CMSC 655/455 Numerical Computations
Fall 2011 TuTh 11:30-12:45 room - Sondheim Hall , 103 instructor: Brooke Stephens phone: 410-455-3535 email: stephens@umbc.edu web site: www.csee.umbc.edu/~stephens office: 221 ITE office hours: TuTh 4:00-5:00 or by an appointment students should feel free to drop in text: -- -------Numerical Computing with MATLAB, Cleve Moler SIAM In addition, other supporting material will be passed out to the students Also see the list of other references at the end of this syllabus
Topics: brief discussion of numerical methods Chapter 1 Intro to MATLAB Chapter 2 Linear Systems example -- calculation of forces on a truss -- temperature of a thin metal plate Iterative methods of solution Chapter 3 Interpolation Chapter 4 Zeros and Roots example position of the planets Chapter 5 Least squares Chapter 7 Differential Equations example -- brain state in a box example -- modelling of epidemics Chapter 8 Fourier Analysis Chapter 9 Random Numbers and Simulation Other topics as time permits such as non-linear optimization Discrete problems in scientific computation example -- traveling salesman problem example -- neural nets Note -- 'the class web site' material relevant to this class - projects, news items, links to interesting sites, Matlab material, etc. can be found at www.csee.umbc.edu/~stephens/NUM The above site contains many Matlab examples and programs useful for doing the projects. It also contains information and example problems helpful for preparing for exams. Intent of the course The intent of the course is to have students master some numerical methods and use them as tools. The course revolves around projects .Students will learn to apply these tools to problems of a scientific nature by learning Matlab (or Maple) and doing several projects. Prerequisites ----------------- The prerequisites for this course should include a good background in calculus, and linear algebra. A course in ordinary differential equations would be helpfu but is not required. **This course is not for those who have difficulty with mathemtical concepts**. A working knowledge of C or some other programming language is required, as is a basic knowledge of data structures. Most programming, however, will be done with MATLAB which the students will learn. Projects --------------------- There will be projects involving numerical computations which use techniques learned in class. Some of the projects require only a little programming since some projects are already written and need some minor modification. It is the student's responsibility to get these programs working and then apply them to problems that will be assigned. In certain cases, the student will need to modify these programs or write their own programs. These programs can be developed on a UMBC machine or at home, but a version must be submitted which will run at UMBC. See the class website for instructions on how to submit your projects as reports. There will be an emphasis on learning MATLAB or Maple. Most projects will require that the student learn some aspects of the MATLAB or Maple applications. Unless otherwise directed, all the work you do should be your own. An exception to this is that certain projects may be available to teams of two or three students. Copying the work of someone else is not permitted under any circumstances.The following excerpt is from the Provost's website.--- By enrolling in this course, each student assumes the responsibilities of an active participant in UMBC's scholarly community in which everyone's academic work and behavior are held to the highest standards of honesty. Cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and helping others to commit these acts are all forms of academic dishonesty, and they are wrong. Academic misconduct could result in disciplinary action that may include, but is not limited to,suspension or dismissal. To read the full Student Academic Conduct Policy,consult the UMBC Student Handbook, the Faculty Handbook, or the UMBC Policies section of the UMBC Directory [or for graduate courses, the Graduate School website]." . Grading ------------------------- Grading will be based on the following system. Points are are assigned as follows: 2 exams and a final @15% 45% 2 projects @20% 40% 5 homeworks @3% 15% tentative grades will be A 88% B 78% C 65% Dates: exam 1 10/6 exam 2 11/10 Final Dec. (announced later) In certain cases letter grades with plus and minus will be given to CMSC 655 students. Projects ------------------------- As indicated above each student will be required to do two projects. There will be some choice involved. The student must choose from a list of projects that will be given out. The results of each project must be written up in report form. Graduate students will have a separate list from undergraduate students although there may be some overlap The due dates of these projects will be given out soon. Examples of past projects can be found on the class web site. Additional references: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Computational Physics Problem Solving with Computers Robin Landau and Manual Paez Wiley Interscience Numerical Methods Using Matlab (Third Edition) Mathews and Fink Prentice Hall Parallel and Distributed Computation - Numerical Methods, D. Bertsekis and J. Titsikilis, Prentice Hall Scientific Computing, An Introductory Survey, Second edition, Michael T. Heath McGraw Hill MATLAB: An Introduction with Applications second edition Amos Gilat Introduction to Scientific Computation and Programming Daniel T. Kaplan Thompson Brooks/Cole Projects in Scientific Computation Richard E. Crandall , Elos MATLAB Programming for Engineers Second Edition , Stephens J. Chapman Brooks/Cole Getting Started with MATLAB A Quick Introduction for Scientists and Engineers, Rudra Pratap Oxford University Press Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos Steven H. Strogatz Westview Press