Math 121A

Mathematical tools for the physical sciences

Table of Contents

• Course Info (.pdf version here)
• Resources (books, notes, more)
• Academic honesty
• Assignments
• Solutions
• Misc handouts
• Demos, mfiles, etc

Resources

• Books.
  • Mathematics for physicists by Susan M. Lea, Publisher: Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2004. ISBN 0-534-37997-4
  • Mathematical Methods in the physical sciences by Mary L. Boas, Publisher: Wiley Text Books; 2 edition, 1983. ISBN: 0-471-04409-1;
  • Mathematical physics by Eugene Butkov, Publisher: Benjamin Cummings, 1968. ISBN: 0-201-00727-4

  The first book is the main textbook for the course. All three books are on reserve in the library.

Academic honesty

The instructor welcomes cooperation among students and the use of books . However, handing in homework that makes use of other people's work (be it from a fellow student, a book or paper, or whatever) without explicit acknowledgement is considered academic misconduct.

Assignments

• read sections 1.5, 1.6 and work out examples from the textbook;
• solve ##35, 40, 48, 49, 50, 53 (pp.71-73) and the linear system given in class (by hand and using MATLAB).

• read sections 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, work out Example 2.1.4;
• solve ##15, 16, 25a, 26a from Chapter 1; ##2, 5, 7 from Chapter 2; plot your solutions to the last two problems in MATLAB.

Homework assignment #3, due Sep 29:

• read sections 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, work out 2.4.4;
• solve ## 16, 17, 18, 21ab, 22ab, 23ab from Chapter 2.

Homework assignment #4, due Oct 8:

• solve ## 27a-d, 28a-d. 30a-b from Chapter 2.

Homework assignment #5, due Oct 18:

• solve ## 31ab from Chapter 2, ## 1, 2, 3, 12, 13 from Chapter 3.

Homework assignment #6, due Oct 27:

• solve ## 17, 20, 24, 30 (part b using MATLAB), 31 from Chapter 3.

Homework assignment #7, due Nov 3:

• solve ## 2, 10, 13, 16, 19, 20 from Chapter 4.
• Graphs in ## 2 and 16 may be done either by hand or in MATLAB.

Homework assignment #8, due Nov 12:

• solve ## 1(a)-(g), 2, 3, 4 from Chapter 5.

Homework assignment #9, due Nov 19:

• solve ## 6 (a),(b), 8, 22 from Chapter 5.

Solutions

• Solutions to homework assignment #1, in PS and in PDF.
• Solutions to homework assignment #2, in PS and in PDF.
• Solutions to homework assignment #3, in PS and in PDF.
• Solutions to homework assignment #4, in PS and in PDF.
• Solutions to homework assignment #5, in PS and in PDF.
• Answers and commentary on homework #7, in PS and in PDF.
• Answers to homework #10, in PS and in PDF.

If you notice a typo in the solutions, let me know as soon as possible. Thanks to Sarah Ballard, Salvador Barriga, Zack Permutt, and Matt Reddick for corrections made.

Misc. handouts

Mock midterm #1, in PS and in PDF.

Mock midterm #2, in PS and in PDF.

Mock final, in PS and in PDF.

Solutions to the mock final, in PS and in PDF.

Final exam, in PS and in PDF. Solutions to the final, in PS and in PDF. Final exam scores can be found here.

Demos, m-files, etc.

• MATLAB diary for the first MATLAB assignment: diary1.
• MATLAB diary for the second MATLAB assignment is coming.