Math-325: Honours Ordinary Differential Equations, Winter 2024

Course Outline

Lectures:
Tues, Thurs, 10:00 to 11:30am starting Thursday 4th January.
From Tues 16th January lectures will be in Otto Maass-10. The classroom has real blackboards; lectures will not be
recorded.

Instructor Office Hours:

Prof Humphries, E-mail: tony.humphries@mcgill.ca
Office Hours: Mon 10.30-11.30am and Thurs 2-3pm in BURN-1112.

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Arnab Chakraborty, E-mail: arnab.chakraborty@mail.mcgill.ca
Office Hours: Tues 4-5pm in BURN-1234

Tutorial
There will be an optional weekly tutorial, starting Monday 15th January. Tutorial sessions will be Mon 1-2.30pm in
ARTS260 and Thurs 4-5.30pm in BURN1205 The TA will cover the same material in both sessions, so you should
only attend one.

Syllabus
First and second order equations, linear equations, series solutions, Frobenius method, introduction to numerical
methods and to linear systems, Laplace transforms, applications.

Contents
The intended contents are:
Introduction: Basic, terminology, classification.
First Order Equations: Integrating Factors, separable equations, linear and nonlinear equations, exact equations,
existence and uniqueness.
Second and Higher Order Linear equations: Constant Coefficient homogeneous equations, roots of the
characteristic equation, Wronskians, fundamental and general solutions. Cauchy-Euler Equations.
Nonhomogeneous equations, undetermined coefficients, variation of constants (parameters), reduction of order.
Series Solutions: Regular Points, Regular Singular Points and Frobenius method.
The Laplace Transform: Definitions and properties, solving initial value problems, Discontinuities and
Impulses, Convolutions.
Linear Systems of ODEs: Solutions and stability.
Introduction to numerical methods and nonlinear differential equations.
but are subject to modification during the semester. Applications will be highlighted through examples of differential
equations throughout the course.

References:
There is no required textbook. Recommended texts include
Elementary Differential Equations, 12th edition, by W.E. Boyce, R.C. DiPrima and D.B. Meade.
Elementary Differential Equations, 6th edition, by C.H. Edwards and D.E. Penny.
Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems, 9th edition, by D.G Zill.
Elementary Differential Equations, by W.F. Trench. The pdf of this book is available online for free and legal
download.
Previous editions should be just as good or bad. All these books come in two versions, with the more expensive one
having an extra chapter on boundary value problems, which are not in the syllabus of this course. However, all of the
textbooks mentioned above cover the material at a depth suitable for the majors course MATH-315 (and Boyce and
DiPrima is the text that is usually used for math315 and math263). If you are struggling in the course, then any one of
these books could be really valuable to help you master the basic concepts and techniques. I will give my own
treatment of the material, and will be supplying latexed notes, one chapter at a time. These notes are still under
development, and may have some errors, gaps and admissions, so they are not a substitute for coming to class.
Prerequisites/Restrictions: The course is intended for students in Honours Mathematics, Physics and Engineering
programs. It is not open to students who have taken MATH 263 (Engineers version of this course) or MATH 315
(Majors version of this course). The only explicit prerequisite is Math 222 or equivalent. However, it is an Honours
course that will be taught at an honours level and will assume a corresponding level of mathematical sophistication. In
general I recommend that you only take this course if you are registered or considering registering in an honours
program or have the standing to do so.

Assignments: There will be regular written assessed assignments (about 6 in the semester) . Model solutions will be
supplied after the hand-in deadline.

Midterm: There will be a midterm exam, which is tentatively scheduled for Thursday 29th February at the regular
class time (subject to room availability).

Final Exam: There will be an in person formal 3 hour final exam scheduled during the final exam period.

Assessment: [Final exam 60%, midterm 20%, assignments 20%] or [Final exam 80%, assignments 20%].

Policies:
I endeavour to provide an inclusive learning environment. However, if you experience barriers to learning in
this course, do not hesitate to discuss them with me and/or Student Accessibility and Achievement.
Do not come to class if you are ill. Students who self-report covid-19 symptoms are not obligated to provide a
medical note to receive appropriate academic accommodation. Contact the instructor by email as soon as you
can.
I do not accept late homework, because I post model solutions. I generally post assignments 10 days before they
are due, so do it early if you have other commitments on the due date. Also I do not give make up tests, because
I do not have the resources to set or administer them.
That said I can and do grant academic accommodations, these should be requested from the instructor only, and
in general these requests should be made as soon as possible, preferably in advance.
Important announcements (including posting of assignments and due dates) will be made to registered students
by e-mail (via MyCourses) and/or posted on MyCourses.
I attempt to reply to e-mail in a timely fashion, but do not expect immediate responses. I usually will not reply
to email sent the day before a test.

Copyright
Instructor generated course materials (e.g., handouts, notes, summaries, exam questions, etc.) are protected by law and
may not be copied or distributed in any form or in any medium without explicit permission of the instructor. Note that
infringements of copyright can be subject to follow up by the University under the Code of Student Conduct and
Disciplinary Procedures.

Academic Integrity
The work you hand in should be your own effort; any collaboration must be acknowledged.

McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore all students must understand the meaning and consequences of
cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures
(see www.mcgill.ca/students/srr/honest/ for more information).

Language
In accord with McGill University's Charter of Students' Rights, students in this course have the right to submit in
English or in French any written work that is to be graded.

Learning and Wellness Resources

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics, as well as the University at large, have many resources to help you
succeed in this course and throughout your degree. An extensive list of resources can be found in the MyCourses
Webpage for this Course (under “Content”), as well as the Department's EOSW webpage. These include
The Math Help Desk is staffed by knowledgeable math students who can help answer your questions related to
your courses. They have tutors on M-F from noon-5 PM in Burnside 911.
The Wellness Hub is a centralized website for student physical and mental health resources.
But do check out MyCourses for the full list.
Extraordinary Circumstances
In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University's control, the content and/or evaluation scheme in
this course is subject to change.