11/02/2018

Math 2403: lecture 1 Course Introduction

 Math2403: Introduction to Differential Equations.
 Instructor: Professor Badr Abou El Majd
 E-mail: abouelmajd.b@gmail.com
 Office Hours: ???
 Text: Differential Equations: An Introduction to
Modern Methods and Applications, 2nd Ed. by James
R. Brannan and Williams E. Boyce.

B. Abou El Majd
PhD in Applied Mathematics

Course Grading
 There are three components to your grade:
 Quizzes (20%),
 Midterm (40%),
 Final Exam(40%).
 Assignements: the homework will not be collected but
extremely useful for doing well on quizzes. Some of the
homework questions will be used in the exam.

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Example: Newton’s Second Law Example: Newton’s Second Law (cont.)

Example: Radioactive Decay Example: Radioactive Decay (cont.)

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Classification and Terminology Classification: Example # 1

With so much freedom to specify a DE, classification is Example:
extremely useful.
 Dependent Variable: The unknown function, e.g. u.
 Independent Variable: Other variables which affect the
dependent variable, e.g., x, t, . . . so that u = u(x; t; : : :).
 Ordinary Differential Equation (ODE): If u depends on
only one independent variable then derivatives are “ordinary”
and DE is ODE. Math 2403 focuses on these!
 Partial Differential Equation (PDE): If u depends on two
or more independent variables then derivatives are “partial”
and DE is PDE.
 Linear DE: If the dependent variable appears linearly in the
equation .
 Nonlinear DE: A DE which is not linear.

Classification: Example # 2 Example # 3

Example: Example: Write a differential equation that fits the
physical description:
“The rate of change of the population p of
bacteria at time t is proportional to the
population at time t”.
Solution:

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Example # 4 Example # 5
Example: Write a differential equation that fits the Example: Write a differential equation that fits the
physical description: physical description:
“The velocity at time t of a particle moving “The rate of change of the mass A of salt at time
along a straight line is proportional to the t is proportional to the square of the mass of
fourth power of its position x.”. salt present at time t”.
Solution: Solution: