Math 2243: News and Announcements, Fall 2009

o 12/19/09: I will hold office hours on Monday, December 21, before the Final, from 4 to 5 p.m. in my office, Vincent Hall 324. Everybody is welcome!

o 12/13/09: Here is some statistics for Midterm III: mean = 26.71, median = 27, maximum = 40, out of 40 points.

o 12/11/09: The Final Exam is coming: Monday, December 21, 6-9 p.m., VinH 6 (regular classroom). Coverage: Sections 1.1-1.5, 2.1, 2.3-2.5, 3.1-3.2, 3.4-3.7, 4.1-4.3, 5.1-5.5 (through p. 347), 5.6, 6.1-2, 7.1-4 (through p. 439), and 10.1-3. How to get ready: the more problems you solve, the better you will be prepared. Solve problems from the homeworks again (if you feel you do not remember how to do them) and similar problems from the text (for example, if problem 11 was on the homework, problems 10 or 12 will likely be similar). Attend our problem review sessions during the last week of classes and test yourself on Sample Finals. About half of the problems on the Final will be multiple-choice. You will not be given partial credit for those problems, but you will be given full credit just for correct answers. However, I strongly advise you to work those problems out as if they were not multiple-choice. This is the only reliable way to make sure you have chosen a correct answer.

o 12/11/09: I have added a link to four sample final exams and tutoring services information on the main class web page. Below are access instructions to get the exams:

  1. Go to http://math.lib.umn.edu/examinfo.html
  2. Click on E-Reserves index hyperlink.
  3. Choose “Department” “starts with” “Math” from pull-down menus.
  4. Click on hyperlink for Math 2243 (Do not be confused by the instructor labeled as Bramson - it does not matter).
  5. Enter course number using all lower case letters (“math2243”) as the password.
  6. Click on hyperlink for one of several possible sample exams.
Note that the sample exams are actual exams from past semesters. The course syllabus has somewhat changed over the years, and some problems, which should be easy to recognize, are out of the scope of our class. These are Problems 5, 9, and 11 from the Spring 2005 final and 2 (the second question), 3, and 4 from the Fall 2005 final. Additionally, the same page also has links for tutoring and review session information for Calculus courses.

o 12/09/09: I have to go to a math conference in Korea the week of December 14-18. I have asked Professor Bobkov to substitute for me in classes then. He will be collecting homework as usual at the beginning of the class on Monday. The homework is assigned online, as always. There is no homework assigned for Wednesday, December 16. Professor Bobkov will be handing out graded third midterms on Monday, December 14.

o 12/09/09: Question: Will I give you the Laplace transform table on the exam? Answer: I will give the necessary formulas from the table for the Laplace transform on the test.

o 12/02/09: The third midterm is coming: Wednesday, December 9, during the first class period. Coverage: Sections 5.5 (through p. 347) and 5.6, 6.1-2, 7.1-4 (through top of p. 439), and 10.1-2. How to get ready: the more problems you solve, the better you will be prepared. Solve problems from the homeworks again (if you feel you do not remember how to do them) and similar problems from the text (for example, if problem 11 was on the homework, problems 10 or 12 will likely be similar). Test yourself on Sample Exam III.

o 11/23/09: Because of popular demand, I am canceling the pre-Thanksgiving class meeting of Wednesday, November 25. The homeworks are being shifted by one, so that the one for Section 7.3 is now due on Monday, November 30. I am changing the homework schedule on-line, too. The exam schedule remains the same, and our last midterm will be on Wednesday, December 9, as planned. Have a great Thanksgiving.

o 11/09/09: Here is some statistics for Midterm II: mean = 32.71, median = 36, maximum = 40, out of 40 points.

o 11/03/09: Quite a few students are confused about which formulas to memorize from Section 5.4. You do not need to memorize all those formulas related to p2 - omega2 or c2 > 4 km, or specifically e-rt (c1 + c2 t), which you must know from the general theory of Section 5.3, for example. All you need to know is how to write down a differential equation (and initial conditions, if needed) for a spring-mass system, solve it, and be able to interpret mathematical answers, that is to say, know the terminology, such as free harmonic motion, oscillatory motion, underdamped motion, undamped motion, critical damping, amplitude, period, etc. You can solve all relevant problems from sctratch, and that is the best way to approach this topic. If you click on the solution of homework problem 5.4.15, you will see what I mean.

o 10/27/09: The second midterm is coming: Wednesday, November 4, during the first class period. Coverage: Sections 3.1-3.2, 3.4-3.7, 4.1-4.3, and 5.1-5.4. How to get ready: the more problems you solve, the better you will be prepared. Solve problems from the homeworks again (if you feel you do not remember how to do them) and similar problems from the text (for example, if problem 11 was on the homework, problems 10 or 12 will likely be similar). Test yourself on the Sample Exam II.

o 10/05/09: Here is some statistics for Midterm I: mean = 28.78, median = 30, maximum = 39, out of 40 points.

o 09/24/09: I have just received a message from the SMART Learning Commons with very good news for students seeking free tutorial help with their Math classes, Math 2243 in particular! The Math Department has updated its tutoring web page, and I have have sent a copy of that web page to everyone's e-mail address.

o 09/21/09: The first midterm is coming: Wednesday, February 10, during the first class period. We will do stuff (Section 3.1) during the second class period in the aftermath. :-) Coverage: Sections 1.1-1.5, 2.1, 2.3-2.5. How to get ready: the more problems you solve, the better you will be prepared. Solve problems from the homeworks again (if you feel you do not remember how to do them) and similar problems from the text (for example, if problem 11 was on the homework, problems 10 or 12 will likely be similar). Test yourself on the Sample Exam I.

o 09/04/09: I recommend the following way to study after each class. First, study your class notes. Next, study the corresponding section of the text. See the Class Outlines to find out which section. Then do the homework.

o 09/04/09: If you need to register, please, send a message to Ms. Lawson at ugrad@math.umn.edu and ask for a permission number. Then go to OneStop and register.

o 09/04/09: Homework will be collected after each class, starting Monday, September 14, and a small selection of problems will be graded. ("Small," because the grader will allocate only 6 hours per week for our class.)

o 09/04/09: Free tutorial services is scheduled to start September 14. This is a perfect way to get help with your homework, exam preparation, and brush up on those derivatives and integrals! See the Math Tutoring page for more info.

Last modified: Fri Sep 4 16:34:25 CDT 2009