Math 246 Texts and Other Resources, Spring 2018

Required Resources

• Matlab Text:
  
  • Differential Equations with MATLAB, Third Edition
    Brian R. Hunt, Ronald L. Lipsman, John E. Osborn, and Jonathan M. Rosenberg
    J. Wiley and Sons, New York, 2012
    Paperback: ISBN 978-1-118-37680-5; E-book: ISBN 978-1-119-23114-1.
    Roughly, we will cover Chapters 1-11, 13-15.
    Do not buy a used second edition! Its information about MATLAB is extremely out of date!
    Do not buy a used third edition! Its information about MATLAB is also extremely out of date!
    The brand-new third edition, revised version is an e-book updated for MATLAB 2019a that should
    now be available for sale or lease (just 9.00$) on the J. Wiley website. Be sure to get this one!

  • Here is a Glossary of MATLAB Commands related to this text.
    It is updated for MATLAB 2019a.

• MATLAB Computer Program:
  
  • Students can find out how to download MATLAB for free through Terpware.
    This service is available through the University site license.
  • Students can use MATLAB for free at the Clark School of Engineering Computer Labs.
    This service is also available through the University site license.
  • Students can use MATLAB for free at the Clark School of Engineering Virtual Computer Lab.
    This service is also available through the University site license.
  • Alternatively, students can buy the MATLAB Student Version, R2019a is the most recent.
    The Mathworks Inc., Natick, MA
    ISBN 978-0-9825-8383-8 (I am not sure of the bookstore price.)
    This software is available free through the University site licence, so you do not have to buy it!
    The student verision is all most people need as an undergraduate.
    There is no reason to buy a full Matlab package (or any other piece of software) until you needed it!
  • A good resource for learning Matlab and Simulink is the Mathworks Matlab Academy.
    Try out the Matlab Onramp and the Simulink Onramp.

Other Resources

• Khan Academy videos on ordinary differential equations.
  These free on-line videos cover many (but not all) of the recipes in the first three quarters of the course.
  The explanations in some videos are much better than others. In some cases the optimal route to the solution is not shown.
  The website for each video has a forum in which you can ask questions. The answer you get may or may not be helpful.
  Ones that are relevant to the course will be linked under external links.
• Paul's On-Line Notes on ordinary differential equations.
  These free on-line notes cover many (but not all) of the topics in our course.
  Some topics are treated better than others. In some cases the optimal route to the solution is not shown.
  For example, he uses direction fields on problems that are easier to do with phase-lines.
  Ones that are relevant to the course will be linked under external links.
• 3Blue1Brown Differential Equations playlist.
  These cover some topics from the course and many topics beyond the course.
  They are currently being published at a rate of about one a month.
  3Blue1Brown has some of the coolest math videos on Youtube. It is worth exploring!
  Ones that are relevant to the course will be linked under external links.
• Elementary Differential Equations, Eleventh Edition
  William E. Boyce, Richard C. DiPrima, and Douglas B. Meade
  J. Wiley and Sons, New York, 2017
  E-Text: ISBN 978-1-119-32063-0

  Alternative: The identical material is in Chapters 1-4, 6-9 of
  Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems, Eleventh Edition
  William E. Boyce, Richard C. DiPrima, and Douglas B. Meade
  J. Wiley and Sons, New York, 2017
  E-Text: ISBN 978-1-119-38164-8

• Getting Started with MATLAB and Simulink Student Version, by Mathworks
  This is a free on-line set of tutorials.

• Chapter 1 of Numerical Computing with MATLAB, by Cleve Moler
  This is a good general introduction to MATLAB.

• MATLAB: An Introduction with Applications, Fourth Edition, by Amos Gilat
  J. Wiley and Sons, New York, 2011
  

• An Introduction to MATLAB for Engineers, by William J. Palm III
  McGraw-Hill, New York, 2010
  

• Getting Started with MATLAB, A Quick Introduction for Scientists and Engineers, by Rudra Pratap
  Oxford University Press, New York, 2009
  (There may be some differences between the MATLAB described in this book and versions 2009b or later.)

• Essentials of MATLAB Programming, Second Edition, by Stephen J. Chapman
  Cengage Learning, Stamford CT, 2009
  (This book covers more advanced material than is needed for this course.
  This is based on MATLAB 7. I do not know if it is current with version 2009b or later.)

• Department of Mathematics Undergraduate Resources Webpage

• Department of Mathematics Archive of Past Exams

• Tips for Doing Well in Math Classes