# 2014S004

This is Sheng's CDS 130 course page. All of the information that you will ever need for this course can be found here or on a page linked to from this page.

Final exam: May 12th, 7:30 AM, IN Room 222.

# 3. Monday, May 5th

• Integration
• Note: The next class is on May 8th (make-up day for March 3rd) 9:00 AM

# 9. Monday, April 14th


x = linspace(0, 2*pi, 100);
y = sin(x);
plot(x, y, 'r*')
axis ([0, 2*pi, -1.5, 1.5])
axis square
xlabel ('xlabel')
ylabel ('sin(x)')
text(4.0, 1.0, 'sin(x)', 'FontSize', 20, 'Color', 'y')
hold on
theta = pi/2;
y = sin(x + theta)
plot (x, y, 'g^')
shg
print -dpng mypic.png

clear all; clc;
x = [0, 1, 1, 0];
y = [0, 0, 1, 1];
fill (x, y, 'r')
axis off
axis equal
hold on
fill (x+1, y, 'g')
fill (x, y+1, 'g')
fill (x+1, y+1, 'r')
theta = linspace(0, 2*pi, 7)
x = cos(theta)
y = sin(theta)
fill (x +1 , y +1, [0.8, 0.6, 0.5])
fill (x*0.75 +1 , y*0.75 +1, 'w')


# 10. Wednesday, April 9th



• Iterations
• Code to draw circles
theta = 0:2*pi/60:2*pi;
r = 1.0;
x = r* cos(theta);
y = r* sin(theta);
for i = 1:60
plot (x(i), y(i), '-or', 'MarkerSize',20)
plot (0.8*x(i), 0.8*y(i), '*g')
hold on
axis square
axis off
axis ([-1 1 -1 1])
drawnow
pause(1)
end

• Assign Homeowork#6 Due on April 16th (Wed) before class. April 21th before class.

# 14. Wednesday, March 26th

• Midterm exam review ( answer key).
• A make-up exam is to be administered next Monday.
• Matrices in Matlab

# 15. Monday, March 24th

• Midterm exam (in-class, closed-book).

# 16. Wednesday, March 19th

• Arrays in Matlab
• Answer keys to previous homework assignments.
• A review for the midterm exam. study guide

# 17. Monday, March 17th

Announcements:

• A new date for the midterm exam is set on March 26th (Wednesday). (note the date has been revised!)
• The deadline for homework#4 is still on Next monday (March 10th), before 9:00 am.

# 18. Wednesday, March 5th

• Matlab
• formatting numbers
• input and display information
• Arrays in Matlab

# 19. Monday, March 3rd

• Class is cancelled due to inclement weather.
• Announcement: The due date for homework #4 is postponed to next monday (March 10th) before class.

# 20. Wednesday, February 26 th

• Matlab
• formatting numbers
• input and display information
• Arrays in Matlab

# 22. Wednesday, February 19th

• In-class quiz#1 (25 minutes).

# 23. Monday, February 17th

• Matlab: Assignment and built in functions
• Binary representation of negative numbers
• Announcement A 25-minute in-class quiz will be given on Feb. 19th to test Binary Number Conversion and binary arithmetic.
• Powerpoint slides of the lecture notes can be downloaded from Blackboard.
• Assign Homework # 3 Due on February 24th before class.

# 30. Syllabus

My syllabus is everything stated at Syllabus along with the following additions and notes.

## 30.1. Format

This is a three-credit course. Active learning techniques will be used during my lectures. After presenting a major concept I will pose a question which you will think about, discuss with your neighbor, and then possibly present your answers.

## 30.2. Evaluation

Each student will be responsible to cover the material taught in class, do the assigned homework exercises. There will be mid-term and final exams. Class attendance will also be counted into their final grades (see below).

### 30.2.1. Composition of Final Grades

10% attendance and in-class quizzes

35% homeworks

25% mid-term exam

30% final exam

Two of the exams are 2 ~ 2.5 hour quizzes given during lecture sessions, the last exam will fall during finals' week.

Final letter grades will be determined by total weighted scores from the composition o the final grades. The approximate score breakdown will be:

 90 and above A 80-89.999 B 70-79.999 C 55-69.999 D Less than 55 Failing

Note that these are the approximate score assignments: if your score falls at the border (e.g., between an A and B), your effort will decide the final grade: improvement over the course of the term; attitude in doing the problem sets; interactions with the lecturer during class etc.

## 30.3. Homeworks

• Weekly Homeworks. Assigned on Wedensday, due on next Wednesday before class
• Will partially work many difficult problems in class
• Most homeworks will be turned in electronically
• Late penalty = 20% if late by less than 7 days; 40% if more than 7 days late

# 32. FAQ

## 32.1. Exactly what kind of problems will I be able to solve?

To get a taste of it, here are two examples students worked on later in the last semester Tumor | Antialias.

## 32.2. Am I qualified for this course?

If you are concerned with math, most likely you are qualified for this course, provided that you understand

• Trigonometry and Transcendental Functions
• Some mathematical concepts to simplify science problems

## 32.3. How much programming is needed?

There is no requirement on programming languages.

In this course, a high-level computing language Matlab will be taught. Matlab is a powerful mathematical tool that offers a computing environment for numerical computation, graphics and visualization.

Students may access and use MATLAB without charge either on campus or from any computer with an internet connection. There are three ways to use Matlab at Mason:

2. Matlab is installed on all computers in various computer labs on campus. Simply log on, and there is Matlab.
3. Install Matlab on your personal computer. A \$109-dollar student version of MATLAB may be purchased atPatriot Computers.

Tutorials on accessing and using Matlab will be given to students as class progresses.

## 32.4. What if I have a question about homeworks and am having difficulty understanding the course content?

• My office hours will be held following each class or by appointment (hsheng@gmu.edu). My office is located in Research I, Room 225. Usually I will be available after class and would like to interact with students. I will grade your homeworks, exams, and quizzes. In general, I will be available to answer your questions by email. Over the semester, several tutoring sections will be held to work on difficult problems.
• Special announcements will be made through Blackboard, such as assignments, due dates, upcoming exams, tutorials, etc.
• A group page has been set up on Facebook. If you have a Facebook page, welcome to join the group.

## 32.5. Do we have a textbook for this course?

None. The course "Computing for Scientists" was newly approved as a general education course at GMU. It has been co-developed by several faculty members at the CDS department. A wiki page ([1]) was created. There are five sections in Spring 2014. All course materials covered in the current section can be obtained from http://cds130.org/2014S004.

The wiki page was designed to facilitate student interaction and to fulfill the IT requirements.

## 32.6. Draft Schedule

(Red links are for pages that are not complete)