Suggested Weekly Syllabus

Note: This is a fall or spring schedule. In summer, this schedule is accelerated by 50% in order to accommodate a 10-week session.

Suggested Weekly Syllabus

Week 1

Overview: What is a differential equation, Direction fields (use technology), Euler's methods (use technology)- Chapter 1.

Week 2

First order differential equations - separable, linear equations - Sections 2.1-2.3.

Week 3

Second order linear equations - Sections 4.2, 4.3, and 4.4.

Week 4

More second order linear equations - Sections 4.5, 4.6, and 4.7.

Week 5

Undetermined coefficients and variation of parameters - Sections 4.8, and 4.9.

Week 6

Applications of first or second order equations - Sections 3.1 - 3.4 or 4.10 - 4.12.

Week 7

Laplace Transforms - Sections 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3.

Week 8

Inverse Laplace transforms and applications to ODEs - Sections 7.4, 7.5, 7.6.

Week 9

Introduction to systems and phase-plane - Sections 5.1, 5.2, 5.3.

Week 10-14

More on Systems - Sections 9.1 - 9.6 and choose from the following topics: Numerical techniques (Sections 3.5, 3.6, and 5.6) or non-linear equations (Chapter 12).

Updated August 23, 2006 rww