Math 265 - Intro to Computational Math - Spring 2010
Dr. Radu C. Cascaval

Home

Syllabus

Notes

Matlab codes

Course Info: (1 credit hour course, no textbook required!) Time: Wednesday, 12:15-1:05pm (50 minutes weekly) Place: ENG 140 Computer Lab Office Hours: Mon 12-1pm, Wed 10-11am or by appt.

Click on the image for the course flyer

Course Description:

Many scientific endeavors require nowadays knowledge of sophisticated mathematical tools, which are computational in nature. This one-credit hour course is a hands-on introduction to the use of computers in solving mathematical problems, using primarily the MATLAB platform. The labs will cover arrays and mathematical operations with arrays, representation of mathematical equations and functions using arrays, visualization of data and functions, MATLAB programming, including general program organization, m-files, built-in mathematical functions as well as user-defined functions, and symbolic math computations. Applications such as solving equations in one and several variables, finding min/max of a function, numerical integration will be highlighted. A more detailed list of topics is included in the course outline below.

Computational Objectives:

The main goal of this course is to learn how to solve mathematical problems that require computational power. MATLAB will be the prefered platform for pursing this goal. No prior experience with MATLAB is required. The labs are designed to introduce the student to MATLAB and how it can be used in solving mathematical problems. At the end of this course the student should be able to:

- decide when and how much to rely on a computer in the process of solving a mathematical problem
- develop the necessary code, test the code and analyze the outcome of the code
- use the computer output to present the solution to the original problem and gain further insight in the problem and its solution.

Targeted audience:

Any student majoring in math, science and engineering who wants to get a head start in learning computational tools, such as MATLAB, and their use in handling mathematical concepts. In particular this course is well suited for students enrolled in courses where MATLAB is a companion software, such as Linear Algebra, Differential Equations or Mathematical Modeling. Prerequisite course: Math 235.

More info can be found on the syllabus ...