MATH 423: Elementary Partial Differential Equations, Spring 2013


Instructor: Shabnam Beheshti
Office: #214, Hill Centre, Busch Campus
e-mail: beheshti[at]math[dot]rutgers[dot]edu
Lecture: Tue/Thu 13:40-15:00 ARC-205
Office Hours: Mon 9-10, Tue/Thu 15:00-16:00, or by appointment

Course Information

Required Course Textbook: Applied Partial Differential Equations with Fourier Series and Boundary Value Problems, by Richard Haberman, 4th edition, Prentice Hall, 2003 (ISBN: 0130652431; ISBN13: 978-0130652430).

Recommended Course Textbook: Introduction to Partial Differential Equations, by Walter Strauss, 2nd edition, John Wiley & Sons, 2008 (ISBN: 0470054565; ISBN-13: 978-0470054567)

A Remark on the Course Textbook(s): I will be blending the approaches of the above two books in my lectures and will put current editions of both on reserve in the Mathematics Library (ground floor of the Hill Centre). PLEASE NOTE: Although a newer edition of the textbook is now available, I will be referring to exercises from the 4th edition. Should you wish to purchase other editions of these texts, please consult the reserves to be sure you are completing the correct assigned exercises.

The prerequisites for 640:423 are Differential & Integral Calculus, Multivariable Calculus, Ordinary Differential Equations. Lectures and coursework will involve computation as well as proofs, so courses such as 640-300 (Math Reasoning), 311/312 (Real Analysis I/II) are also extremely helpful.

Our (rather ambitious) Course Syllabus: There will be two examinations during the term, and a cumulative final. All of my quizzes and exams will be written so that you can complete them without a calculator. Please contact me TWO WEEKS prior to any exam if you have an excused absence. Homework and quizzes will typically be due weekly. While I do not require attendance, you will be responsible for all the material covered in lecture, including announcements, changes to homework as well as the corresponding sections assigned from the text.

Grading Scheme: 100 HW/Quizzes, 200 Midterms (100 each), and 200 Final.

It is also important for you to know the Rutgers University Academic Integrity Policy.

Supplementary Reading

1. Vector Calculus, by J. Marsden and A. Tromba. This, or any other calculus textbook covering Green's, Gauss'/Divergence and Stokes' Theorem is highly suggested for a review of chain rule, directional derivatives, gradient, line and surface integrals. Rutgers uses Calculus: Early Transcendentals, by Rogawski (2nd edition).

2. Elementary Differential Equations, by W. Boyce and R. DiPrima. Often used as a course textbook for ODEs.

3. Introduction to Real Analysis, by R. Bartle and D. Sherbert. Useful for basic calculus proofs on the real line.

4. Partial Differential Equations, by W. Strauss. A classic textbook in PDE, on which much of course lectures are based, as well as the homework sets.

5. The Heat Equation, by D.V. Widder. An advanced undergraduate/beginning graduate student text assuming no prior knowledge on heat conduction or PDE. It does require background in complex varaibles, Lebesgue integration and Laplace transform theory.

6. 124/215 Lecture Notes, by V. Grigoryan. Notes for a PDE-Fourier Series-Numerical Methods course sequence at UCSB, on which most of our handouts will be based.


Suggested Exercises

Changed homework/quiz due dates will be announced in class. There will be no late homeworks or quizzes without a documented reason (medical note, varsity sports event, etc.).