Computation Lab II (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 integral calculus.  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 includedin EDL for all engineering students.

Prerequisite andCorequisites

TDEC 161 (Computation Lab I)

Should be taken concurrently with or following calculus II (TDEC 112 or MATH 122)

Instructor

Jeremy Johnson

Office: 100 University Crossings
phone: (215) 895-2669
e-mail: jjohnson@cs.drexel.edu
office hours:  TR 11-12:30.  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 1-3.

Meeting Time

W 10-12 (Univ. Crossings 149), 12-2 (Univ. Crossings 149), 2-4 (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)

---

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
   

Grading

1. Six in class labs (70%)
2. Exam (in lab last week of the term) (30%) - exam will be done using Maple.

---

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)

---

Look Here for Important Announcements

---

Labs

• Review on Jan. 11
  • Final from tDEC160.
  • Solution available - solfin.mw
• Lab 1 on Jan. 18: Min/Max, Newton, Range Finder
• lab1.mw
• Applied Min/Max Problem
• Newton's Method
• Range Finder
• No lab on Jan. 25 due to tDEC 112 midterm - extended office hours available during lab times.
• Lab 2: Integrals - boxes and boxes
  
• lab2.mw
• Approximating the area under a curve and the definite integral
• Maple plotting and graphics
• Foreshadowing the fundamental theorem
• Lab 3 on Feb. 15: Symbolc integration and the fundamental theorem of calculus - going backwards
  
• lab3.mw
• Anti-differentiation and the fundamental theorem of calculus (bringing in algebra)
  
• Table lookup and other algorithms
• What can and can not be integrated
  
• Lab 4 on Feb. 22: Banking on e and Throwing Darts at pi
  
• lab4.mw
• Computing pi using numeric integration.
• Computing pi using Monte Carlo integration
• Compound interest
• Natural logarithm - defining functions through integrals
• Computing e as a limit
• Computing e using numeric integration
• No lab on Mar. 1 (due to midterm in tDEC 112)
• Lab 5 on Mar. 8: Computer Simulation of Projectile motion - Integrating at the Arcade
  
  • lab5.mw
  • Solving simple differential equations using integration.
  • Review section on Captain Blammo in Anton.
  • Using animate to simulate motion.
  • Students will create a target shooting game using the laws of motion. The goal is to use calculus and physics to perform a simple simulation and to show how concepts from physics are used to in computer simulation and games.
• In lab Maple quiz on Mar. 15. See the following study guide.

---

Programs and Worksheets

• TBA