NOTE: This class may be conducted in-person or on-line. Which form of teaching depends on the development of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this course, we shall introduce series of mathematical methods and techniques that are applied in solving mathematical governing equations frequently encountered in modern science and engineering analyses. The lectures and classes will mostly be devoted to solving problems. However, emphasis will also be placed on the connections between mathematics and engineering applications, the modeling of the physical problems using mathematical equations, and finally the physical significances of the mathematical solutions obtained through problem solving.

Topics discussed this semester generally include:
1. First Order Ordinary Differential Equations
Introduction to engineering mathematics and mathematical modeling;
Definitions and concepts of differential equations;
Separable, linear, and exact differential equations;
Integrating factors;
Some special equations;
Applications of 1st order ODE

2. Second Order Linear Ordinary Differential Equations
2nd order linear ODE and the reduction of order;
The constant coefficient homogeneous linear equation and Euler’s equation;
Nonhomogeneous 2nd order linear ODEs and higher order equations;
Applications of 2nd order linear ODEs

3. The Laplace Transform
Fundamentals of Laplace transform;
Solving IVPs with Laplace transform;
1st and 2nd shifting theorems;
Convolution and integral/integro-differential equations;
Heaviside, unit impulse, and the Dirac delta functions;
More solution techniques using Laplace transform

4. Series Solutions
Power series solutions: IVPs and recurrence relations;
The method of Frobenius: singular points, second solutions

5. Orthogonal expansions and BVPs
The Sturm-Liouville problem and orthogonal expansions;
Special functions: Bessel and Legendre functions

6. Fundamentals of Linear Algebra
Vector algebra and vector products;
The vector space: linear independence, spanning sets, and dimension;
Matrices and operations of matrices;
Row and column spaces of a matrix;
Homogeneous systems of linear equations and its solution space;
Nonhomogeneous systems of linear equations;
Inverse and determinant of matrices;
Cramer’s rule;
Eigenvalues, eigenvectors, and diagonalization of matrices;
Orthogonal and symmetric matrices
Solving 1st and 2nd order systems differential equations using diagonalization