.

How this course will be taught: In-person.

Time: TR 11:00am-12:20pm.

Place: Wachman 010.

Instructor: Benjamin Seibold.

Instructor Office: Wachman 518.

Instructor Email: benjamin.seibold@temple.edu

Instructor Phone: 215-204-1656.

Course Web Page: https://www.math.temple.edu/~seibold/teaching/2024_2121/

Office Hours: TR 12:20pm-13:30pm.

Prerequisites: Programming: MATH1034/CIS1051/CIS1057/CIS1068 or equivalent. Mathematics: MATH1042 or equivalent. See Course Catalog for up-to-date prerequisites.

Course Materials: There is no required textbook for this course. All materials will be provided by the instructor (including lecture notes, short videos, software) or acquired via assigned reading.

Course Goals: By the end of the semester, students will be able to build models and simulations for complex emergent phenomena, and to systematically analyze and interpret the simulation results.

Topics Covered: This course introduces the concept of (a) building a mathematical model of a real-world process, (b) using computational resources to simulate the model, and (c) properly interpreting the results. The main focus lies on processes with many interacting agents, such as: traffic flow, spread of diseases, animal swarming, economic markets, social networks, robotics. The course provides an overview of model building concepts, training on the implementation of models in a computing environment, as well as theoretical background on how to analyze and understand large-scale emergent structures (such as traffic waves, stock market crashes, swarm intelligence, etc.). General interest in mathematical model building and in programming is required.

Course Grading: Homework and in-class activities: 30%; course project: 40%; examination: 30%.

Exam Dates: 05/07/2024.

Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend every class. If a student cannot attend a class for some justifiable reason, they are expected to contact the instructor before class. Students are expected to actively participate in the in-class activities and to be properly prepared to do so, including having completed any pre-class assignments and providing suitable hardware and software, as explained during the first class.

Attendance and Your Health: To achieve course learning goals, students must attend and participate in classes, according to your instructors' requirements. However, if you feel unwell or if you are under quarantine or in isolation because you have been exposed to the virus or tested positive for it, you should not come to campus or attend in-person classes or activities. Students have the responsibility to contact their instructors to create a plan for participation and engagement in the course as soon as they are able to do so and to make a plan to complete all assignments in a timely fashion when illness delays their completion.

Computing: Computational exercises will be conducted in MATLAB. Temple University has a site license for MATLAB and it can be installed free-of-charge on personal computers by following procedures at https://its.temple.edu/matlab-site-licensed-software. Students are expected to be able to run MATLAB by the first or second class.

Disability Statement: Any student who has a need for accommodations based on the impact of a documented disability or medical condition should contact Disability Resources and Services (DRS) in Howard Gittis Student Center South, Rm 420 (drs@temple.edu; 215-204-1280) to request accommodations and learn more about the resources available to you. If you have a DRS accommodation letter to share with me, or you would like to discuss your accommodations, please contact me as soon as practical. I will work with you and with DRS to coordinate reasonable accommodations for all students with documented disabilities. All discussions related to your accommodations will be confidential.

Academic Freedom: 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 (opens in new tab/window).

Add/Drop Policy: Students will be charged for a course unless dropped by the Drop/Add deadline date. Check the University calendar (opens in new tab/window) for exact dates.

During the Drop/Add period, students may drop a course with no record of the class appearing on their transcript. Students are not financially responsible for any courses dropped during this period. In the following weeks prior to or on the withdrawal date students may withdraw from a course with the grade of "W" appearing on their transcript. After the withdrawal date students may not withdraw from courses. Check the University Calendar (opens in new tab/window) for exact dates. See the full policy by clicking here (opens in new tab/window).

AI Policy: The use of generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, DALL-E, etc.) is not permitted in this class unless specifically announced for a particular assignment; therefore, any use of AI tools for work in this class may be considered a violation of Temple University's Academic Honesty policy and Student Conduct Code, since the work is not your own. The use of unauthorized AI tools will result in a grade of zero on the assignment; a second offense will be reported to the Student Conduct Board.

Incomplete Policy: The grade "I" (an "incomplete") is only given if students cannot complete the course work due to circumstances beyond their control. It is necessary for the student to have completed the majority of the course work with a passing average and to sign an incomplete contract which clearly states what is left for the student to do and the deadline by which the work must be completed. The incomplete contract must also include a default grade that will be used in case the "I" grade is not resolved by the agreed deadline. See the full policy by clicking here (opens in new tab/window).

Student Support Services: The following academic support services are available to students (all links open in a new tab/window):
    The Math Consulting Center
    Student Success Center
    University Libraries
    Undergraduate Research Support
    Career Center
    Tuttleman Counseling Services
    Disability Resources and Services
If you are experiencing food insecurity or financial struggles, Temple provides resources and support. Notably, the Temple University Cherry Pantry and the Temple University Emergency Student Aid Program are in operation as well as a variety of resources from the Division of Student Affairs.