Math 234 – Differential Equations – Syllabus Spring 2019

Course Objectives
The course has four main objectives:

1. You should be able to model simple physical systems using differential equations (DEs), and
be able to analyze and interpret the physical significance of solutions. This involves translating
between mathematical features of equations and the corresponding physical phenomenon.
2. You should be able to classify and label ordinary and partial differential equations (ODEs and
PDEs) as well as their associated boundary/initial conditions. You should also be able to deduce
properties of the solutions to DEs both by solving and analyzing the solution, and by analyzing
the equation itself, without explicitly solving.
3. You should become fluent in the basic solution techniques for several types of DEs. This includes
the major common solution techniques for linear ODEs (including systems of such equations),
solution techniques for common non-linear ODEs, and the separation of variables technique for
linear PDEs.
4. You should be practiced in the art of problem solving. In your future career as an engineer, you
will see problems that you haven’t seen before. You should be able to adjust the methods you
know to fit new situations and to be confident with your solutions. You can only achieve this
by understanding rather than memorizing formulas and methods.

Course Description
Ordinary differential equations. Classification. Equations of first order and first degree. Linear
equations of order n. Equations of second order. Bessel’s equation. Legendre’s equation. Series solu-
tions. Systems of simultaneous equations. Partial differential equations. Classification of types. The
diffusion equation. Laplace’s equation. The wave equation. Solution by separation of variables.

Textbook
Differential Equations with Boundary Value Problems – An Introduction to Modern Methods and
Applications, 3rd Edition, by Brannan & Boyce, Wiley (2015). wiley.com
Note: Chapters 10 and 11 of the textbook, which we will use towards the end of the course, are not
in the physical copy of the textbook. Instead they are available for free online from wiley.com

Prerequisites
Throughout this course, we will make extensive use of material from first-year calculus and linear
algebra. This will be a fast-paced course with little time to review these concepts, so students are
advised to brush up on their own time. In particular, the textbook contains a review of linear algebra
(Appendix A) (this will be very important when we begin discussing systems of linear differential
equations), and a review of the basic theory of complex numbers (Appendix B).

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Math 234 – Differential Equations – Syllabus Spring 2019

Course Personnel

Name E-mail Office Office Hours

Instructors. Mihai Nica [email protected]∗ BA 6189 Tu 10:00 - 12:00
Qirui Li [email protected] BA 6204 Mo 2:00-3:00 & 5:00-6:00
*Note that there is another individual with the same name “Mihai Nica” at the University of Toronto.
Make sure you send any emails to the correct email address listed here. If you don’t receive a reply in
2 business days, please double check you have sent it to the correct address.

Name E-mail Role

Hiba Doudar [email protected] Tutorial TA
Teaching Assistants. Behzad Khamidehi [email protected] Tutorial TA
Fatemeh Karimi [email protected] Grading TA
Luke Cui [email protected] Grading TA

Tentative Course Schedule

The following is a tentative schedule of the material which will be covered and is subject to change.
Make sure you check Quercus for updates to the course schedules throughout the term. (Note: the
section numbers correspond to the section numbers of the 3rd edition of the textbook.)
Week Dates Sections Notes
1 Jan 7-11 1.1–1.3
2 Jan 14–18 2.1–2.3 Tutorials begin this week
3 Jan 21–25 2.4–2.6
4 Jan 28–Feb 1 3.1–3.2
5 Feb 4–8 3.3–3.4
6 Feb 11–15 3.5, 4.1 Term Test #1 this week
- Feb 18–22 - Reading Week - No Classes
7 Feb 25–Mar 1 4.2–4.3
8 Mar 4–8 4.4–4.6
9 Mar 11–15 6.1–6.3
10 Mar 18–22 6.4, 10.1
11 Mar 25–29 10.2–10.3 Term Test #2 this week
12 Apr 1–5 11.1–11.2
13 Apr 8–12 11.3,11.5

Grading Scheme
Your final grade is determined by taking the maximum of two different marking schemes:
Scheme A: Scheme B:
Quizzes 5 % Quizzes 5 %
Term Test (lower score) 20 % Term Test (lower score) 20 %
Term Test (higher score) 25 % Term Test (higher score) 25 %
Final Exam 50 % Final Exam 47 %
Class Participation 3 %

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Course websites: Quercus and Piazza

Announcements, homework assignments, and other important information will be posted on the course
Quercus page. You are responsible for checking Quercus regularly to receive important
course information.
We are also maintaining an online Piazza forum for this course. Participating in Piazza is op-
tional, but highly recommended. This is an excellent venue for you to post math questions and offer
help/solutions to questions asked previously by your peers. Helping explain your ideas to someone
else is often a very helpful way to think through the material. TAs and Instructors will monitor the
forum for misleading/incorrect responses so that the forum should, once the dust has settled, be a
source of accurate and reliable information.

Homework
There is no graded homework in this class. However, there will be ungraded suggested homework
problems posted on Quercus throughout the course. Even though these are ungraded, these
homework problems are one of the most important parts of the course. It is vital that keep
up with these homework problems throughout the term, and not let yourself get behind.

