Course Guide and Syllabus: printable pdf version of the handout distributed on the first day of class. The course guide includes information on office hours, the course schedule, projects, etc.
The topics we will cover include:
- Optimization models
- Dynamic models
- Probability models
- Stochastic models
Linear Algebra (Math 224) or permission of the instructor.
http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Math/Paquin/math347.html
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Day Time Room Tuesday and Thursday 9:40-11:00 RBH 311
You can find a detailed schedule by topics on the Course Schedule page.
Daily objectives for each class session (i.e. material that you are expected to know), in-class examples, and Maple worksheets will be posted on the Daily Objectives page.
There will be a considerable amount of work done (both in class and out of class) with computer algebra systems (such as Maple and/or MATLAB). There will be plenty of time to learn the basics during the first few weeks of class, and I will not assume that you know any particular information regarding such systems. You are welcome to choose the particular CAS with which you feel most comfortable. Please contact me if you have any questions regarding choosing a software package to use.
Mark M. Meerschaert, Mathematical Modeling, second edition
The textbook website contains errata and other information about the textbook.
Homework may involve computer exercises as well as hand-written and computer explanation. Homework should be legible with explanations written in complete sentences. Illegible homework will not be read or graded. Although you may (and often should) collaborate with others in discussing homework problems, you must write up homework problems on your own.The homework exercises in this course will require significant effort on your part, as well as a certain degree of creativity. The exercises will not necessarily have a unique "right answer," and you are encouraged to explore different possible solution methods. The problems that we will work on are "real problems" in the sense that they were not invented for the purpose of being solved in a textbook or classroom.
Please feel free to ask questions about any problems, assigned or otherwise. We will often spend the first few minutes of each class session discussing various ideas for homework problems.
Homework assignments and sample solutions can be found on the Homework page.
During the semester, you will be assigned two class projects and one final project, each of which will require the submission of a short mathematical paper. The final project will also require an oral presentation. Details about the projects are on the Projects page.
There will occasionally be short quizzes designed to make sure that all students have mastered the mathematical material necessary to work on more advanced problems. Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped. Quiz solutions will be posted on the Quizzes page.
There will be no tests or exams in this course. You will have a final project instead of a final exam.
The basis for your grade in this class has the following components:
- Homework: 40%
- Quizzes: 10%
- Projects: 30%
- Final Project: 20%
There are no predetermined numerical cutoffs for letter grades.
The Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM) is an annual contest in which teams of students use mathematical modeling to present solutions to open-ended problems (such as those that we will encounter in this course). The MCM is a four-day event held in early February. Each team may consist of at most three students, and more than one team may be entered from a given institution. Many of the project problems that we will consider in this course will be taken from previous MCM exams, so completion Math 347 is certainly sufficient preparation for participation in MCM. I would encourage any interested students to seriously consider participating in the contest. If you have any questions about MCM, please let me know.Some helpful resources about the MCM, and about solving mathematical problems and writing mathematical papers in general, can be found at the following links:
- A guide from the University of Colorado at Boulder
- Another guide from the University of Colorado at Boulder. This guide was written by Brian Camley, Pascal Getreuer, and Bradley Klingenberg, who earned the outstanding paper award in 2004, 2005, and 2006.
- A guide from INFORMS, one of the sponsoring institutions
- A guide from UCLA, including some sample outstanding papers.
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