MATH 464:
Mathematical Modeling
Section 001
Boise State University, Fall 2003
Instructor: Uwe
Kaiser
Office: MG 238-A
Phone: (208) 426-2653
Fax: (208) 426-1356
E-mail: kaiser@math.boisestate.edu
Web Address: http://math.boisestate.edu/~kaiser
Class meetings: TR 1:40 p.m.-2:55 p.m. in room
MG 120.
Office hours: MTWF from 10:40-11:30 a.m., TR 12:40-1.30 p.m. Other by appointment.
Academic Honesty: All students are expected to be familiar with and adhere to the policies and standards given in the BSU
Student
Code of Conduct.
Textbooks:
- Mathematical Modeling, Second Edition,
by Mark M. Meerschaert, Academic Press 1999
- Mathematical Modeling in the Secondary School Curriculum, The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Inc., Third Printing, 1997
Content: We will study model selection and construction,
model analysis
and model research. The specific model types discussed will be:
Optimization Models, Dynamic Models and Probabilistic Models.
On tuesdays we will discuss theoretical aspects of the subject, review,
or discuss the mathematics of specific modeling approaches. On tuesdays
you will often work in groups on the projects. Sometimes we will work together
through a
project from the Mathematical Modeling in the Secondary School Curriculum or use the Texas Instruments CBR (motion detector).
Online Manual: The online manual
Mathematical Modeling in a Real and Complex World
is available online and will be used for projects and references throughout the course.
Use of Technology: The schedule for the maple lab room MG 104
may be downloaded in either
ps or
pdf format. Some of the project classes will take place in the MG 104
(announced in the class before).
I strongly recommend the use of MAPLE for the computational and visualization problems.
We have the maple lab reserved for our class on tuesdays during classtime.
Note that you are free to use any other calculators or technology that you
prefer. I will try to give support for all technical tools that you may
use, but of course cannot promise successfully.
For special projects we may use Texas Instruments Calculators
together with the CBR.
Grading policy: Your final grade
will be determined by your work in four areas with the computation based on
1000 points.
- Projects (500 points) -- You will constantly work in groups of 2-3 students on projects during the
semester. The groups can work on different projects according to their background, interests and needs. The projects have to be chosen in the following way:
1.) two-three textbook projects (worth together 300 points) covering sequences of problems from the Mathematical Modeling textbook. The textbook problems have to be chosen from the list accessible at
Projects,
and
2.) two open projects (each worth 100 points), which can be chosen from the online manual or from any other sources (compare the Further Reading sections in the textbook).
Suggestions are also given on the projects webpage.
For any questions about the projects consult the projects webpage or see me during office hours.
Each student can submit individually reports
for his projects contributing to the grade. But I will also accept one report from each group. If I receive both a group report and an individual report the better grade counts.
The due date for the textbook projects is November 20. The open projects are due by December 1.
- Homework (100 points) -- There will be a few homework assignments. Each student has to submit individually the homework assignment. The due dates will be announced in class.
- Midterm Exam (take home) (200 points) -- The midterm exam will be due on
October 23 during class time. No collaborative work is permitted on the midterm exam.
- Final Exam (200 points) -- The final exam is comprehensive and will be on Thursday December 18, 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. in room MG 120. No collaborative work is permitted on the final exam. The final exam will consist of a take-home part (100 points) and some in-class part (100 points).
The final grade will be computed from the percentage you received with respect
to the 1000 possible points.
You need at least 60% of all points to get a D, 70% for a C, 80% for a
B, and at least 90% for an A.
Please check the Department of Mathematics' "generic
syllabus" for MATH 464 concerning Learning Objectives.
The updated information about the contents of the
Projects is available online or through my person..
This page was most recently updated on August 26, 2003.
http://math.boisestate.edu/~kaiser/teaching/m464_f03/syll.html