Quizzes
There will be short graded quizzes that happen during tutorials in most weeks. For this reason,
make sure that you always have your T-Card with you when you attend tutorials. The weeks that do
not have quizzes during the tutorial will be announced in advance on Quercus. If you do not see such
an announcement, you should assume there is a quiz in tutorial.

Class Participation
Actively engaging in the course material during lecture leads to higher retention and understand-
ing. To this end, one of the activities we will be doing in lecture is Peer Instruction. You will be
presented with a conceptual problem – often one that is known to be an area of common confusion
or misunderstanding – and asked to vote on your answer to the question individually. After voting,
the class will either discuss (if a clear majority of students gets the correct answer) or will take a few
minutes to discuss the answer with a partner until you arrive at a consensus.
Your participation and responses to questions will be recorded using the classroom response system
TopHat which will be used as part of your final grade. Since you may have legitimate circumstances
that prevent you from attending class or days when you forget to bring technology to class, your
TopHat score will be rounded up to 100% for the purposes of your final course grade as long as it is
higher than 80%. (If your score is between 0% and 80%, it will remain unchanged in the final grade).
This generous rounding is meant to account for all excused absences and technological issues you may
have; no other documentation will be accepted.

Term Tests
There will be TWO term tests. See the course schedule posted on Quercus for dates, times, and
location for each term test. You must bring your student card to each term test. The second term
tests will be cumulative, testing material from the beginning of the term.

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Course Communication
When emailing instructors and TAs, please keep the following guidelines in mind:

• use your official University of Toronto email address;

• mention MAT234 in the subject line;
• include your full name, section number, and student number in the body of the email;
• you may be asked to post your question on the discussion forum on Piazza or ask it in person if
the response would be lengthy or complicated.

Note that there is another individual with the same name “Mihai Nica” as one of the instructors at
the University of Toronto. Make sure you send any emails to the correct email address listed in the
Syllabus. If you don’t receive a reply in 2 business days, please double check you have sent it to the
correct address.

Accessibility
Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome in this course. Please feel free to ap-
proach the instructors or contact Accessibility Services ([email protected]) so we can
assist you in achieving academic success in this course.

Mental Health and Wellness

As a university student, you may experience a range of health and/or mental health issues that
may result in significant barriers to achieving your personal and academic goals. The University of
Toronto offers a wide range of free and confidential services and programs that may be able to assist
you. We encourage you to seek out these resources early and often.

Student Life Website: http://www.studentlife.utoronto.ca

Health and Wellness Website: http://studentlife.utoronto.ca/hwc

If, at some point during the year, you find yourself feeling distressed and in need of more immediate sup-
port, visit the Feeling Distressed Webpage: http://www.studentlife.utoronto.ca/feeling-distressed,
for more campus resources. Immediate help is available 24/7 through Good2Talk, a post-secondary
student helpline at 1-866-925-5454.
All students in the Faculty of Engineering have an Academic Advisor who can advise on academic
and personal matters. You can find your department’s Academic Advisor here:
http://undergrad.engineering.utoronto.ca/advising-support-services/academic-advising/

Code of Behaviour / Plagiarism

Academic integrity is a fundamental value of learning and scholarship at the UofT. Participating
honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in this academic community ensures that your UofT
degree is valued and respected as a true signifier of your individual academic achievement.

The University of Toronto’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters outlines the behaviours that
constitute academic misconduct, the processes for addressing academic offences, and the penalties

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that may be imposed. You are expected to be familiar with the contents of this document.
All suspected cases of academic dishonesty will be investigated following the procedures outlined in the
Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters. If you have any questions about what is or is not permitted
in this course, please do not hesitate to contact an instructor.

Missing a Term Test

If you cannot show up for a test because of illness or any other special reason, you must complete an
online missed work petition form:

https://portal.engineering.utoronto.ca/welcome.asp

There are no makeup tests. A student presenting proof of a valid reason for missing a test
(see the section on Petitions in the Faculty of Engineering 2018-19 Calendar as well as the following
section of this syllabus about Medical Notes) will have their grading scheme adjusted so that all of
the weight of the missed term test is reallocated to the final exam.
In the unlikely event that there are two VALID medical excuses, all the weight from both term test
will be reallocated to the final exam. Almost every student who has purported to be in this
situation has failed the course due to a very low mark on the final exam. It is strongly advised
that you write both term tests normally.
In the case of a legitimate medical issue medical notes will be accepted ONLY from MDs
with a valid CPSO number. You must present your section Instructor with a University of
Toronto Verification of Student Illness or Injury form available at http://www.illnessverification.
utoronto.ca/index.php .
Some important remarks about these notes.

• These forms must be submitted to your course instructor within 3 business days of
the missed test for the absence to not be penalized. Failure to submit proper, valid and timely
documentation will result in a grade of 0 on your missed test.
• The form must have all required fields filled properly and legibly.
• The form must give the doctor’s OHIP number.
• The form must be original.
• The form is only considered valid if completed by a qualifed medical doctor - not an
acupuncturist, chiropractor, naturopath or other health care professional.
• Upon submission of the documentation review of the medical note will be done before it is
accepted as valid. The review may include following up with your doctor, your college
registrar, other departmental advisors.

Presenting a false medical excuse is a severe offence and will be dealt with through the Office of the
Dean.

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