S17_2720

Introduction to Programming with MATLAB MATH.2720-201

Spring 2017

Syllabus

General Course Information

Meeting times: Monday and Wednesday 12:30 - 1:45

Location: Olney Hall room 521

Prerequisites: Calculus I (MATH.1310)

Class attendance is not required but is strongly recommended. You are responsible for all information (course material, assignments, changes in exam dates, etc.) presented in class, whether you attend or not.

Contacting the Instructor

Email: stephen_pennell@uml.edu

Phone: (978) 934-2710

Fax: (978) 934-3053

Office: Olney 428J

Office Hours:
M 10 - 11, W 10 - 11, Th 9 - 10 in Olney 428J
F 9 - 10 in Southwick 321.

Meetings at times other than my office hours can be arranged by appointment. See me after class, call me, or send me an email message.

Course Rationale

Many problems arising in mathematics, science, and engineering cannot easily be solved analytically. Examples include weather prediction, modeling of groundwater flow, and analyzing the motion of a wind turbine blade, to name just three. For this type of problem it is often necessary to generate approximate solutions using a computer.

Specialized software is available for many applications, but even these software packages often require extensive programming on the part of the user. For other applications, there may be no specialized software available, in which case the user must develop his or her own solution.

MATLAB, a software package widely used in industry and in government labs, offers both a wide variety of preprogrammed capabilities and a structured programming language. By learning MATLAB, you will be able to generate approximate solutions of many commonly occurring mathematical problems, and you will be able to learn other programming languages should the need arise. These skills will be useful to you in your other science and engineering courses and in your career.

Learning Outcomes

In this course, you will

learn basic programming concepts such as relational and logical operators, conditional statements, loops, and iterative procedures;
learn basic preprogrammed MATLAB capabilities, including array manipulation, graphics, script files, and data management;
apply your knowledge of programming and MATLAB capabilities to solve common problems such as finding roots of nonlinear equations, performing statistical analyses, generating random numbers, finding an interpolating polynomial for a given set of data points, and performing basic signal analysis.

General Comments

Learning to program is like learning to ride a bicycle: you learn by doing, not by watching someone else do it. Much of the “doing” in this course will take place outside the classroom: it will consist of your working on the homework problems, reading and thinking about the course material, talking to each other, talking to me, etc. You should expect to work approximately two hours outside of class for every hour we spend in class.
You come to “own” a subject by constantly asking yourself questions about the material under discussion and by trying to answer those questions. What interests you about Topic X? If you had a limited budget to pay someone to answer questions about Topic X, what would you most like to know?
You are not in competition for a limited number of good grades. If everyone does well, everyone will get a good grade.
You can learn a great deal from each other, and I encourage you to study together and do homework problems together.
Please ask lots of questions! If you have questions and you don't feel comfortable asking them in class, please see me during my office hours.
Expect to make lots of mistakes. Learning any skill is a process of trial and error, and you can learn a great deal by examining your mistakes and figuring out where you went wrong. (Try to get all your mistakes out of your system before the exam, though.)

Academic Integrity

Academic dishonesty is prohibited in all programs of the University and sanctions may be imposed on any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty. Details on UML policy can be found at
http://www.uml.edu/Catalog/Undergraduate/Policies/Academic-Policies/Academic-Integrity.aspx.
Note in particular that any incident which results in some action being taken must be reported to the Provost's Office.

Textbook

Knoesen, Amirtharajah, Vahid, and Lysecky, Programming in MATLAB (online textbook at zyBooks.com). Directions for obtaining the textbook will be provided.

Grading Policy

Course grades

Course grades will be based on homework, 2 exams during the semester, and a comprehensive final exam. Your pre-final average is based on the homework and 2 semester exams. The lowest of these 3 scores counts for 20% of your pre-final average, and the other 2 scores each count for 40% of your pre-final average.
Your course average is based on your pre-final average and your final exam score. If your grade on the final exam is greater than or equal to your pre-final average, then your pre-final average and your final exam score each count for 50% of your course average. If your grade on the final exam is less than your pre-final average, then your pre-final average counts for 80% of your course average and your final exam score counts for 20% of your course average.
Your letter grade for the course will be determined from your course average according to the following table:

Average

[93, 100)

[90, 93)

[87, 90)

[83, 87)

[80, 83)

[77, 80)

[73, 77)

[70, 73)

[67, 70)

[60, 67)

[0, 60)

Grade

A-

B+

B-

C+

C-

D+

Tentative exam dates

Monday, February 20
Monday, April 3

Homework

In order for you to understand the material in this course, it is extremely important that you do the assigned homework problems. Working with your classmates can be a great help, and I strongly encourage it. I also urge you to ask questions about any problems that give you trouble.

Homework problems are due the second class day after we finish covering the material. Late homework will be accepted without penalty up to one week after the due date; late homework will not be accepted more than one week after the due date for any reason.

Your two lowest homework scores will be dropped.

Exam Policy

It is important that everyone take the same exams under the same conditions for maximum fairness and reliability of testing. I therefore do not give makeup exams unless you have a valid reason (for example, illness or religious holiday) for missing the scheduled exam, and I do not allow extra time on exams unless you have a note from the Office of Disability Services. If you have to miss a scheduled exam, please let me know ahead of time if at all possible. I am much more likely to be sympathetic if you call me the morning of the exam and say "I have the flu and can't take the exam" than if you come in two days after the exam and say "I missed the exam. When can I take a makeup?"

Cell phone use is not permitted during exams.

Tips on Taking Exams

Read every question on the exam before you start working. This will give you a feel for how long the exam is and how you should pace yourself. It will also give your subconscious mind a chance to start working on the questions.
If you are not sure what a question means, please ask me. I am trying to see how well you know the material, not to trick you with ambiguous wording.
Look at the point value of each question. Obviously, it is more important to do well on the questions that count the most than the ones that count the least.
It is generally best to do the easiest problem first, then the next easiest, and so on. You do not have to do the problems in the order they appear on the exam.
If you get stuck on one question, move on to the next. Come back later to the question that is giving you trouble.
Be aware of how much time you have left. Do not spend too much time on a single question. It is generally better to get partial credit on every question than full credit on a single question.

[Course home page] [Steve Pennell's home page] [UMass Lowell Math Department] [UMass Lowell Honors Program] [UMass Lowell]

Steve Pennell | (978) 934-2710 | stephen_pennell@uml.edu

Last Updated: January 25, 2017