Spring 1994

Cover

 

Announcements

 

New Goals: For an Elementary Course on ODEs
By William Boyce

The author describes how expanded use of the computer algebra software Maple resulted in a shift in the orientation for an elementary course on ODEs.

The Savvy Solver IV
By Larry Shampine

The last in a series of articles on various implementations of numerical methods for solving ODEs and their difficulties, this article describes how error control affects step size and stability.

The ODE of World-Class Sprints
By Steven Dunbar

Here is a sample project about the speed of well-known world-class and Olympic sprinters. The differential equation is elementary and standard since it is the same as the differential equation of objects falling against air resistance. However, the application is more in the realm of experience of most students than is the problem of the kinematics of failing objects, so the results are understandable and believable.

The Hopf Example: A Model Lab Experiment
By Mark Farrie; Judy Kennedy; David Rollins

Farris, Kennedy and Rollins describe a student computer laboratory experiment involving the Hopf equations that could be assigned toward the end of an introductory course in differential equations.

Duffing's Donut
By Courtney Coleman

Duffing's equation models the vibration of a nonlinear mechanical system subjected to a sinusoidal driving force. It has been studied off-and-on for almost a century, but it’s mysteries still have not been completely resolved.

World Wide Web...What?
By Andy Flint

1994 announcement of the web site for CODEE.

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