Time and Place: MWF 106 Lov 12:20-1:10
Instructor: David A. Kopriva
Contact Info: 112 Lov; 645-0185 (office); 644-2202 (front desk, math)
email: kopriva@math.fsu.edu; webpage: www.math.fsu.edu/~kopriva
Office Hours: MWF 11:00-12:00, also by appointment.Email, call or just come by otherwise.
Eligibility: ODEs, Linear Algebra
Textbooks: None
Objectives: The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the process of mathematical modeling. It is expected that the student will learn to derive mathematical models from basic principles and use these models to predict or analyze the behavior of "real-world" systems.
Course Content:
This course is about the representation of physical, economic or biological phenomena by mathematical "models" for the purpose of better understanding the phenomena and for being able to make predictions regarding them. It is about the processes that one goes through in developing models, and in understanding the models derived. Modeling is thus the quintessential aspect of applied mathematics.
What is Modeling? Click here for more...
Attendance: I strongly advise you to attend class regularly. A student absent from class bears the full responsibility for all subject matter and procedural information discussed in class. You must attend the last week of class.
Grading: This course is pass/fail (S/U). There will be periodic, graded homework projects, which will form the basis for the final grade. There will be no exams or quizzes.
Homework will be graded on a four level scale:
3 Very Good; Mostly to fully correct and complete.
2 Good; Successful, with possibly serious but non-fatal omissions or commissions.
1 Poor; Some success, but incomplete or with fatal flaws.
0 Zero; Unsuccessful, incorrect, thrown together at the last minute, seriously flawed or not done at all.
The grading must be somewhat subjective in some sense, just as, for example, one can generate a variety of models that have a varying degree of faithfulness to the real world. More complete and detailed analyses are more likely to be fully correct than hastily slopped together ones. The student will be required to have a 2.0 or above average on the homework to earn an "S". For those who have not taken an S/U course before, note that mere attendance is not sufficient for an “S”.
ALL SYLLABI ARE REQUIRED TO INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS:
University Attendance Policy:
Excused absences include documented illness, deaths in the family and other documented crises, call to active military duty or jury duty, religious holy days, and official University activities. These absences will be accommodated in a way that does not arbitrarily penalize students who have a valid excuse. Consideration will also be given to students whose dependent children experience serious illness.
Academic Honor Policy:
The Florida State University Academic Honor Policy outlines the University’s expectations for the integrity of students’ academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations of those expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout the process. Students are responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and for living up to their pledge to “. . . be honest and truthful and . . . [to] strive for personal and institutional integrity at Florida State University.” (Florida State University Academic Honor Policy, found at http://fda.fsu.edu/Academics/Academic-Honor-Policy.)
Americans With Disabilities Act:
Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should:
(1) register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center; and
(2) bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type. This should be done during the first week of class.
This syllabus and other class materials are available in alternative format upon request.
For more information about services available to FSU students with disabilities, contact the:
Student Disability Resource Center
874 Traditions Way
108 Student Services Building
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4167
(850) 644-9566 (voice)
(850) 644-8504 (TDD)
sdrc@admin.fsu.edu
http://www.disabilitycenter.fsu.edu/
RECOMMENDED LANGUAGE FOR SYLLABI:
Free Tutoring from FSU
On-campus tutoring and writing assistance is available for many courses at Florida State University. For more information, visit the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) Tutoring Services’ comprehensive list of on-campus tutoring options - see http://ace.fsu.edu/tutoring or contact tutor@fsu.edu. High-quality tutoring is available by appointment and on a walk-in basis. These services are offered by tutors trained to encourage the highest level of individual academic success while upholding personal academic integrity.
Syllabus Change Policy
"Except for changes that substantially affect implementation of the evaluation (grading) statement, this syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with advance notice.”
Contact Info: 112 Lov; 645-0185 (office); 644-2202 (front desk, math)
email: kopriva@math.fsu.edu; webpage: www.math.fsu.edu/~kopriva