# 2015F001

The final exam is rescheduled on Thurs. 12/17 1:30 pm - 4:15 pm

Final exam is on Mon. 12/14, 1:30 pm - 4:15 pm

# 1. Thursday, Decomber 10th

• Review session

# 2. Tuesday, December 8th

• Example:

Consider the following model of population

Every year, population increases a value of 10% of the population in the previous year. However, if the predicted population is over 100,

a disease outbreak instantly kills 80% of this predicted population value. For example, if the predicted population is 110, then the next year the population is 0.2*110. Use Matlab to plot population as a function of time for 40 years. Assume that the initial population is 20.

# 3. Thursday, December 3rd

Continue to cover

# 5. Tuesday, November 24th


Relational operators:  >, <, >=, <=, ==, ~=
Logical operators: ~, | , &

precedence of the operators:

1. parenthesis ()
2. ~
3. math operators: ^, *, /, +, -
4. relational operators: > <, >=, <=, ==, ~=
5. and operator: &
6. or operator: |

For example: a|b&c is evaluated as a|(b&c); a > b + c & d  is evaluated as (a > (b + c) ) & d



# 6. Thusday, November 19th

continue to cover

# 7. Tuesday, November 17th

• Code to draw circles
clear all; clc;
theta = linspace(0, 2*pi, 1000);
r = 1.0;
x = r* cos(theta);
y = r* sin(theta);
plot (x,y, '--b', 'MarkerSize', 16);
axis off
axis square
print -dpng 'circle.png'


Draw a circle in animation

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


# 10. Thursday, November 5th

• Matrices as images

Announcement: An in-class quiz will be given next Thursday (11/12) to cover Matlab assignment, built-in functions, user-defined functions, iterations and creating images.

# 14. Thursday, October 22nd

continue to cover

# 15. Tuesday, October 20th

• Assign Homework 6 due on next Tuesday, Oct. 27th, before class.

# 25. Thursday, September 10th

continue to cover

# 28. Tuesday, September 1st

• Assign Homework#1. Due on September 8th (next Tuesday) before class.

# 29. Syllabus

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

## 29.1. 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.

## 29.2. 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).

### 29.2.1. 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.

## 29.3. Homeworks

• Weekly Homeworks. Assigned on Tuesday due on next Tuesday 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; 0 credit if more than two weeks late

# 30. Important Dates

• http://registrar.gmu.edu/calendars/Fall-2015/
• Mid-term Exam: Thursday, 10/15/2015, 3:00 pm - 4:15 pm (Innovation Hall, Room 223)
• Final Exam: Mon. 12/14, 1:30 pm - 4:15 pm (Innovation Hall, Room 223)
• Last class: Thursday, Dec. 10th , 2015

# 31. FAQ

## 31.1. 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.

## 31.2. 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

## 31.3. 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 at Patriot Computers.

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

## 31.4. 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 Planetary Hall, Room 211. Usually I will be available after class and would like to interact with students. There are two learning assistants for this course. Both the learning assistants and I will grade your homeworks, exams, and quizzes. Over the semester, several tutoring sections will be held to work on difficult problems.
• Contact info of the learning assistants:
 Josiah Eidson, jeidson@masonlive.gmu.edu (703-268-1040)
Brandon Laufer, blaufer@gmu.edu
Note the phone numbers are only provided for making appointments. Do not ask difficult questions by text.

• Special announcements will be made through Blackboard, such as assignments, due dates, upcoming exams, tutorials, etc.

## 31.5. 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. All course materials covered in the current section can be obtained from http://cds130.org/2015F001.

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

IMPORTANT: Additional course materials (lecture notes and problem sets) will be posted on Blackboard.

## 31.6. Draft Schedule

(Red links are for pages that are not complete)