Professor
Jason Bintz
Office: Paine 209A
E-Mail: jason.bintz@houghton.edu
https://jasonbintz.rbind.io
Contents
Course Description
Textbook
Calculator/Software
Course Outcomes
Exams
Homework
Homework Guidelines
Participation
Grading
Academic Honesty
Accomodations
Resources
Time Commitment
Course Description
This is a first course in mathematical modeling. Prerequisite: MATH 241. Liberal Arts.
Textbook
A Primer of Ecology, 4th ed., Nicholas Gotelli, Sinauer
Calculator/Software
In class, we will sometimes use Desmos, an online graphing calculator. Sometimes a calculator (TI-83, 84 or similar) may be useful, but you may not use a CAS (TI-89/Inspire or similar) or cell-phone. We will also use scientific software (DFIELD, PPLANE, and R) in this course. You can download the jar files for DFIELD and PPLANE by going to http:// math.rice.edu/~dfield/ and navigating to the java versions from there. Further instructions on installing RStudio will be given in class.
Course Outcomes
The successful student will:
- understand the terminology relevant to mathematical modeling
- explain and demonstrate how to model certain phenomena
- identify and explain the assumptions of a model
- employ analytical, numerical, and qualitative techniques for analyzing models
Exams
There will be a midterm and final exam. These may consist of either or both an in-class and take-home component. The in-class component may consist of either or both an individual and group component. Make up exams will only be given in extenuating circumstances; prior arrangements must be made if at all possible. Do not make travel plans that require you to miss a scheduled exam. The final exam is scheduled for Tuesday, December 11 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The college final exam schedule can be found here.
Homework
Problem Sets: There will be several problem sets assigned throughout the semester. These will be posted on the course website. You are encouraged to talk to other students and the professor about the problems, but you must write your own solutions and acknowledge your collaborators at the top of your work. Solutions must be clear and neat. Do not make the mistake of thinking that understanding someone else’s solution means that you are able to do the problem yourself! Finding solutions on the internet and/or copying from another student’s work is strictly prohibited.
Homework Guidelines
Homework must be neat–if your homework is illegible, it will not be graded! You must submit a physical copy of your homework–emailed homework will not be accepted! Homework is due at the beginning of class. Late homework will not be accepted. Solutions to homework questions must be clear and your process must be explained. Complete sentences should be used where appropriate.
Participation
You are expected to be present and actively engaged for each class meeting.
Grading
Homework will be worth around 50% of your grade, participation 10%, midterm exam 20%, and the final exam 20%. I reserve the right to change the grading distribution. Final letter grades will be assigned based on the scale below at a minimum (i.e., if you earn a 94% overall in the course, your final grade will be at least an A-):
| A | ≥ 96% | B | 87–91% | C | 74–82% | D | 67–69% |
| A- | 94–95% | B- | 85–86% | C- | 72–73% | D- | 65–66% |
| B+ | 92–93% | C+ | 83–84% | D+ | 70–71% | F | <65% |
Academic Honesty
Students are expected to be familiar with and comply with the college statement on academic honesty found here.
Accomodations
If you have a disability and need accommodations in this course, please discuss it with the Director of the Center for Academic Success and Advising, Ms. Sharon Mulligan. Her office is in the CASA suite (in room 222 in the Chamberlain Center) and the CASA extension is 2610. Please let me know how I can assist you as well.
Resources
Some possible places to find assistance:
- fellow students
- office hours
- the internet; there are several websites with helpful materials for learning differential equations that you are welcome to use for additional explanations, but you may not use the internet for solutions
Time Commitment
In accordance with the guidelines of 2–3 hours of work for each credit hour for a course, the well-prepared student should spend approximately 8–12 hours of work per week beyond the time spent in class. If you find that you are spending significantly more time than this, please let me know so that I can help you be more efficient or adjust the workload. If you are spending less time than this, you may not be investing enough time to learn well.