This is an archived course. A more recent version may be available at ocw.mit.edu.

 

Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session

Prerequisite

Analysis I (18.100B)

Textbooks

Required Textbook

Amazon logo Strauss, Walter A. Partial Differential Equations: An Introduction. New York, NY: Wiley, March 3, 1992. ISBN: 9780471548683.

Optional Textbook

Amazon logo John, Fritz. Partial Differential Equations (Applied Mathematical Sciences). 4th ed. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag, March 1, 1982. ISBN: 9780387906096.

Assignments and Exams

There are eleven problem sets, two midterm exams, and a final exam. There is a problem set handed out every week, and due in class on the session of the following week.

Grading Policy

The grade will be based on:

ACTIVITIES PERCENTAGES
Weekly homework 25%
Two mid-term exams (20% each) 40%
Final exam 35%

 

Calendar

LEC # TOPICS HANDOUTS
1 Introduction and basic facts about PDE's  
2

First-order linear PDE's

PDE's from physics

 
3 Initial and boundary values problems  
4

Types of PDE's

Distributions

 
5 Distributions (cont.) Problem set 1 due
6 The wave equation  
7 The heat/diffusion equation Problem set 2 due
8

The heat/diffusion equation (cont.)

Review

Problem set 3 due
  First mid-term  
9 Fourier transform  
10 Solution of the heat and wave equations in Rn via the Fourier transform Problem set 4 due
11 The inversion formula for the Fourier transform, tempered distributions, convolutions, solutions of PDE's by Fourier transform  
12 Tempered distributions, convolutions, solutions of PDE's by Fourier transform (cont.) Problem set 5 due
13 Heat and wave Equations in half space and in intervals  
14 Inhomogeneous PDE's Problem set 6 due
15 Inhomogeneous PDE's (cont.)  
16 Spectral methods - separation of variables Problem set 7 due
17 Spectral methods - separation of variables (cont.) Problem set 8 due
  Second mid-term  
18 (Generalized) Fourier series Problem set 9 due
19 (Generalized) Fourier series (cont.)  
20 Convergence of Fourier series and L2 theory  
21 Inhomogeneous problems Problem set 10 due
22 Laplace's equation and special domains  
23 Poisson formula Problem set 11 due
  Final exam