MATH 3071 Fall Semester 2025

Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations
MWF 11:00-11:50AM
302 Cathedral of Learning

Aug 25, 2025 - December 13, 2025


Office Hours

MW 1:00-1:50PM, and by appointment(also via zoom)
Office: Thackeray 612
E-mail: trenchea@pitt.edu

Textbook: Numerical Analysis of Partial Differential Equations, Charles Hall and Thomas Porsching, Prentice Hall, New Jersey 1990.

Course Info:  This course presents the theory and methodology of the numerical solutions of partial differential equations. It covers both the finite difference and the finite element methods, has both a practical and an analytical nature, and contains basic theoretical results at a level that is understandable to beginning graduate students in engineering and in the sciences. Topics covered include, among others: prototypal problems, hyperbolic systems, parabolic diffusion equation, Lax-Richtmyer theory, Sobolev spaces, elliptic boundary value problems and so on. It will cover chapters 1-7 of the textbook. Prerequisites include advances calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations.

Homework: There will be some theoretical assignments and some practical assignments which involve some computer programming.

Computing.  As a computing language we will use Matlab.  Submission of the work in other languages is allowed, but no support will be provided. Please consult the Web page of the class for  pointers to additional material including a Matlab primer.

Other references:
James W. Thomas Numerical Partial Differential Equations: Finite difference methods, Springer 1995.
Stig Larsson, Vidar Thomee Partial Differential Equations with Numerical Methods, Springer 2003.
Vidar Thomee Galerkin finite element methods for parabolic problems, Springer 2006.
Haim Brezis Functional Analysis, Sobolev Spaces and Partial Differential Equations, Springer 2011.
Willem Hundsdorfer and Jan G. Verwer Numerical Solution of Time-Dependent Advection-Diffusion-Reaction Equations, Springer 2003.
Alfio Quarteroni, Alberto Valli Numerical Approximation of Partial Differential Equations, Springer 1994.
Lawrence C. Evans Partial Differential Equations, American Mathematical Society, American Mathematical Society 1998.
Viorel Barbu Nonlinear Differential Equations of Monotone Types in Banach Spaces, Springer 2010.
Viorel Barbu Nonlinear Semigroups and Differential Equations in Banach Spaces, Springer 1976.
Viorel Barbu Partial Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems, Springer 1998.
Giovanni Paolo Galdi An Introduction to the Mathematical Theory of the Navier-Stokes Equations. Steady-State Problems, Springer 2011.
Roger Temam Navier-Stokes equations. Theory and numerical analysis, AMS Chelsea Publishing 1984.
Vivette Girault, Pierre-Arnaud Raviart Finite Element Methods for Navier-Stokes Equations. Theory and Algorithms, Springer 1986.

Jeffery M. Cooper Introduction to Partial Differential Equations with MATLAB, Birkhäuser 2000. The author's collection of mfiles are available at: http://www.math.umd.edu/~jcooper/PDEbook/mcodes.html.


The course web page will be updated continuously throughout the semester. The student is responsible for checking this web page for assignments and policies.

Homework Assignments

  • Homework 1, Due September 15, 2025: Chapter 1 # 1.2, 1.4, 1.5 (Here general weights means that the test space may be different from the trial space.)
  • Homework 2, Due September 29, 2025: Chapter 3 # #3.4, 3.6, 3.9, 3.11; Bonus: 3.7
  • Homework 3, Due October 13, 2025: Chapter 4 #4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.8 a,b
  • Homework 4, November 3, 2025: Chapter 5 #5.8, 5.9, 5.10, 5.11
  • Homework 5, Due November 17, 2025
  • Homework 6, Due December 8, 2025

  • Computer Assignments

  • Project 1, Due October 6, 2025
  • Project 2, Due November 10, 2025
  • Project 3, Due December 15, 2025


  • Disability Resource Services
    If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and Disability Resources and Services, 140 William Pitt Union, 412-648-7890 or 412-383-7355 (TTY) as early as possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.
    Academic Integrity
    Cheating/plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students suspected of violating the University of Pittsburgh Policy on Academic Integrity will incur a minimum sanction of a zero score for the quiz, exam or paper in question. Additional sanctions may be imposed, depending on the severity of the infraction. On homework, you may work with other students or use library resources, but each student must write up his or her solutions independently. Copying solutions from other students will be considered cheating, and handled accordingly.
    Statement on Classroom Recording
    To address the issue of students recording a lecture or class session, the University's Senate Educational Policy Committee issued the recommended statement on May 4, 2010. ``To ensure the free and open discussion of ideas, students may not record classroom lectures, discussion and/or activities without the advance written permission of the instructor, and any such recording properly approved in advance can be used solely for the student's own private use."