syllabus
Number: NSC584
Credits: 4
Level: intermediate
Prereq: calculus
Time: Tues, Thurs 8:30am - 9:50am
Place: Sci 217
Faculty: Jim Mahoney
Differential equations are the language with which physicists describe the way the world works. This course looks at ways to understand these equations with both traditional symbolic methods as well as numerical computer simulations. We'll start with linear equations such as the harmonic oscillator and progress to non-linear systems that exhibit chaotic behavior, using computer tools such as Mathematica to write programs that explore the solutions to the equations.
Textbook:
Elementary Differential Equations, 9th Edition
Boyce and DiPrima
ISBN 047003940X
(Google the ISBN for online purchases;
on Jan 14 I found prices from $70 to $170.)