Computation Lab III (TDEC 180)

Course Description

Continues to introduce computation and programming through the use of a symbolic mathematical computation system. Programming techniques and and algorithmic problem solving are introduced in the context of the multivariate calculus and series. Illustrates the power and limitations of the computer in solving mathematical problems.

Course Goals

To provide students with the skills to effectively use a symbolic mathematical system to solve mathematical problems and to introduce students to programming and algorithmic thinking. To reinforce concepts from mathematics by presenting them in an algorithmic and computational manner and to learn concepts from Computer Science in the context of mathematical computation.

Course Objectives

• To be able to use a symbolic mathematical system to perform routine mathematical computations.
• To be able to use programming constructs to accomplish tasks and to automate sequences of computations that would be laborious to do manually.
  
• To be able to conceive and implement algorithms to solve problems.
  
• To use the computer to experiment with mathematical concepts and to form conjectures.
• To view calculus from a computational point of view.
  

Audience

This is a required freshman level course for computer science students taking TDEC 112. Some of the material developed here will be included in EDL for all engineering students.

Prerequisite and Corequisites

TDEC 180 (Computation Lab II)

Should be taken concurrently with or following calculus III (TDEC 114 or MATH 123)

Instructor

Jeremy Johnson

Office: 100 University Crossings
phone: (215) 895-2669
e-mail: jjohnson AT cs DOT drexel DOT edu
office hours: R 11-12:30, F 1-2:30. Additional hours available upon request (via email).

TAs

Aliaksei Sandryhaila

Office: 147 Univ. Crossings (CS Student Resource Center)
e-mail: aus23 AT cs DOT drexel DOT edu
office hours: M 3-5.

Meeting Time

W 10-12 (Univ. Crossings 149), 12-2 (Univ. Crossings 149)

Course Web Page and Mailing List

Textbook

All students should have a copy of Maple 10 (comes with Calculus book). Instead of a text book, this course will rely on Maple documentation and course notes/labs provided as Maple worksheets (see class web page)

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Topics

1. The use of maple (interface, symbolic computation, numeric computation, graphics, and an interactive programming environment). 
   
2. Experimental mathematics (discovering and verifying formulas)
   
3. Algorithmic mathematics (symbolic and numeric integration)
   
4. Elementary programming constructs and data structures (variables, loops, conditionals, functions, sequences, lists, and tables)
5. Introduction to concepts from computer sciences (computing on the web, graphical user interfaces, computer simulation, numerical methods, and theory of computation
   
6. Series, vectors, lines and planes, multivariate calculus.

Grading

1. Four in class labs (60%)
2. Lab attendance (10%)
3. Exam (in lab last week of the term) (30%) - exam will be done using Maple.

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Resources

Reference Books

1. Maple Getting Started Guide
2. Maple User Manual
3. Maple help
   

Web Pages

1. www.maplesoft.com (Maplesoft Web site)
2. www.mapleapps.com (Maple Application Center Web site)
3. www.maple4students.com (Maple Student Center Web site)

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Look Here for Important Announcements

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Labs

• Week 1: Review on Apr. 5
  • Final from tDEC160.
  • Solution solfin.mw
• Week 2: Lab 1 on Apr. 12 - Tayloring e and pi
• lab1.mw
• Maclaurin and Taylor polynomials
• Truncation and roundoff error
• Lagrange's error bound
• Week 3: No lab on Apr. 19 due to tDEC 114 midterm - extended office hours available during lab times (11-1)
• Week 4: Lab 2 on Apr. 26 - Lines, Planes, and the Cone of Silence
• lab2.mw
• 3D plots and the geom3d package
• Equations of lines and planes
• The cross product and the dot product
• Rotating lines and planes
• Conic sections
• Week 5: No Lab on May 3 due to tDEC 114 midterm - extended office hours available during lab times (11-1)
• Week 6: Lab 3 on May 10: Tangent Planes and Gradient Descent
  • lab3.mw
  • Functions of two variables
  • 3D and contour plots in Maple
  • Partial derivatives
  • Tangent plane
  • Critical points for functions of two variables
  • The gradient and gradient descent
  • Example3D.mw - examples showing the commands needed for this lab.
• Week 7: No Lab on May 17 - extended office hours available during lab times (11-1)
• Week 8: Lab 4 on May 24:
  • lab5.mw
  • Tangent planes and gradient descent
• Week 9: No Lab on May 31 - extended office hours available during lab times (11-1)
• Week 10: In lab Maple quiz on June 7. See the following study guide.

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Programs and Worksheets

• TBA