Math 308-Differential Equations, Spring 2014
Section 509
Monday 4:10 pm - 5:25 pm
Wednesday 4:10 pm-5:25 pm
Blocker 128
Blocker 149
Instructor: Dr. Ke Shi
Office: Blocker 641F
Email: shike@math.tamu.edu . Please put “Math 308” in the subject line of all course related emails.
Course Homepage: http://www.math.tamu.edu/~shike/Teaching/Math%20308/Math_308_2014.
html
Office Hours: Monday 2:30 pm-3:30 pm, Wednesday 1:00 pm-2:00 pm and by appointment.
Textbook: Elementary Differential Equations: TAMU Edition by William E. Boyce and Richard
C. DiPrima, Wiley and Sons, Inc (ISBN 9781118133712, 9th Edition).
Lab Manual (Optional): Differential Equations with Matlab by Brian R. Hunt, Ronald L. Lipsman,
John E. Osborn, Jonathan Rosenberg.
Departmental Course Webpage: http://www.math.tamu.edu/courses/math308/
Prerequisites: Math 251 or equivalent.
Course Description Many topics in ordinary differential equations are covered in Math 308. Please
see the course schedule in departmental course webpage for more information.
Grades:
Assessment
Exam 1
Exam 2
Final Exam
Homework & Quizzes
Points
20%
20%
30%
30%
Date
February 19, Wednesday
April 14, Monday
May 5, Monday
∼ weekly
Unless otherwise announced, no calculators etc. will be allowed on any of the exams. Any appeals of
grades on the midterm exams or quizzes must be made within one week of the graded exams being returned
to the class.
Your letter grade will be determined from your total points as follows: A: 90-100%; B: 80-89%; C: 65-79%;
D: 50-65%; F: 0-49%.
Curve policy: I won’t curve any exam/quiz. However, the cutoff line for the course grades might be
curved based on the performance of the class. Notice: The cutoff lines won’t go up! This means that
if you get 65% or more, you are gurranteed a letter grade C. The same rule applies to all letter grades.
Final Exam Schedule:
May 5, Monday, 3:30 pm-5:30 pm
1
Homework: Homework will be assigned on each Wednesday in class to be collected by the following
Wednesday. I won’t accept unstabled homeworks.
Quizzes: 10 minutes quizzes will be given approximately weekly on the homework due date and will
be based on the homework. No quizes on the week with midterms. The first quiz will be on Jan. 22nd.
One quiz will be dropped from your final score.
Review and help sessions: The math department provides help sessions for Math 308. Details will
be announced as they become available at
http://www.math.tamu.edu/courses/helpsessions.html
The week in review is also offered by the department, the schedule can be found at
http://such-that.com/TAMU/Math-308-Week-In-Review.php
For MATLAB projects, the department has computer Help sessions weekly, you can find the schedule at
http://www.math.tamu.edu/courses/calclabhelp.html
Absences: Make-up exams and quizzes will only be allowed for university approved excuses which must
be verified in writing. See http://student-rules.tamu.edu/rule7.htm. As noted in the university attendance
policy, a “University Sponsored Activity” is not automatically an excused absence. A plane ticket is not an
excused absence.
If feasible, University policy requires written notification in advance. Otherwise, two working days are
allowed for notification. Excuses must have some form of written verification such as a doctor’s note.
Occasionally extra time will be required to obtain written verification and the make-up exam or quiz may
be administered before the documentation is produced. Verbal requests do not count as written notification.
If you miss a lecture, you are responsible for obtaining lecture notes from another student. You are also
responsible for determining if any announcements were made.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) notice: “The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with
disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed
a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you
have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Department of Student Life, Disability
Services Office, in Room B118 of Cain Hall or call 845-1637.”
Academic integrity: The Aggie Code of Honor is “An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate
those who do.” For more information, see http://www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor. If you are unsure what is
permitted on an assignment, please ask.
Copyright Policy: All printed materials disseminated in class or on the web are protected by Copyright
laws. One xerox copy (or download from the web) is allowed for personal use. Multiple copies or sale of any
of these materials is strictly prohibited.
Textbook: Elementary Differential Equations by William E. Boyce and Richard C. DiPrima (9th
2
Edition).
1. Payment for the electronic version of the textbook is included in the course fee. Barnes & Noble will
be in charge of distributing (via e-mail) the access code and instructions to download the
book. If you have any problems with the access code and getting the electronic book, please contact
Barnes & Noble (on campus) directly.
2. One also has an option to buy a “lose leaf ” discounted edition of the book at Barnes & Noble.
3
Tentative Schedule
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Date
Sections
Jan. 13-17
1.1; 1.3; 1.2; 2.1
Jan. 20-24
2.1; 2.2; 2.4; 2.5
Jan. 27-31
2.5; 2.6; 3.1; 3.2
Feb. 3-7
3.2; 3.3; 3.4
Feb. 10-14
3.4, 3.5; 3.6
Feb. 17-21
3.6; Exam 1
Feb. 24-28
6.1; 6.2; 6.3
Mar. 3-7
6.3; 6.4; 6.5
Mar. 10-14
Spring Break
Mar. 17-21
6.6; 7.1; 7.2
Mar. 24-28
7.2; 7.3; 7.4
Mar. 31-Apr. 4 7.4; 7.5, 7.6
Apr. 7-11
7.6; 7.8; 7.9
Apr. 14-18
Exam 2; 5.1; 5.2
Apr. 21-25
5.2; 5.3; 5.4
April 28
Review
4