Introduction

Fourier decompositions of a square wave

This course provides an overview of mathematical tools for the physical sciences, and is intended for students in the physical sciences who are not planning to take more advanced mathematics courses.

The first half of the course will provide a quick review of series, complex numbers, linear algebra, and partial differentiation, with a particular emphasis on how they can be applied to physical problems. In the second half topics such as Fourier series, Fourier transforms, and calculus of variations will be presented.

Course information

Lecturer
Chris H. Rycroft, chr@math.berkeley.edu. Offices: Evans 1083 (510-642-3523) and LBNL 50E-1520 (510-495-2857).
Lectures
Monday, Wednesday & Friday, 3pm–4pm in Evans 2
Office hours
Monday 4pm–6pm, Friday 2pm–3pm in Evans 1083. However, due to a heavy travel schedule for job interviews during February and early March, a number of office hours will be rescheduled. Definitive information about office hours will be listed on each homework assignment.
Textbook
Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences, by Mary L. Boas
Homework
In general, there will be weekly homework posted on the course web page, which will be due in each Wednesday of class. There will be two exceptions for the first and last assignments, which will be due on Friday in class. Collaboration on the homework is encouraged, but each student must write solutions in his/her own words, and not copy them from anyone else. A random selection of the assigned homework will be graded. Homework solutions will be published on this web page. The homework will be graded on a scale from 0 to 20 points. Late homework will not be accepted, but the two lowest scores will be dropped when computing the grade.
Exams
There will be two 50 minute in-class midterm exams, scheduled for Wednesday, February 27 and Wednesday, April 3 between 3:10pm–4pm. There will be no homework due on the weeks of the midterms. The final exam will be on Wednesday, May 15 between 7pm–10pm in 180 Tan Hall. The exams are “closed book” – no textbooks, notebooks, or calculators allowed.
Grade corrections
The grades for exams will be changed only if there is a clear error on the part of the grader, such as adding up marks incorrectly. Problems must be brought to the attention of the lecturer immediately after the exams are returned.
Grades
The final grade will be based on homework assignments (20%), midterm 1 (20%), midterm 2 (20%), and the final exam (40%). The final exam score will override any lower midterm score. Explicitly, this means that grades will be computed with the following formula:
Grade computation
Incomplete grades
Incomplete “I” grades are almost never given. The only justification is a documented serious medical problem or genuine personal/family emergency. Falling behind in this course or problems with workload in other courses are not acceptable reasons.
Special arrangements
If you are a student with a disability registered by the Disabled Student Services (DSS) on UCB campus and if you require special arrangements during exams, you must provide the DSS document and make arrangements via email or office hours at least 10 days prior to each exam, explaining your circumstances and what special arrangements need to be done. Also, see the lecturer as soon as possible to make arrangements for the homeworks.