Numerical Analysis

Math 685 / CSI 700

Fall 2008

This is the web page http://math.gmu.edu/~wanner/courses/m685f08/index.html
It will be updated regularly and always contain the latest information on the course.

General Information:

Instructor:	Thomas Wanner
Office:	Room 205, ST1
E-mail:	wanner@math.gmu.edu
Web Page:	http://math.gmu.edu/~wanner/
Phone:	(703) 993-1472
Fax:	(703) 993-1491
Office hours:	M 2:30-3:30pm, and by appointment

Lectures: M 4:30-7:10pm, Room B208, Robinson Hall
Prerequisites: Sufficient recall of undergraduate linear algebra, differential equations and computer literacy including familiarity with Matlab.
Textbook: Scientific Computing -- An Introductory Survey (2nd edition) by Michael T. Heath (McGraw Hill, 2002).

Lectures:	M 4:30-7:10pm, Room B208, Robinson Hall
Prerequisites:	Sufficient recall of undergraduate linear algebra, differential equations and computer literacy including familiarity with Matlab.
Textbook:	Scientific Computing -- An Introductory Survey (2nd edition) by Michael T. Heath (McGraw Hill, 2002).

Important Links:

Detailed syllabus (including notes and Matlab sessions)
Homework assignments
The author of the textbook maintains an accompanying webpage with useful information (lecture notes, errata, ...)

Syllabus:

This course will cover the fundamental concepts of numerical methods for scientific computing. Students will learn how computational methods are constructed, and how they are used to solve problems arising from the sciences and engineering. A more detailed syllabus can be found here. It will be updated weekly.

Homework Assignments:

Homework assignments and their due dates are posted on the homework page. The assignments consist of exercises from the textbook and computational projects to be completed in Matlab. I will not accept late homework under any circumstances. A few of the lowest homework scores will automatically be dropped at the end of the semester.

Matlab:

The software package Matlab will be used for analysis and presentation of data. Matlab is a computing environment with programming capability, good graphics, and powerful library functions. It is available on campus on the Mason cluster and several Unix computer labs. Alternatively, a PC or Macintosh version can be purchased at the bookstore. Many Matlab tutorials are available:

A very good tutorial by Kermit Sigmon, University of Florida, in Postscript format. There is also an HTML version of this tutorial.
The official Getting Started with Matlab guide from Mathworks in PDF format.
You should also take a look at the tutorials of my colleague E. Sander.

Also, the manual which comes with the PC version is very complete. Further information on Matlab can be found here.

Grading Policy:

Your final grade in the course will be determined from your performance in a midterm exam, the homework assignments, and a final exam. Weights for these items will be distributed approximately according to the following schedule:

Homework Midterm Exam Final Exam
50% 25% 25%

Homework	Midterm Exam	Final Exam
50%	25%	25%

Thomas Wanner, August 25, 2008.