David Aristoff
Associate Professor
Department of Mathematics
Colorado State University

Course outline (rough schedule, excluding Spring Break week)


Jan 16 -- Feb 22:
  • Week 1 Chapter 1: modeling (falling object, SIR system, etc.), direction fields, solutions and classification of ODEs
  • Weeks 2-3 Chapter 2, sections 1-3,5,6: 1st order linear ODEs and integrating factors, separable ODEs; exact ODEs and integrating factors, modeling with first order ODEs (population dynamics, etc.), plotting direction fields (sketching and/or Matlab)
  • Weeks 4-5 Chapter 3, sections 1-8: solutions of 2nd linear homogeneous ODEs w/ constant coefficients, solutions of 2nd linear non homogeneous ODsE w/ constant coefficients, method of undetermined coefficients, mechanical vibrations (undamped/damped free vibrations), forced periodic vibrations (beat, resonance), Wronskians, linear combinations and superposition, variation of parameters
  • Week 6 Chapter 4, sections 2-3: higher order linear ODEs, review, midterm 1

  • Feb 23 -- Apr 4:
  • Week 7 Chapter 7: linear algebra, eigenvalues, eigenvectors
  • Week 8 Chapter 7, section 5,6: linear algebra, systems of first order ODEs
  • Spring Break
  • Week 9 Chapter 7, section 8: systems of first order ODEs
  • Week 10 Chapter 7, section 1,4,7: systems of first order ODEs
  • Week 11 Chapter 7, section 9: systems of first order ODEs, review, midterm 2

  • Apr 5 -- May 3:
  • Weeks 12-13 Chapter 6, sections 1-2: Laplace transforms: review of improper integrals, definition & examples of Laplace transforms, properties of Laplace transform, inverse Laplace transforms, solving 1st and second order ODEs with Laplace transforms
  • Weeks 14-15 Chapter 9, sections 1-3: planar linear systems and classification, autonomous systems and stability, locally linear systems, review for final exam