Courses

Course Syllabus

MAD 4401: Introduction to Numerical Analysis

Spring 2024

Instructor: Dr. Chunmei Wang

Email: chunmei.wang@ufl.edu,

Website: https://people.clas.ufl.edu/chunmei-wang/

Office: Little Hall 302

Lecture: Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays  Period 5 (11:45am-12:35pm), Fine Arts C 127

Office hours: MWF Period 6

Grader: Ruitai Zhu

Grader email: ruitai.zhu@ufl.edu

Grader office hours: MF Period 7 in LIT 473

Website

Canvas: https://elearning.ufl.edu/

Course Description

This course is an introduction to the basic techniques of numerical analysis, the study of methods for solving mathematical problems with computers. We will focus on the mathematical theory behind the methods and algorithms used.

Topics to be Covered

  • binary and floating-point representation of numbers (Ch. 0)
  • methods to solve algebraic equations (Ch. 1)
  • methods to solve systems of equations (Ch. 2)
  • interpolation (Ch. 3)
  • numerical differentiation and integration (Ch. 5)
  • solving ordinary differential equations (Ch. 6)

Prerequisites

Linear algebra (MAS 3114 or MAS 4105) with a minimum grade of C and experience with a scientific programming language.

Textbook

Numerical Analysis (3rd edition) by Timothy Sauer

https://www.pearson.com/en-us/subject-catalog/p/numerical-analysis/P200000006340/9780137982189

ISBN-13: (Hardcover) 9780134696454; (Loose-Leaf) 9780134697338; (eText) 9780137982189

Textbook companion web site (contains MATLAB code, solutions to selected exercises, and additional examples): https://bit.ly/2yN3AEXLinks to an external site.

Software

MATLAB: MATLAB Homework assignments will use MATLAB Grader (https://grader.mathworks.com).

The full MATLAB software will be used for the course project, which is available on any computing device through UF Apps (https://info.apps.ufl.edu) and in computer labs (https://labs.at.ufl.edu/locations/). An alternative option is GNU Octave (https://octave.org).

There will be no MATLAB questions on exams.

Communication

Course Announcements: Posted on Canvas. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure they receive notifications for this course.

Personal Matters: Students may e-mail the instructor via Canvas Inbox or e-mail using their official UF e-mail address.

Attendance

Attending lectures are vital to the learning process. Furthermore, a huge part of the transition into your professional careers is being where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there. As such, your attendance is expected at every lecture. Furthermore, our focus is on the tasks at hand and not on extraneous activities such as chatting, texting, surfing the web/social media, etc. To encourage the attendance, if you attend 90% classes for the whole semester, you will get 5 point bonus; if you attend 80% classes for the whole semester, you will get 3 point bonus.

Written Homework

Written homework assignments showing all work with proper notation will be due weekly via electronic submission through Canvas.

The two lowest Written Homework scores will be dropped at the end of the semester.

MATLAB Homework

MATLAB homework assignments will be due weekly via MATLAB Grader.

The two lowest MATLAB Homework scores will be dropped at the end of the semester.

Project

During the second half of the semester, you will have the opportunity to work as part of a team on a project using MATLAB (or GNU Octave). Your team will give an oral presentation (during the last week of class) and write a 5–10 page paper (due on the last day of class).

Exams

Midterm Exams (during lecture)

Monday, February 5

Monday, March 4

Monday, April 8

Final Exam (comprehensive)

May 3, 7:30am-9:30am

There are no exam retakes or corrections, no lowest exam will be dropped, and there will be no extra credit assignments to erase the consequences of a bad exam score.

Grading Scheme

  • 15% Written Homework
  • 10% Matlab Homework
  • 15% Project
  • 30% Midterm Exams (10% each)
  • 30% Final Exam

Your final course grade will be no lower than the following: A-=[90,93) A=[93,100] B-=[80,83) B=[83,87) B+=[87,90) C=[70,76) C+=[76,80) D=[60,70) E=[0,60)

Grades are based only on academic work and are calculated using the same criteria for all students. It is unethical to bring to your instructor’s attention the possible impact of your mathematics grade on your future plans, including graduation, scholarships, jobs, etc. More information on UF grading policies (including requests for withdrawal (W) or incomplete (I*/I) grades) may be found at: https://catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/academicregulations/grades-grading-policies/Links to an external site.

Make-Up Policy for Homework/Exams

Make-up homework/exam work is allowed only when written evidence of an official University excused absence is provided (http://catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/academicregulations/attendance-policies/).

The instructor must be notified as soon as possible, preferably before the homework due date or exam with as much advanced notice as possible. A detailed account of the situation and supporting documents are required.

If you do not have an official University excused absence, but are unable to complete homework on time for any reason, see the Late Policy below.

Late Policy for Homework

Late submissions will receive a point deduction of 10% per day late. Note that late days are counted in 24-hour periods. For example, if the cutoff for on-time submission is 11:59pm, submitting between 12:00am–11:59pm the next day is one day late, and so on. Every assignment has a hard deadline, usually 2 days past the original due date, and late submissions (penalty or not) are not accepted after the hard deadline.

Classroom Behavior

To foster a positive learning environment, students and instructors have a shared responsibility. We want a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment where all of us feel comfortable with each other and where we can challenge ourselves to succeed.

The use of personal electronics such as laptops, tablets, and cell phones is distracting to the other students and the instructor. Their use can degrade the learning environment. Therefore, students are not permitted to use these devices during the class period (unless they are being used solely for note taking purposes).

Accessibility and Accommodation

Students with disabilities who experience learning barriers and would like to request academic accommodations should connect with the Disability Resource Center by visiting https://disability.ufl.edu/get-started/.

It is important for students to share their accommodation letter with their instructor and discuss their access needs as early as possible in the semester.

Honesty Policy Regarding Cheating, Plagiarism, etc.

UF students are bound by The Honor Pledge (http://sccr.dso.ufl.edu/policies/student-honor-code-student-conduct-code/) which states,

We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honor and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code. On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.”

The Student Conduct Code (http://sccr.dso.ufl.edu/process/student-conductcode/Links to an external site.) specifies a number of behaviors that are in violation of the honor code and the possible sanctions. Furthermore, you are obligated to report any condition that facilitates academic misconduct to appropriate personnel. If you have any questions or concerns, please or consult with the instructor in this class.

Online Course Evaluation

Students are expected to provide professional and respectful feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing course evaluations online via GatorEvals. Guidance on how to give feedback in a professional and respectful manner is available at http://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/students/.

Students will be notified when the evaluation period opens, and can complete evaluations through the email they receive from GatorEvals, in their Canvas course menu under GatorEvals, or via http://ufl.bluera.com/ufl/. Summaries of course evaluation results are available to students at http://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/publicresults/.

Important Note: Information contained in the course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policy, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.