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Mathematical Methods (Advanced) Semester 2, 2007 |
Welcome to the archived version of the 620-234 Home Page
This is a snapshot of the Home Page at 3 October 2007 and contains all original announcements. See the Latest Home Page for more recent announcements and latest teaching materials.The lecturer and coordinator for this subject is Associate Professor Barry Hughes (Room G20, Richard Berry Building, e-mail hughes@ms.unimelb.edu.au).
Consultation hours will be arranged in the first week of lectures.
Contact hours and location
Subject context and content
Assumed prior knowledge and skills
Feedback to students and assessment
Generic skills
Student feedback
Teaching materials
General Information
This subject is an advanced version of 620-232 Mathematical Methods.
Selection for enrolment in 620-234 is based on performance in prerequisite subjects. If you meet the prerequisites, which are based around advanced-level first-year subjects, you are automatically eligible to enrol. Students with excellent results in ordinary level subjects (620141, 142, 143) may be invited to enrol. Letters of invitation are mailed at least a week before semester 2 commences.
For prerequisites, credit exclusions and other important information concerning this subject, see the relevant page in the Undergraduate Handbook. In particular, the content of 620-234 is a superset of that of 620-232 so students can only gain credit for one of these subjects.
3 lectures per week plus 1 hour tutorial (tutorials will start on Week 2 of semester)
Lectures are 9am Monday, Wednesday, Friday; in Level 5 Lecture Theatre, Doug McDonell Building (adjacent to the ERC).
The subject builds on basic concepts of first year Calculus and Linear Algebra and covers four inter-related topics:
Systems of ordinary differential equations and their applications
Fourier series
Differential equations for functions of more than one variable
(partial differential equations)
Laplace transforms
The subject is concerned with learning mathematical methods that are used to solve a variety of applied
problems in commerce, engineering and science.
The concepts introduced in these topic also form the foundation for a number of subjects in later years and in more advanced applications such as data representation, analysis and compression where data may be economic data, physical data or digital representations of sound and graphics; advanced numerical analysis; engineering control theory etc.
Assumed prior knowledge and skills
Students are assumed to be fluent with concepts and techniques in elementary integration, integration by parts, convergence of integrals, summation and convergence of series, solving first and second order differential equations for functions of one variable with constant coefficients, properties of elementary functions like sine, cosine, exponential, series expansions of such functions.
Expected engagement by students
In this subjects student are expected to:
Acquire knowledge of new mathematical concepts and methods
Be able to carry out detailed calculations to completion
Be able to interpret and explain the results of such calculations
Mastery of all the above three is expected.
See below for helpful hints on how to achieve success in this subject.
Feedback to students and assessment
Students are offered progressive feedback on their mastery of the subject through
weekly tutorials that require active participation
written assignments
end of semester 3-hour written exam
The assessment of 620-234 Mathematical Methods (Advance) will comprise:
a 3-hour end-of-semester written examination contributing 80%
written assignments contributing a total of 20%
Academic integrity
Please remember that we take the principle of academic integrity seriously. So please ensure that any work you submit is entirely your own effort.
Do not forget to submit the signed “Plagiarism Declaration Form” and submit that with your first assignment. Without this signed declaration, we are not able to grade your assignments. The “Plagiarism Declaration Form” can be downloaded from here
Important regulation about assessment
Your attention is directed to University Regulations governing Student Conduct in relation to assessments. On page 124 of the 2006 Student Diary, under paragraph 7, it is stated that
“A further component of assessment, oral, written or practical, may be administered by the examiner in any subject at short notice and before the publication of results. Students must therefore ensure that they are able to be in Melbourne at short notice at anytime before the publication of results.”
Students who make arrangements that will prevent them from being available for further assessment as outlined above are therefore not entitled to an alternative opportunity to present for the assessment concerned.
The topics in this subject are relative straightforward. However, to be successful it is important to master not only the concepts but also develop the ability to carry out detailed calculations correctly to completion. The marking schemes in assignments and final examination give significant credit for successful completion of any given problem to full detail.
The best way to develop the required mastery is to attend all lectures and tutorials, attempt practice problems at the earliest opportunity and in a timely manner, seek assistance immediately if required and in general keep up to date with the lecture topics. Discussions with fellow students are also helpful – you will gain better insight into the subject matter if you have to explain the material to fellow students or listen to explanation of familiar concepts by others.
Students will acquire and develop skills in problem modelling, quantification of important parameters, development of mathematical models, derivation of solutions and interpretation of outcomes.
These activities will also help develop general analytical skills and cultivate the expression and construction of logical arguments.
Through participation in tutorials students will acquire important and valluable professional attributes such as experience in team work and ethical collaborations.
Feedback from students is obtained through the subject's representative on the Department of Mathematics and Statistics Staff-Student Liaison Committee (SSLC) questionnaire and through the university-wide student Quality of Teaching (QoT) form.
Students in 2006 reported through the SSLC questionnaire that the pace of delivery lies somewhere between about right and a bit difficult; that tutorials are useful; that printed material provided was helpful; and expressed confidence of success subject ot a reasonable amount of effort. From the central QoT form, a few students indicated a desire for more feedback on progress.
The SSLCreport for 2007 is now available (password-locked PDF file).
These will be supplied progressively as password-locked PDF files. The password will be e-mailed to all enrolled students.
Access teaching material here.
This is a snapshot of the Home Page at 3 October 2007 and contains all original announcements. See the Latest Home Page for more recent announcements and latest teaching materials.Barry Hughes (620-234 Coordinator)