Instructors:
Michael Hvidsten
John Holte
311 Olin Hall
307 Olin Hall
x7480
x7465
hvidsten@gac.edu
holte@gac.edu
Class Meeting Times: M-F, 10:30-12:00 and 1:00-2:30pm,
Olin 321
Textbook
: A Concrete Approach to Mathematical Modeling
by
Michael Mesterton-Gibbons.
Course Web Site:
http://www.gac.edu/~hvidsten/courses/MC358
Course Description: An introductory study of the formulation of mathematical models to represent, predict, and control real-world situations, especially in the social and biological sciences. The course will use ideas from calculus, linear algebra, and probability theory to describe processes that change in time in some regular manner, which may be deterministic or stochastic.
A mathematical model is a mathematical representation of some physical process or system. Since real-world phenomena are often too complex to model exactly, there are always simplifications and assumptions that one must make in building a mathematical model. In this course we will look at the model-building process and how to critique and refine models.
There are two basic viewpoints in mathematical modeling: the deterministic view and the probabilistic view. We will cover these in parallel, with Prof. Hvidsten covering determinitic models (Chapters 1-3) in the mornings and Prof. Holte covering probabilistic models (Chapters 5-7) in the afternoons. We will also periodically spend time in the computer lab carrying out lab assigments using the Maple software package.
The syllabus for the course is approximately 1.5 weeks on chapters 1 and 5, one week on chapters 2 and 6 and one week on chapters 3 and 7.
Grading and Assigments: Grading will be determined from frequent homework and lab assignments, two exams and a final project. The assignments (labs, hw) will count 30% of your final grad, each exam will count 20%, and the final project will count 30%. The exams are currently scheduled for Wednesday Jan. 12 and Thursday Jan. 20. The final project will be due on the final day of classes.
Policies: Attendance is required. Poor attendance may cause your final grade to be lowered. We encourage you to work together in discussing homework and other assignments. However, the work you turn in must be your own.
Academic Honesty: "The faculty of Gustavus Adolphus College expects all students to adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty... In all academic exercises, examinations, papers, and reports, students shall submit their own work. Footnotes or some other acceptable form of citation must accompany any use of another's words or ideas."--Academic Bulletin 1999-2000, p. 31.