Math 1470  Introduction to PDEs (Fall 2019)

Course Info:

 
Text:  Walter A Strauss, Partial Differential Equations, 2nd Ed..         

Lecturer:   Ming Chen                               Email: mingchen@pitt.edu

                        Office: 601 Thackeray Hall        Office Hours: MW 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM      Office Tel: (412) 624-8357

Grader:      Benjemin Letson                    Email:bgl14@pitt.edu

Class Meeting Times:    MWF 2:00 PM - 2:50 PM     524 Thackeray Hall

Grading:           Homework:           25%
                          Two Midterms:      20% each
                          Final:                     35%
 

Material:           1. What is a PDE

                            2. Waves
                                Transport equations, method of characteristics
                                Linear waves
                             d'Alembert's solution

                            3. Fourier Series
                             The coefficients
                             Even, odd, periodic and complex functions
                             Calculus on Fourier series
                             Completeness

                            4. Separation of Variables
                                The diffusion equations
                                The heat equation
                             The wave equation 
                       The Laplace and Poisson equations on the plane

                            5. Green's Functions

Homework policies: 

       Homework will be assigned weekly and collected Wednesday at the beginning of class.
Please try to complete the homework problems; very few students can learn this material without
doing so and they can significantly impact your course grade. Students are encouraged to work
together on homework. However, each student must turn in his/her own assignments, and
no copying from another student's work is permitted. Also for the purpose of grading, please
be sure that your answers are readable, both in terms of legibility and intelligibility. Due to the size
of the course and the speed at which we are moving, no late homework will be accepted.

Announcement

1. Please staple your homework. Answer sheets that are not stapled will be given a 5-point penalty.

2. The first midterm exam will be on Monday, Sept. 30. Here is a set of practice problems.

3. The second midterm exam will be on Friday, Nov. 8. Here is a set of practice problems.

4. The Final exam will be on Monday, Dec. 9 from 10 – 11:50 AM. Here is a set of practice problems.

Homework Problems

Due day

                                                 Problems

09/04/19

                                                     HW1                                                  

09/11/19 

                                                     HW2                                                  

09/18/19 

                                                     HW3                                                   

09/25/19 

                                                     HW4                                                   

10/09/19 

                                                     HW5                                                   

10/16/19 

                                                     HW6                                                    

10/23/19 

                                                     HW7                                                    

10/30/19 

                                                     HW8                                                    

11/20/19 

                                                     HW9