UH 203    Winter 2004

 

Teacher:                    Thomas P. Svobodny

                                 241 MM  775-2379

 

Office Hours:              1600 -- 1800 MW

                                  You don't need an appointment to see me during                                   office hours; but it is safer to make an appointment if you want to see me at other times.

   

Math Dept Office:       120MM 775 2785

 

 

Text:

         Lecture Notes (and check out the library reserve sometime)

                           

Webpage:  http://www.math.wright.edu/MS/AppliedMath/UH203.html

 

Evaluation:                Exam                                                 20%

                                          Final Exam                                       25%

      Other(Worksheets, HW,  Quiz, ..)          55%

                       

                  No make-up exams will be given. Anyone who scores 100% on the final will receive an A for the course, regardless of grade to that point.

 

Course Content: The  objectives of this course are: to recognize how mathematics is the universal language behind solving real-world problems and in codifying our knowledge base in every field that deals with structure. The subject matter of the course is split into three main topics:

  1. Symmetry
  2. Optimality
  3. Complexity

The underlying idea is that mathematical models of any phenomenon can be found to use tools from those ``areas'' of math, and usually in that order with respect to increasing model resolution. The first topic will cover about 5 weeks and will include the math of the ancients. The second topic is to be about 2 weeks long, and will include a discussion of the predictive mechanical universe of the eighteenth century. The third topic will take about 3 weeks and will include the modern tools of statistics applied to risk models. The student will also go away with an appreciation of energy and thermodynamics.

A note on problem solving:   Learning to solve problems is a major objective of this course.  Don't read the book without a pencil and paper on hand. Find sources of extra problems. Ask questions in class. Make a list of questions before coming to class. If your questions are not answered in class, come to my office hours. Don't hesitate to approach me about something you do not understand. If you did very well in your previous math courses, you should expect to spend about 8 hours a week doing problems outside of class; if you did not do so well, you will need to spend more time doing problems.