12/17/2015
www.math.tamu.edu/courses/math308/308currentsched.html
MATH 308 - Suggested Weekly Schedule
Note: This is a fall or spring schedule. In summer, this schedule is accelerated by 50% in order to accommodate a 10-week session.
MATH 308. Differential Equations.(3-0) Credit 3.0. Ordinary differential equations, solutions in series, solutions using Laplace transforms, systems of
differential equations. Prerequisites: MATH 251 or equivalent; knowledge of computer algebra system.
Suggested Schedule
Chapter 1: 2 days
Section 1.1. Some Basic Mathematical Models; Direction Fields
Section 1.2. Solutions of Some Differential Equations
Section 1.3. Classification of Differential Equations
1.1-1.3 should be covered in 2 days
Chapter 2: 5 days
Section 2.1. Linear Equations; Method of Integrating Factors
Section 2.2. Seperable Equations
Section 2.3. Modeling with First Order Equations
Section 2.4. Differences Between Linear and Nonlinear Equations
Section 2.5. Autonomous Equations and Population Dynamics
Section 2.6. Exact Equations and Integrating Factors
Do 2.4, 2.5 and 2.6 in two days, doing only one representative example from 2.5
Chapter 3: 8 days
Section 3.1. Homogeneous Equations with Constant Coefficients
Section 3.2. Solutions of Linear Homogeneous Equations; the Wronskian
Section 3.3. Complex Roots of the Characteristic Equation
Section 3.4. Repeated Roots; Reduction of Order
Section 3.5. Nonhomogeneous Equations; Method of Undetermined Coefficients
Section 3.6. Variation of Parameters
Section 3.7. Mechanical and Electrical Vibrations
Section 3.8. Forced Vibrations
Chapter 6: 6 days
Section 6.1. Definition of the Laplace Transform
Section 6.2. Solution of Initial Value Problems
Section 6.3. Step Functions
Section 6.4. Differential Equations with Discontinuous Forcing Functions
Section 6.5. Impulse Functions
Section 6.6. The Convolution Integral
Chapter 7: 8 days
Section 7.1,7.2 Introduction and Review of Matrices
Section 7.3. Linear Algebraic Equations: Linear Independence, eigenvalues, Eigenvectors
Section 7.4. Basic Theory of Systems of first Order Linear Equations
Section 7.5. Homogeneous Linear systems with Constant Coefficients
Section 7.6. Complex Eigenvalues
Section 7.7. Fundamental Matrices
Section 7.8. Repeated Eigenvalues
Section 7.9. Nonhomogeneous Linear Systems
Chapter 5: 6 days
Section 5.1. Review of Power Series
Section 5.2. Series Solutions near an Ordinary Point, Part I
Section 5.3. Series Solutions near an Ordinary Point, Part II
Section 5.4. Euler Equations; Regular Singular Points
http://www.math.tamu.edu/courses/math308/308currentsched.html
1/2
12/17/2015
www.math.tamu.edu/courses/math308/308currentsched.html
Section 5.5. Series Solution near a Regular Singular Point, Part I
Section 5.6. Series Solution near a Regular Singular Point, Part II
The remaining 4 lectures may come from either Chapter 8 (Numerical Methods) or Chapter 9 (Nonlinear Systems).
Optional Track #1 - 4 days (Numerical Methods)
Section 8.1. The Euler or Tangent Line Method
Section 8.2. Improvements on the Euler Method
Section 8.3. The Runge-Kutta Method
Section 8.4. Multistep Methods
Optional Track #2 - 4 days (Nonlinear Systems)
Section 9.1. The Phase Plane; Linear Systems
Section 9.2. Autonomous Systems and Stability
Section 9.3. Locally Linear Systems
Section 9.4, 9.5. Competing Species, Predator-Prey Equations
Add in three days for exams and this will give a total of 42 days.
Please send comments, questions, or suggestions to Alisa Baron at "alisa@math.tamu.edu".
Updated August 17, 2011 by ap
http://www.math.tamu.edu/courses/math308/308currentsched.html
2/2