Math 142: Mathematical Modeling

General

• Lecture: MWF 3:00-3:50 PM, MS 6229
• Discussion: R 3:00-3:50 PM, MS 5147

Instructor

Craig Schroeder

Office: 6310 Math Sciences Building
Office Hours: MWF 4:00-5:00 (after class)

Email: craig at math dot ucla dot edu

Teaching Assistant

Eric Larson

Office Hours: R 4:00-5:00 PM, MS 3965 (after discussion)

Email: elarson at math dot ucla dot edu

Course Summary

Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Prerequisites: courses 32B, 33B. Introduction to fundamental principles and spirit of applied mathematics. Emphasis on manner in which mathematical models are constructed for physical problems. Illustrations from many fields of endeavor, such as the physical sciences, biology, economics, and traffic dynamics. (From catalog)

Exams

• Midterm: Wednesday, May 7, 2014, in class
• Final: Thursday, June 12, 2014, 3:00-6:00 PM

Homework

• Homework 1 is posted as (tex) and (pdf). Due at the end of class Apr 14. (Solutions)
• Optional homework 1 is posted as (tex) and (pdf). Due at the end of class Apr 28. (Solutions)
• Homework 2 is posted as (tex) and (pdf). Due at the end of class Apr 21. (Solutions)
• Homework 3 is posted as (tex) and (pdf). Due at the end of class Apr 28. (Solutions)
• Homework 4 is posted as (tex) and (pdf). Due at the end of class May 5. (Solutions)
• Homework 5 is posted as (tex) and (pdf). Due at the end of class May 12. (Solutions)
• Midterm solutions are available here.
• Homework 6 is posted as (tex) and (pdf). Due at the end of class May 19. (Solutions)
• Homework 7 is posted as (tex) and (pdf). Due at the end of class May 28 (Wednesday). (Solutions)
• Homework 8 is posted as (tex) and (pdf). Due at the end of class June 4 (Wednesday). (Solutions)
• Final solutions are available here.

Announcements

• Welcome to Math 142, Mathematical Modeling.
• Our textbook is available for free on campus here courtesy of the UCLA library.
• You should be able to see your homework and exam grades on my.ucla.edu. If you cannot, please email me. Homework will be returned in class.
• If you wish to request an accommodation due to a disability, please contact the Office for Students with Disabilities as soon as possible at A255 Murphy Hall, (310) 825-1501, (310) 206-6083 (telephone device for the deaf). Website: www.osd.ucla.edu.
• The syllabus has been posted.
• The homework schedule will be shifted back so that homework is assigned and due on primarily on Monday rather than Friday to better utilize the Thursday discussion section. The first assignment will be released April 7 after class and due April 14 at the end of class.
• Homework 1 and optional homework 1 are posted.
• Homework 1 solutions are posted.
• Homework 2 is posted.
• All students in 142 should have access to the PIC lab for the duration of the quarter, should you require access to Matlab or other computing resources. If you would like to take advantage of these resources but are having difficulties doing so, please contact Bugs for support.
• Another book, Mathematical Models in Biology, is also available online through the library.
• For those looking for another reference on conservation laws and traffic flow, an option is Roger Knobel, "An introduction to the mathematical theory of waves," American Mathematical Society.
• Homework 2 solutions are posted.
• Homework 3 is posted.
• A online tool for visualizing phase planes and trajectories can be found here.
• Phase plane diagrams for the four competition cases can be seen here.
• The midterm will be May 7. All topics covered in population dynamics will be fair game for the midterm (all sections except 36, 40, 41, 42). No topics from traffic dynamics will appear on the midterm. The format will be similar to the homework.
• You can use this utility to numerically solve simple conservation law PDEs.
• Homework 7 had a typo - the problem originally referred to as 73.5 is actually 73.3. Please do the problems as they are presented in the PDF, not as they are numbered in the book.