Math 133A Differential Equations Spring 2015
Instructor: Dan Goldston Office: MH 315 Phone: 408-924-5125
Email: daniel.goldston@sjsu.edu (best way to contact me)
Website: www.dangoldston.com
Courses this semester:
Math 133A Sec 1 25186 Ord Diff Eq MW 12:00-13:15 Science 142
Math 133B Sec 1 28497 Partial Diff Eq MW 10:30-11:35 Science 321
Office Hours: Monday 1:45-3:00, Wednesday 9:30-10:15, 1:45-2:45
Prerequisites: Math 32 with grade of C- or better
Text: Zill, A First Course in Differential Equations with Modeling Applications, 10th
Edition, Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning. Available as an Ebook with WebAssign HW
Homework: Homework will be done with WebAssign. The Class Key to register for our
class is: sjsu 7605 0550
Grades:
There will be 3 midterms and a comprehensive final. A letter grade will be given for each of
these, and the final grade will be determined by the following rules:
1. If you receive an A on the final, then you will receive an automatic A in the course
regardless of your previous work. (Note this is not true for an A- on the final.)
2. If you receive an F- on the final, then you will receive an automatic F in the course
regardless of your previous work. (Note this is not true for an F on the final.)
3. If 1. or 2. above does not apply to you, then your grade will be computed from the
higher of the following: Grade = 3 midterms each 1/6th of grade, HW 1/6th of grade,
Final 2/6th = 1/3 of Grade, or Grade = 3 midterms each 1/5th of grade, Final 2/5th of
grade.
Tests: Most problems will be like the assigned homework. These tests will be closed: no
notes, no calculators. I will usually supply you with a cheat sheet of useful formulas
you can use with the test.
Course Outline:
Chapter Topic
# of weeks
1
Introduction to Differential Equations
1 weeks
2
Direction Fields, Separable, Linear, Exact, Homogeneous 3 weeks
3
Models
1 weeks
4
Nth Order Linear Equations
3 weeks
5
Models
0.5 weeks
6
Power Series Solutions, Frobenius solutions
2 weeks
7
Laplace Transforms
2 weeks
8
Systems of Equations
1 week
Test Dates: Midterm#1 March 4 , Midterm#2 April 1, Midterm#3 April 29,
Early Final Thursday May 14 time to be arranged,
Regular Final, Thursday May 21 9:45-12:00 .
Rules: I will make rules up as appropriate for the class. A few rules to remember: You must take the
final in order to pass the course. Any make-ups for missing a midterm are entirely up to my
discretion. They will be a lot harder than the regular midterm this semester, and the grades will
almost certainly be lower than what you would have obtained on the regular midterm.