MATH 222 COURSE SYLLABUS
Differential Equations
Napa Valley College	Spring 2011
Time:  11:00 am – 12:20 pm Tuesday & Thursday	Instructor:  Casey Davis
E-mail:  davis.mathematicks@gmail.com	Room:  1632
Website:  http://math.andcheese.org/	Syn#: 51668

SLOs:  Solve first and second order differential equations.
	 Solve systems of differential equations.
	 Use differential equations to solve applications.

Text:  Fundamentals of Differential Equations by Nagle, Saff, & Snider; 7th edition

Other Materials:  You will need pencils, lined paper, and graph paper. A graphing calculator is required for this class. I personally have the most experience with a TI-81, 82, 83, or 84, and can explain how to use it. A TI-85/86/89 or a Casio fx will also be fine but you'll have to figure out how to use it on your own. Some knowledge of spreadsheets, computer graphing utilities, or a mathematical programming language may also be useful. Learning to program your calculator would be an excellent idea.

Classroom Procedures:  On a typical day, I will collect whatever homework is due, and then answer questions about the homework that is due the following class. I will introduce new material, work through some useful examples, and give you some practice problems to try in class. Always keep in mind that the best way to learn math is to do math, and the best way to clear up confusion is to ask (and answer) questions. Remember that "math is not a spectator sport"; you don't learn much just by watching!

Homework:  Homework will be assigned most days. In general each assignment will be due two class sessions (one week) after the day it is assigned; however, you should do as much as you can by the first class session after it is assigned so you can ask questions about it if needed. No late homework will be accepted without prior arrangements and a valid reason. Assignments will be posted on the website.

Midterm Exams:  We will have four or five chapter exams. Each will cover the material from one or two chapters. The first will be in mid- to late February and cover chapters 1-2 and possibly some of 3. More specific dates will appear later on the website, as will review sheets for each exam. You may use one page of notes on each exam.

Final Exam:  The final exam will be Tuesday, May 24, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm. It will cover all the material in the course (chapters 1-7 and 9 in the textbook).

Grading:  5% of your overall grade is homework; the remaining 95% is equally split between all exams (including the final). The score on the final can replace the score on the lowest chapter exam. A total score of 90% and above is an A; 80% and above is a B; 70% and above is a C; 60% and above is a D; and anything below 60% is an F.

Important Calculus Topics to Review

"Ω" marks a topic that will be used very soon. Study up!

finding roots of a polynomial

trigonometric identities

hyperbolic trigonometric functions (at least know the formulas for sinh and cosh)

ΩΩΩ derivatives and integrals of all basic functions, especially ex, sin(x), and cos(x)

Ω Newton's Method for approximating roots

Ω integration by parts

integration by partial fractions

Maclaurin series for ex, sin(x), and cos(x)

Euler's Formula for imaginary exponents

Ω chain rule for partial derivatives

Ω vector functions (conceptually)

solving a system of equations with matrices

determinant of a matrix

inverse of a matrix

eigenvalues and eigenvectors

vector spaces (conceptually)

linear combinations and linear independence