Welcome to Partial Differential Equations! For course info and policies, please see the syllabus. For grades, log into Moodle. If you need help or have questions, please contact Prof. Wright
Prof. Wright's drop-in hours: typically Mon. 1–2pm, Tues. 1:30–2:30pm, Wed. 11am–noon, Thurs. 10–11am, and Fri. 9–10am in RMS 405. Check Google Calendar for up-to-date availability, or email to schedule an appointment.
Homework help sessions: Tuesdays 7:00–8:30pm in Tomson 188
September 7
- Complete the Introductory Survey.
- Read the Course Syllabus and Chapter 1 in our text (pages 1–13). Complete the Reading Questions and bring them to class on Tuesday.
- Watch But what is a partial differential equation? by 3Blue1Brown. Optionally, also watch Differential equations, a tourist's guide.
- Begin Homework 1, due next Thursday.
September 12
Bonus video: Paths to Math: John Urschel
- Read Sections 2.1 and 2.2 in the text. Complete the Reading Questions and bring them to class on Thursday.
- Finish Homework 1 (due 5pm Thursday). You may want to use the Homework 1 LaTeX template on Overleaf.
- Read Section 2.4 in the text. There is a lot in this section, but focus on grasping the big ideas. Complete the Reading Questions and bring them to class on Tuesday.
- Begin Homework 2, due next Thursday.
September 19
Bonus video: Eugenia Cheng on The Late Show
- Read Section 3.1 in the text. Complete the Reading Questions and bring them to class on Thursday.
- Finish Homework 2 (due 5pm Thursday). You may want to use the Homework 2 LaTeX template on Overleaf.
- Watch the video But what is a Fourier series? From heat flow to drawing with circles by 3Blue1Brown.
- Begin Homework 3, due next Thursday.
September 26
Bonus: Why is Mathematics Useful — Robert Ghrist, and Applied Dynamical Systems Vol. 1
- Read pages 72–78 from Section 3.2 in the text. Complete the Reading Questions and bring them to class on Thursday.
- Finish Homework 3 (due 5pm Thursday). You may want to use the Homework 3 LaTeX template on Overleaf.
- Read pages 79–91 from Section 3.2 in the text. Complete the Reading Questions and bring them to class on Tuesday.
- Begin Homework 4, due next Thursday.
October 3
Bonus video: Moon Duchin: "Political Geometry" and DistrictR
- Read Sections 3.3 and 3.4 in the text. Complete the Reading Questions and bring them to class on Thursday.
- Finish Homework 4, due Thursday. You may want to use the Homework 4 LaTeX template on Overleaf.
- Read Pages 121–126 in the text. Complete the Reading Questions and bring them to class on Tuesday.
- Begin work on Tutorial 1 (the first midterm exam), which is due next Thursday.
October 10
Bonus: Federico Ardila on Math, Music and the Space of Possibilities
- Finish Tutorial 1 (the first midterm exam), which is due
Thursdaynow due Friday. Upload your files to the Tutorial 1 assignment on Moodle.
- Review the separation of variables problems and solutions from class.
- Read Pages 126–132 in the text. Complete the Reading Questions and bring them to class on Thursday.
October 19
- Review the separation of variables problems and solutions from class.
- Read Pages 133–138 in the text. Complete the Reading Questions and bring them to class on Tuesday.
- Work on Homework 5, due next Thursday.
October 24
- Review the wave equation problems and solutions from class.
- Read Pages 140–149 in the text. Complete the Reading Questions and bring them to class on Thursday.
- Finish Homework 5, due Thursday. You may want to use the Homework 5 LaTeX template on Overleaf.
- Optionally, revise Tutorial 1. Revisions are due Tuesday. If you have questions about how to revise, talk with the professor.
October 26
Hyperbolic sine and cosine functions
due today
Bonus: video How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking - with Jordan Ellenberg
- Review the problems and solutions from class.
- Read Pages 152–159 in the text. Complete the Reading Questions and bring them to class on Thursday.
- Begin Homework 6, due next Thursday.
- Optionally, revise Tutorial 1. Revisions are due Tuesday. If you have questions about how to revise, talk with the professor. You may submit your revisions to the Tutorial 1 assignment on Moodle.
Bonus video: Yitang Zhang: An Unlikely Math Star Rises
- Review the problems and solutions from class.
- Read the rest of Chapter 4 (pages 160–179) in the text.
- Finish Homework 6, due Thursday. You may want to use the Homework 6 LaTeX template on Overleaf.
- Review the problems and solutions from class.
- Read Pages 182–188 in the text. Complete the Reading Questions and bring them to class on Tuesday.
- Begin Homework 7, due next Thursday.
November 7
Bonus video: MEET a Mathematician! - Trachette Jackson
- Review the problems and solutions from class.
- Read pages 186–190 from Chapter 5 in the text. There are no reading questions for Thursday.
- Finish Homework 7, due Thursday. You may want to use the Homework 7 LaTeX template on Overleaf.
- Read the Final Project Information. Start thinking about what topic you would like to study and who you would like to work with.
- Re-read Sections 5.1 and 5.2 in the text.
- Begin work on Tutorial 2 (the second midterm exam), which is due next Thursday.
- Read the Final Project Information. Thinking about what topic you would like to study and who you would like to work with. Complete the Final Project Planning Survey on Moodle.
November 14
Bonus videos: Satyan Devadoss — Blue Collar Mathematics and Mage Merlin's Unsolved Mathematical Mysteries
- Review the problems and solutions from class.
- Read pages 195–200 in the text. Complete the Reading Questions and bring them to class on Thursday.
- Finish Tutorial 2, which is due Thursday. Upload your files to the Tutorial 2 assignment on Moodle.
- Read Section 5.4 in the text. There are no reading questions for Tuesday.
- Start collecting resources for your final project and reading about your final project topic.
- Take a look at Homework 8, which is due on Nov. 30.
November 21
- Read Section 6.1 in the text. There are no reading questions for next Tuesday.
- Begin work on Homework 8, which is due on Nov. 30.
- Continue collecting resources for your final project and reading about your final project topic.
November 28
Bonus video: Francis Su — Mathematics for Human Flourishing short version and long version
- Read Section 6.2 in the text. Note the important properties of Green's functions. There are no reading questions for Thursday.
- Finish Homework 8, which is due on Thursday. You may want to use the Homework 8 LaTeX template on Overleaf.
- Optionally, revise Tutorial 2.
- Continue planning your final project with your group.
- Read as much (or as little) of Chapter 6 as you would like to read.
- Optionally, revise Tutorial 2.
- Continue planning your final project with your group. Prepare an outline of your paper. One person in your group should submit your outline to the Final Project assignment on Moodle.
- Browse two sample papers from past final projects: tumor growth and the Navier-Stokes equations (on Moodle).
December 5
Outline of paper due
- to be announced...
- to be announced...
December 12
December 16
1:00 – 3:00pm