Syllabus for Math 204: Differential Equations
Koç University, Spring 2014
Instructors, their offices & office hours:
Varga Kalantarov: Sciences 162, Tuesdays 14:30-16:35
Ali Mostafazadeh: Science 154, Mondays and Wednesdays 14:30-15:30
Web address: To be announced.
Textbook: W. E. Boyce and R. C. DiPrima, Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems, 10th Edition.
Topics to be covered: Introduction to differential equations (Chapter 1), First order ordinary differential equations (ODEs) (Chapter 2), Second and higher order ODEs, Power series solution of ODEs, The Laplace transform, Systems of linear ODEs , Partial Differential equations and Fourier Series (PDE’s) .
Objective: To provide the student with a basic knowledge of ODEs and PDEs. This includes the general theory of and solution techniques for general first order ODEs, second order linear ODEs, systems of first order ODEs, and the heat and wave equations.
Homeworks: Suggested homework problems will be assigned regularly but not collected for grading. Students are required to solve these problems in order to gain a better understanding of the subject.
Evaluation method: Students’ progress will be evaluated according to their performance in two midterm exams, which will be held during the weeks of March 8 and April 17, and the final exam which will cover all the material covered in this course. Each of the midterm exams will contribute as 30% to the total grade while the final exam will have a 40% weight.
Make-ups: The final exam will be the make-up exam for the missed midterm exams. If a student misses the final exam and has a valid excuse, (s)he will be given a make-up exam.
Suggested method of study: Reading the lecture notes and the books is necessary for grasping the subject, but it is by no means sufficient. Students must try to reproduce the definitions and proofs of the theorems, and apply the techniques to other problems.
Attendance and auditing students: Students are strongly recommended to attend all the lectures and PSs. In order to get an AU in this course a student should attend a minimum of 20 lectures. Auditing students should apply to the instructor after each lecture and sign the attendance sheet.
Academic dishonesty: If a student is caught cheating in an exam, (s)he will be punished according to the YÖK regulations. These consist of one or two semesters of prohibition from attending the university.