MAST20030: Differential Equations

- 3 assignments (10% each)
- Exam (70%)

Yes.

Dr David Ridout

At least 5, all with solutions except the 2016 sample exam.

5 out of 5

You don't necessarily need them, but stronger students might like to read more than just the lecture slides.
- Linear Partial Differential Equations and Fourier Theory, Pivato
- Elementary Differential Equations with Boundary Value Problems, Trench

- 3 one-hour lectures
- 1 one-hour tutorials

2019 Semester 2

92 (H1)

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Three written assignments (10% each); One 3 hour examination (70%)

The theory covered in this subject is absolutely fantastic, but there were many teething problems associated with it since it was new for 2013. Chiefly, the subject was considered by many to be too crammed, with the assignments and exam to be too difficult - I strongly suspect that normalisation of the scores was heavily employed in order to achieve the required quota of students passing the subject.

Topics covered:

• Introduction to Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs)
• Matrix methods for ODEs
• Fourier Series
• Laplace Transforms and their applications to Initial Value Problems (IVPs)
• Introduction to Partial Differential Equations (PDEs)
• Series solutions (Eigenfunctions) of PDEs in 2 variables
• Higher dimensional eigenfunctions
• Fourier Transforms and their applications to Boundary Value Problems (BVPs)
• Solution of PDEs through Laplace and Fourier Transforms
• Green function solutions of BVPs (ODE only)

Perhaps only topics 1, 3, 4 and 5 could be considered to be somewhat easy, and that too only after many examples were covered. It would be fair to say that the rest of the course constituted some of the toughest material covered by most of us students up to this point in our mathematical studies. This was not helped by the somewhat old-fashioned attitudes of the lecturer towards the teaching of the subject. While I would still recommend taking this subject over Engineering Mathematics (for Engineering students only), I would suggest that applied maths and physics students who take this subject should be wary - this is not for the faint-hearted.

Yes, with screen capture. However, the lecturer does ALL the examples on the board so it is ESSENTIAL to attend lectures and copy them down (or get a friend to do it for you).

Prof. Barry Hughes

None, since this subject was introduced in 2013. However, the lecturer gave us some sample exam questions which were somewhat representative of the actual exam, and the tutors informed us that much of the course is based on an earlier course 620-232 Mathematical Methods (for which exams were available from the library website).

4 Out of 5

None - Printed course notes were available from the Co-op Bookshop.

3 x 1 hour lectures per week; 1 x 1 hour tutorial per week

Semester 2, 2013

89