MATH 4452. Mathematical Modeling.
Spring Semester 2012


4 semester credit hours.

Course Instructor : Dr. Peh Ng --

Course Time : TTh 8:00-9:40am

Course Venue : SCI 4655

Instructor's OFFICE: Sci 2550 (Office of the Division of Science and Math)

Instructor's OFFICE HOURS: 8:45am till 10am Mon & Fri; and 1:30pm till 2:30pm Tue & Thu, and anytime by appointment. (Unless I am out of town on committee meetings, I am either in my office, in class or somewhere on campus from 7:30am till about 7:30pm so if you need help, stop by my office or catch me anywhere on campus.)

Instructor's PHONE: 589-6318

Instructor's E-MAIL: pehng@morris.umn.edu

Course web page personal.morris.umn.edu/~pehng/Ma4452

REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS:
Class notes & handouts by Peh Ng
Textbooks (optional) & reference books:

To facilitate in-class discussions, it is recommended that you do some reading of the text relative to the topics described below under Material Covered.

PRE-REQUISITES FOR THIS COURSE : Calculus 3 and willingness to work hard, to spend at least 8 hours weekly on this course OUTSIDE of class time, & to think analytically.

COURSE OBJECTIVES/PURPOSES : to help students to:

MATERIAL COVERED:

Part 1. Classical Mathematical Modeling.

Part 2. Optimization Models.

Part 3. Probabilistic Models.

EXAMINATION POLICY: Three examinations will be given; the third one will be during finals week. There will be NO make-up exams unless arrangement is made with the instructor PRIOR to the exam date.

HOMEWORK: Assignments make up a fifth of your course grade; your total assignment points earned during the entire semester will be scaled down to 100. There will be multiple (approx 9 ± 1) homework sets (written & computer) assigned and due about once in every 1.5 weeks. No late assignments will be accepted unless arrangements are made with the instructor PRIOR to the due date.

COURSE PROJECT: Course Project will be assigned at the end of the third week of the semester. The handout given will contain all the details and mechanisms. And, there is no such thing as a make-up project.

HOMEWORK: 100pts
2 mid-term EXAMS: 200pts (100 each)
FINAL EXAM: (Tue May 8 at 8:30-10:30am) 100pts
COURSE PROJECT: 100pts

Course Grades
GUARANTEED GRADE IF TOTAL PERCENTAGE x is
A 90 ≤ x ≤ 100
A- 88 ≤ x ≤ 89
B+ 86 ≤ x ≤ 87
B 80 ≤ x ≤ 85
B- 78 ≤ x ≤ 79
C+ 76 ≤ x ≤ 77
C 70 ≤ x ≤ 75
C- 68 ≤ x ≤ 69
D+ 66 ≤ x ≤ 67
D 60 ≤ x ≤ 65

All-University Interpretation of Grades & Workload

A & A-: achievement that is outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet course requirements.
B, B+ & B-: achievement that is significantly above the level necessary to meet course requirements.
C, C+,C-: achievement that meets the course requirements in every respect.
D, D+: achievement that is worthy of credit even though it fails to meet fully the course requirements.
S : achievement that is satisfactory, which is equivalent to a C- or better (achievement required for an S is at the discretion of the instructor but may be no lower than a C-).
F (or N) : Represents failure (or no credit) and signifies that the work was either (1) completed but at a level of achievement that is not worthy of credit or (2) was not completed and there was no agreement between the instructor and the student that the student would be awarded an I (see also I)
I (Incomplete) Assigned at the discretion of the instructor when, due to extraordinary circumstances, e.g., hospitalization, a student is prevented from completing the work of the course on time. Requires a written agreement between instructor and student.
Workload : For undergraduate courses, one credit is defined as equivalent to an average of three hours of learning effort per week (over a full semester) necessary for an average student to achieve an average grade (of C) in the course. For example, a student taking a four credit course should expect to spend an additional eight hours a week on coursework outside the classroom.

UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC INTEGRITY and HONESTY:
Discussion of homework or assignments among students aids learning and is encouraged. However, each student is expected to submit his/her own work. No two homeworks should ever be identical on any major part. No cooperation of any kind, or use of unauthorized notes, is allowed during examinations and quizzes.
Cheating, particularly on examinations, hurts students who are honestly earning their grades by devaluing their achievements. It is every student's responsibility to help control academic honesty by reporting it to the professor whenever they see it going on.
Students who violate UMM's academic integrity and honesty code will face consequences according to University Policies which include being expelled.
Academic misconduct. Scholastic dishonesty means plagiarizing; cheating on assignments or examinations; engaging in unauthorized collaboration on academic work; taking, acquiring, or using test materials without faculty permission; submitting false or incomplete records of academic achievement; acting alone or in cooperation with another to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards, or professional endorsement; altering forging, or misusing a University academic record; or fabricating or falsifying data, research procedures, or data analysis. In this course, a student responsible for scholastic dishonesty can be assigned a penalty up to and including an "F" or "N" for the course. If you have any questions regarding the expectations for a specific assignment or exam, please ask.
Academic dishonesty in any portion of the academic work for a course shall be grounds for awarding a grade of F or N for the entire course.

Classroom Conduct :
Students are expected to interact with the instructor and other students with respect and courtesy. Students should attend every class session prepared to learn and work. Participation in class is expected, which includes both speaking up and listening. Give class your full attention while here. Complete all assignments, including the reading, in a timely fashion.
We are bound by the University-wide policy on the use of personal electronic devices in the classroom
All personal electronic devices should be turned off in class unless instructed otherwise. And NO recording equipment is allowed in class without the instructor's permission. Violators will be subject to the provisions of Board of Regents Policy: Student Conduct Code or be asked for leave the class.
Students whose behavior is disruptive either to the instructor or to other students will be asked to leave. Students whose behavior suggests the need for counseling or other assistance may be referred to counseling services. Students whose behavior violates the University Student Conduct Code will be subject to disciplinary action.

It is University policy to provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities. This publication/material is available in alternative formats to persons with disabilities upon request. Please contact the instructor or the Disability Services office, 589-6178, Room 328 Briggs Library to discuss accommodation needs.

PLEASE FEEL WELCOME TO SEE ME OUTSIDE OF THE CLASS, ANY TIME, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PROBLEMS, OR COMMENTS PERTAINING THE COURSE WORK.

© 2001-2012 by Peh Ng
Last Modified Monday, January 16, 2012
Page URL: http://personal.morris.umn.edu/~pehng/Ma4452/syllabus.html
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