Course: Mathematics 370 A, Numerical Analysis, Fall 2002, Central College.
Professor: Tom Linton , 312 B Central Hall, (641) 628-5264, email: lintont@central.edu.
Class Meets: MWF 2:00 to 2:50 PM in Central Hall 313.
Office Hours: 1 PM Mon, 9 AM Tues, 1 PM Th, 11 AM Fri, or by appointment.
Text: Numerical Mathematics and Computing, 4th Edition, by Cheney and Kincaid.
Technology: A graphing calculator similar to the TI-83 is highly recommended. If you have one, you should bring it to class daily. We will utilize several different software packages Mathematica, MatLab, Excel, and perhaps other applications as well. No prior knowledge of these programs is assumed. The class web page is located at the URL http://www.central.edu/homepages/lintont/classes/fall02/numericalframeset.html and information relevant to this course may come via email. You should check your email and the class web page on occasion.
Final Exam: Wednesday December 18, 1 PM, 313 Central Hall.

Class Overview
Numerical analysis, or numerical methods is a study of approximate numerical solutions to a variety of mathematical problems, and the errors associated with such solutions. In short, using technology to solve problems. We will undertake a treatment of solutions of equations, interpolation and approximations, numerical differentiation and integration, matrix methods and numerical solutions to ordinary differential equations.

Goals and Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students will

• understand the basic issues and limitations of computer arithmetic;
• understand and be able to apply specific techniques from several of the main branches of numerical analysis such as numerical linear algebra, interpolation, and approximation;
• be able to estimate and, where possible, bound the error of various computations;
• know how to choose appropriate numerical methods for various problem types.

American Disabilities Act: Central College abides by interpretations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that stipulates no student shall be denied the benefits of an education “solely by reason of a handicap.”  Disabilities covered by law include, but are not limited to, learning disabilities, hearing, sight or mobility impairments, and other health related impairments.  If you have a documented disability that may have some impact on your work in this class and for which you may require accommodations, please see me and Nancy Kroese, Director of Student Support Services and Disability Services Coordinator, (x5247) so that such accommodations may be arranged.

Grades

Grades, based on the letter, or A, A-, B+, B, B-, . . . system, will be based on a curve of the total points in the class. The curve used will be the traditional 100-93 A, 92-90 A-, 89-88 B+, etc. (or an easier curve). The breakdown of the points in the class is given below. There is no extra credit for this class. You are encouraged to work together on group assignments (including homework), but copying answers of others (including those in the back of the text) will result in no credit.

Exams: There will be two or three midterm exams worth 100 points each. Tentatively, these exams will occur after we complete chapters 3, 5, and 8, or approximately on the dates September 18 (exam 1), October 16 (exam 2) and November 22 (exam 3). We will also have a 150 point cumulative final exam on Wednesday December 18 at 1 PM.

Homework, Activities, Projects: I will assign and collect homework assignments regularly (on an almost daily basis). Homework is one of the most important aspects of this class. Recording "just the answer" will receive little or no credit. You should show and/or explain your work on all assignments for this class. You are encouraged to work together on homework assignments, but this does NOT mean copying the work of others nor answers from a solution set. We will likely complete a handful of activities or projects (mostly in groups), some in-class, others may be out of class. These activities will involve the current topics of the course and normally involve an application of numerical analysis. There will likely be several assignments utilizing computers, perhaps even writing code. Together, these regular assignments (homework, activities, projects) will total roughly 350 points for this class.

Class Participation and Attendance: There will be 50 points based on your class participation (asking questions, taking part in discussions, contributing to your group in activities, etc.) and attendance. I will determine your score for these 50 points. You are responsible for all of the material covered in class each day, even if you are not present.

Late assignments and academic dishonesty: Late homework, activities, etc. will be penalized by 10% each lecture they are late. I am fairly flexible about giving exams at alternate times, BUT you should definitely warn me before the exam is missed, and plan on taking it early rather than late. Plagiarism, or copying answers from other people or books without citing the source is a serious offense and will result in no credit for the work.  It is OK to discuss your answers with other groups on group assignments, but  the work you turn in must be your own. It is NOT alright to discus your work with others on individual assignments (those to be done alone).

As the semester progresses, materials related to our course will appear here.
Day 1 information sheet about technology knowledge.
Exam 1 practice problems.

Relevant information will be added to this schedule as we progress through the semester. An up to date version is available on line at http://www.central.edu/homepages/lintont/classes/fall02/numerical/numerical.htm#schedule.