Math 244, Sections 05, 06, 08
Spring 2006

Course Description

From the catalog:
01:640:244 Differential Equations for Engineering and Physics (4) First- and second-order ordinary differential equations; introduction to linear algebra and to systems of ordinary differential equations.

For more information see the schedule for these sections, or the main math department 244 page.

Instructor

Name Office E-mail Phone Office Hours
Diane Maclagan 240 Hill Center maclagan at math.rutgers.edu 732-445-3481 MW 11:00-12:30

Teaching Assistant

Name Office E-mail Office Hours
Corina Calinescu 511 Hill Center calines at math.rutgers.edu W 5:00-6:30pm

Course Time and Location

Activity Person Time Location
Lecture Diane Maclagan MW5 (3:20-4:40) Hill 116, Busch.
Recitation Section 05 Corina Calinescu Th3* (12:15-1:10pm) ARC 110, Busch
Recitation Section 06 Corina Calinescu Th4* (1:55-2:50pm) SEC 216, Busch
Recitation Section 08 Corina Calinescu Th5* (3:35-4:30pm) SEC 216, Busch

Text

Boyce and DiPrima, Elementary Differential Equations, 8th edition.

Key Dates

There will be two midterm exams and a final.
Midterm 1: Wednesday, February 22, in class.
Midterm 1: Wednesday, April 5, in class.
Final: Thursday, May 4, 8-11am, Hill 116 (usual class room).

Announcements

A sample midterm for the first midterm is available here.
Brief solutions are here.

Extra office hours for the first midterm:
Maclagan: Tuesday (2/21) 10am-1pm, Hill 240.
Calinescu: Tuesday (2/21) 5-6pm, Hill 511.

A sample midterm for the second midterm is available here.
Brief solutions are here
Note: There is a mistake in the solution to problem 3 - it is the solution to the similar question with +2y' replaced by -2y' (so change the question to that to compare the solution).

Extra office hours for the second midterm:
Maclagan: Monday (4/3) 8:30-9:30pm, Hill 240.
Calinescu: Tuesday (4/4) 5-7pm, Hill 511.

Maclagan's Wednesday (4/5) office hours are cancelled.

The last maple lab is posted on the schedule page. Since you have less than a week, there will be 5 bonus points for this lab (so, for example, anyone getting more than 15/20 will receive full credit for the lab). You must turn in the lab to get these points.

A sample final is available here.
Solutions are available here. Let me know of any (suspected) typos.

Office hours for the week of May 1-4:

Maclagan: Monday (5/1): 4:45-6pm (not 11am)
Tuesday (5/2): 11am-12pm.
Wednesday (5/3): 11am-12pm.

Calinescu: Tuesday (5/2): 5-6:30pm
Wednesday (5/3): 6-7pm

Homework

There will be weekly homework assignments. Homework assignments will be posted on the schedule page. Homework will be due each Thursday during your recitation section. You are encouraged to work on homework together, but you should write up the solutions yourself.
No late home will be accepted under any circumstances. Your lowest two homework scores will be dropped when computing your grade if you do the following two things:
  • Give me a photocopy of your student ID by the 3rd class (Wednesday, January 25), and
  • Come to visit me in office hours before the first midterm.

There will also be occasional quizzes, which will be given in the recitation section.

Finally, there will be six maple labs, which will be due on the dates on the schedule. The labs are available here. The last lab (Lab 5) is available on the schedule page. Note that there is also some basic background on Maple if you have not used it before.
There are many introductions to Maple available online. If you have never used Maple before, spend some time with one before you start using the worksheets. One such introduction is available here.

Grades

Grades will be based on homework and an in-class midterm and final as follows:
Homework/Quizzes/Maple Labs: 20%
Midterms: 20% each
Final: 40%