Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 2-3pm (Jones Hall 117), or by appointment.
Topics: linear
and nonlinear difference
equations, linear and nonlinear differential equations,
reaction-diffusion
models, bifurcation theory, population biology (logistic model,
Lotka-Volterra
predator-prey/competition model, chemostat model, models of
infectious
diseases), biochemistry, neuron models.
Prerequisites: Math 111/131 and Math 112/132
References: some material of the course will be from
these books, you don't need to buy these books.
Add/drop deadline:
September 7, Withdraw deadline: October 26
Computer and Calculators: Computer demonstrations will be
given in classes sometime, and software Matlab will be used in
some homework assignments and possibly in your semester project.
Matlab are available on all university network computers, and you
can download Matlab to your personal computer by using your
university account. Calculator can be used in homework, exam.
Midterm and Final Exam: Both the midterm and the
final exam have two parts: in-class and take-home. The exams must
be completed by the students individually. Books, notes and
calculator/computers can be used in both in-class and take-home
exams. The in-class midterm will be given on October 18
(Thursday), and the take-home part will be given October 9
(Tuesday) and it is due October 18 (Thursday) with the in-class
part. The final exam in-class part will be given on December
13 (Thursday) 2-5pm, and the take-home part will be given to
you on December 10 (Monday) and due December 13 (Thursday)
with the in-class part.
Homework: Homework will be assigned every week, and it will be available from http://jxshix.people.wm.edu/schedule-math345-fall2018.html. Homework will be collected weekly and usually they are due on Friday 5pm. You can request extension for 2 homework without any penalty. The problems are from textbook or from the instructors, and some problems may involve writing simple Matlab or other computer programs. Students are encouraged to discuss homework problems with each other or with the instructor. No late homework will be accepted for any reason.
Project: A semester long project is to choose one
of your favorite topics as an application of techniques learned
from this course. Your work should include mathematical modeling,
analytic computation, qualitative analysis and numerical
computations. The final product is a written essay to be submitted
in December 7 (Friday) 5pm. Your report should record all
your works, including possible graphic illustrations. You can
choose the topic of your project, or you can choose one from a
list of possible topics provided by the instructor on the course
webpage. Please email me or talk to me about your biological
interest before October 5,
and you should submit a title and a 200-word abstract by email to
me by October 5. In the final two weeks, you will do a
5-10 minute presentation of your project in class. The project
accounts for 20% of the grade (presentation 5%, and essay 15%).
The project is to be done individually, but students are
encouraged to discuss with each other or with the instructor. The
project report is eligible to become a Math 300 paper. Additional
requirement for Math 300 paper: a complete draft is due Nov
26 and I will send you comments about revising the paper.
The letter grade is assigned using the scale:
A > 93 > A- > 90 > B+ > 87 > B > 83 > B- > 80> C+ > 77 > C > 73 > C- > 70 > D+ > 67 > D > 63 > D- > 60 > F