Course Outline - Mat 456 - Spring 2007

Course meetings, Tues -Thurs 11:00 AM- 12:50 PM pm  Room Gillet 205

Text: "A First Course in Chaotic Dynamical Systems."
by Robert Devaney, published by Westview, ISBN 0-201-55406-2
The software mentioned in the book is outdated. See the following link for software that will work on both PC's and MAC's
Java Applets
Links that show figures like the ones in the introduction are
Quadratic Iterator
Mandelbrot set
Julia Sets

 Instructor:  Prof. Keen. 

Office: Room Gillet Room 137 D  Phone: 718 960 8867 

email: linda.keen@lehman.cuny.edu

Office hours:  Tues and Thurs 2 --- 3:30 or By appointment

Outline

We will follow the material in the text fairly closely. We will learn about dynamical systems generated by simple functions of a single real variable. We will learn the difference between predictable and unpredictable behavior. Although I will not require any programs, many of the "experiments" are easy to program in various languages, and in particular in Maple or Mathematica, both of which are easily available at Lehman.
Exercises will be assigned from the text. You may work together on these exercises.
There will be one midterm exam and a final exam. These are to be done independently.

There are NO MAKE-UPS!!

The homework assignments will appear on this page. 

The final grade will be based on the midterm and final exams as well as in class participation.

The date for the final exam will be announced on this page well in advance.
 
 
 
 


Class and Homework Assignments:   I know that as of Feb 5, the book is not yet in.  I have put homework up with a link.  Please try to get the book from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
 
 
 

 

Date 

Class Topic

Assignment

Jan 30 

Introduction: Chapters 1 2 

Read Chapters 1 and 2 and review the material in Appendix A

Feb 2 

Chapters 3 and 4

Chap 3 ex 2,4,5,7a,c,d,h, 10, 11a,c, 13,14,16
Chap 4, ex 1a,c,g, 3a,c,g 7a,b,d,h  - Exercises assigned in class

Feb 6

Chapters 5 and 6

Homework Feb6  

Feb 8

No class

 

Feb 13

Chapter 6

homework Feb 13

Feb 15

Monday classes

 

Feb 20

Chapter 7

Chap 7, p. 80 / 1,3,5,7,11,13,14,15 to be collected next Tuesday Check out Maple programs for

 iteration and the bifurcation diagram  computing-orbits.mw   download and save it – then open it with Maple

Feb 22

Chapter 8

Chap 8 p. 94/2,5 (use a calculator or computer), 14,15 

Feb 27

Chapter 9

Chap 9 p. 111/1,2,3,6,910,17   to be handed in Mar 6

Mar 1

Chapter 9 finish

 

Mar 6

Chapter 10

131/ 1,3,5,6,8,10

Mar 8

Chapter 10

131/14,15,16,18  to be handed in Mar 13  also do  20 and 24 to hand in Mar 20

Mar 13

Chapter 11

151/1,2,3,4

Mar 15

Chapter 11

151/5,6,7   hand in  Mar 22

Mar 20

Chapter 12

161/1,2,4,6

Mar 22

Review

161/ 7,8,10, review sheet

Mar 27

 

   class cancelled

Mar 29

 

    Midterm Exam  

 

Break

 

Apr 12

 Chapter 13

 13/1a,b,d,e,f,h  2, 4,5

Apr 17

  Chapter 15

13/6,8

Apr 19

  Chapter 15

15/1a,d, 2d,e, 4,5a,c,e, 7a,c,d,e

Apr 24

 Chapter 15

 

Apr 26

 Chapter 16

15/10,11

May 1

 Chapter 16

16/1,2,3,4

May 3

 Chapter 16

16/5,8, Look at Julia sets for c values on p. 238 use the applet

May 8

  Chapter 17

17/1,2,3  Look at the bulbs shown on p 257  use the applet

May 10

Chapter 17

Review Sheet

May 15

Review

More review questions

May 17

In class final