SYST 500 / CSI 600
Quantitative Methods for Systems Engineering, Operations Research, and
Computational Science
Fall 1999,
Tuesday 7:20-10:00, SITE II 128
Professor
Ariela Sofer
Science and Technology II, Room 123
phone: (703) 993-1692 or 993-1670 (secretary)
Office hours (Fall 1998): Monday 2:30--4:00, Tuesday 5:00--6:30, or by
appointment
electronic mail: asofer@gmu.edu
fax: (703) 993-1521 (on cover sheet put: A. Sofer, ORE Dept.)
Textbooks
Michael D. GreenbergAdvanced Engineering Mathematics (2nd Edition)
Prenice Hall (1998).
Hwei Hsu Probability, Random Variables and Random Processes
Schaum Outline Series, McGraw Hill, 1996
Optional text
Matlab Student Version, The Mathworks, 1999.
The book comes with MATLAB Software on a CD-ROM, suitable for Windows
and Linux platforms. Alternatively students may wish to use
The
Student Edition of Matlab 5, available still for a short while from
Prentice Hall. A
comparison of the two versions is available.
Course description
This course is designed to provide the basic quantitative foundations
that students need to pursue a graduate program in Systems Engineering,
Operations Research, and Computational Science.
Topics include vector and matrices, differential and
difference equations, Laplace and Fourier transforms, and probability
theory. A brief review of calculus and complex numbers will also be provided.
The course will require some computational work using the software
MATLAB.
Schedule
Grading
The will be two in-class exams: a midterm and a cumulative final.
The midterm will make up 35% of the grade and the final will make up
35% of the grade. Homeworks will make up 30% of the grade.
In computing the final grade, the lowest homework grade will
be dropped.
Homework to date
Exam Dates
Midterm: Tuesday October 19
Final exam: Tuesday, December 14, 7:30-10:15
- Make-up exams will only be given for extreme
situations, and only if I am contacted before the exam is
given and full arrangements are established. Full adherence to
this policy is the responsibility of the student.
- The exam dates above are tentative, and it is the students responsibility
to keep abreast of changes.
- Homework will be assigned each class, and usually
collected. All work must be clearly written. Illegible work will
not be accepted.
- There will be a penalty of 10% of the total grade for
every day homework is late.
Other information
Getting a computer account
IT&E Computer Labs
(schedules, software, etc.)