MATH 280 – Differential Equations
Spring Semester 2011
Tuesday and Thursday 6:30 – 7:45 Room R108
Instructor:
Office:
Telephone
Prof. T. Gordon
R116 Russell Building
732-255-0400 ext 2353
Office Hours Monday and Thursday 11:00 – 12:00 and 6:00 – 6:30
Tuesdays
3:30 – 4:00 and 6:00 – 6:30
Wednesdays and Fridays 6:00 – 6:30
Also by appointment. To arrange a meeting contact me directly by phone or email, or contact the
Mathematics Department at 732-255-0400 ext 2185
E-mail: tgordon@ocean.edu
Textbook: A First Course in Differential Equations, Dennis G. Zill, 9th Edition, Thompson
Publishing Co.
Course Description
Modeling and solving first order ODE’s using various techniques. Modeling and solving higher
order ODE’s, both linear and non-linear. Methods for solving using power series, Laplace
Transforms, and matrices. Systems of linear first-order differential equations
Final grades will be based on test grades and graded assignments.
Test dates will be determined well in advance as we go through the material.
There will be at least four (4) tests.
Final grades will be applied as follows:
A : 90% and above
C : 70 – 78.4
B : 80 – 88.4,
C+: 78.5 – 79.9
B+: 88.5 – 89.9
D : 60 – 69.9
F : below 60
Homework will be assigned each class based on the day’s lecture. Each class will begin with a
review of any previous homework problems you request to go over.
Mathematics cannot be learned by passively watching someone else do it.
To succeed in understanding the material you must:
 Attempt each and every assigned homework problem (each problem has been assigned for a
reason)
 Determine your mistake if you do not get the correct answer to a homework problem
 Find out how to do a problem if you cannot understand how to do it
Tutoring on campus:
Tutoring is provided free of charge in room R123. Hours are posted at the tutoring center
and at the Math Department office.
Accommodations: If you require any classroom or testing accommodations please feel free to
discuss it with me or a staff member of The Center For Academic Excellence. All conversations
will be kept in strict confidence.
Make-up Tests Test dates will be announced well in advance of the test date. Reminders will be
given in class prior to a test. There are no make-up tests. You are expected to be there, fully
prepared. In the event a serious situation arises that precludes your attendance the day of a test
you, or someone on your behalf, must contact me prior to the test. In the extremely unlikely case
of missing a test without being able to contact me due an extremely serious event the day of the
test, you, or someone on your behalf, must contact me within 24 hours after the test. Be prepared
to document the event that caused your absence.
Attendance Four (4) absences without contacting me may be assumed to be a drop and you may
be withdrawn from the class. A sign-in sheet will be passed around during each class for you to
sign. Attendance will be tracked, but will not be a direct factor in the determination of final
grades.
Withdrawals: A grade of “W” will be given according to school policy.
OCC POLICY: AFTER 5PM APRIL 4th WITHDRAWALS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED
Cheating/Plagiarism:
Cheating in any of its many forms is an unacceptable behavior.
It is disrespectful to those students who strive to meet challenges and expand their intellectual
horizons. It is an insult to the fundamental integrity of education and spirit of learning. I will take
any action necessary to protect my students from this type of behavior. You may wish to refer to
Ocean County College Policy #5180 on plagiarism in the student handbook.
Proper Classroom Behavior:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Please turn off all cell phones, beepers, pagers, or any other devices, which could disrupt
the class.
Please treat other students in the class with respect and consideration. I encourage every
student to participate in class discussions and expect them to be treated properly. At no
time will I allow any student to be treated disrespectfully. However, if you should catch
me in an arithmetic mistake – feel free to embarrass me fully.
Please arrive for class on time. A late arrival tends to disrupt the class and distract all of
us. If you do arrive late for a class please refrain from making a dramatic entrance. If
you have a personal need to be dramatic upon entering then you might want to consider
becoming a theatre major.
Please avoid private conversations during the class period since this is distracting and
disturbing to other students. If you have a question about a lecture point please ask.
Chances are if you have a question somebody else is probably wondering as well: we all
benefit from questions.
Disclaimer
Reasonable changes to this course information sheet may be made exclusive of course
requirements, course calendar and grading procedures.
All individuals should not assume that anything received, sent, or stored in this course or in any
course is private. Students’ written work, assignments, and test results may be used anonymously
for college assessment purposes. Course content, support materials, and communications
(including chats, discussions, emails, and any other forms of communication) may be used for
quality assurance purposes by authorized college administrators
Please note: Failure to pay for this course may result in your being dropped for non-payment.
If you have any questions on these procedures or if at any time you find some aspect of the class
to be distracting or disturbing to you, please see me individually as soon as possible. All of your
concerns will be kept confidential.
Tentative Semester Outline
 General overview of differential equations
 Section 1.1 Formal vocabulary and definitions
 Section 1.2
 Section 2.1: Slope Fields
 Section 2.2
 Section 2.3
 Review and practice of partial differentiation and partial integration (from Calculus III )
 Section 2.4
 Section 2.5
 Chapter 4: Selected topics
 Review of Series: Taylor and MacLaurin, Power Series, Intervals of Convergence,
Differentiation and Integration of Infinite Series (You should have seen these in Calculus II)
 Chapter 6: selected topics
 Sections 7.1 and 7.2
 Section 7.5
 Selected topics from Chapter 8
 Sections 9.1 and 9.2
 We will also do some modeling throughout the semester. We will see how differential
equations arise out of observations of the physical world, and how they can be used to
both explain and predict physical phenomena.
Here is a partial list of skills you are expected to already know . And when I say “KNOW” I mean
that you actually understand it very, very well.
From Calculus I
 Interpretation of a derivative as the slope of a tangent line
 Finding derivatives, both implicitly and explicitly
From Calculus II
 Techniques of Integration: U-Substitution, By-Parts, Partial Fractions, Trig-Sub, etc.
 Power Series
 Improper Integrals: such as

b
a
a
 f ( x)dx  blim
 f ( x)dx

From Calculus III
 Partial differentiation and partial integration
 Finding determinants of 3 X 3 matrices (in Calculus III this is called a “cross-product”)
NOTE: I always assume that no one has taken Calculus III. I will teach these two
concepts from scratch