For each date below, you will find the day's new definitions, the homework assignment that is due that day, any lecture notes for downloading, and the key topics that are covered that day.
This schedule is approximate and subject to change!

• Includes Section 1.1 and Section 1.2 to middle of page 18. (Notes pages 0–11) '
• What is Mathematical Modeling?
• Steps of the Modeling Process
• Group worksheet: Choosing a problem statement

• Includes Section 1.3 to top of page 26, pages 114–119, and pages 151–152 (Notes pages 12–29) '
• Situating Fitting data in the modeling process
• Functions you should know on sight
• Plotting data, scatterplots, proportionality
• Fitting linear data visually
• Transformations for fitting y=Cx^k. and y=Ck^x.

• No new notes to download
• Modeling exponential data and population growth
• Residuals, interpreting residual plots
• Interpolation and Extrapolation

• Class meets in Mathematica Lab.
• Introduction to Mathematica; tutorial 1.
• Before class, download Mathematica to your home computer. (If desired.)
• Read the Mathematica part of this website.

• Includes ideas from Sections 2.3.3, 2.3.4, and 3.2. (Notes pages 30–37) '
• Includes Section 3.4. (Notes pages 38–45) '
• Regression and Least Squares

• Class meets in Mathematica Lab.
• Mathematica tutorials 2 and 3.

• Includes Section 3.3. (Notes pages 46–52) '
• Types of Causation
• Correlation is not causation
• The R² statistic
• Multiple linear regression

• Class meets in Mathematica Lab.
• Mathematica tutorial # 4.

• Includes Chapter 3 (Notes pages 53–64) '
• Ways in which a model can be good.
• Definitions: Accuracy, Descriptive Realism, Precision, Robustness, General, Fruitfulness
• College enrollment examples
• The advantages of inaccuracy: Traveling Salesman Problem
• Definition: Error, Fractional Error, Percentage Error

• Includes Section 2.1 (Notes pages 65–68) '
• The modeling process (Notes pages 69–76) '
• Errors inherent to the modeling process
• The modeling process from start to finish

• Includes Section 5.3A and probability (Notes pages 77–86) '
• Introduction to probability
• Determining probability of events
• Independent events
• Component Reliability

• Expected Value

• The first exam of the semester will take place on Monday, March 17.
• The exam covers all material up to but not including probability.
• Here are more details about the first exam.
• My students often ask for an example of the style of exam that I am liable to give. I am including my exam from last year. The topics covered by the exam are the same topics, but you should expect your exam to be very different because there are many ways for me to ask questions that test your knowledge on these topics. Click here for last year's exam.

• Question and Answer Day

• Exam 1

• Includes Vectors, Matrices, and Section 1.5 (Notes pages 87–94) '
• Vectors, Matrices, and multiplication
• Transition Matrices
• Leslie Matrices
• Includes Markov Chains (Notes pages 95–98) '

• Markov Chains
• Includes Random Walks (Notes pages 99–102) ' (Class Mathematica worksheet) (Class Mathematica worksheet)
• Random walks
• Gambler's ruin
• Color mixing game
• (See also: background and additional topics)

• Includes ideas from Sections 5.1 and 5.3A (Notes pages 103–117) ' (Class Mathematica worksheet)
• Simulation models
• Using Mathematica to run simulations

• (No new notes)
• If statements
• For loops
• Monte Carlo simulations

• Includes ideas from Section 5.1 (Notes pages 118–128) ' (Class Mathematica worksheet)
• Queuing simulations
• Collecting, plotting, and visualizing data

• In Mathematica Lab, Kiely 236
• Tutorials 5 and 6

• Peer Review Day. Bring in three copies of the final draft of your paper.

• Includes ideas from Sections 4.1 and 4.2 (Notes pages 129–139) ' (Class Mathematica worksheet)
• Inventory Policy
• The language of optimization
• Linear Optimization

• Includes ideas from Section 4.2 and 4.4 (Notes pages 140–147) '
• Linear Optimization Examples
• Integer Programming

• Sensitivity Analysis (No new notes)
• Worksheet

•••••• Please fill out the college-wide course evaluations, distinct from the course evaluations that will be given out in class. Thank you for your feedback! ••••••

• Question and Answer Day

• The second exam of the semester will take place on Wednesday, May 7.
• The exam covers all material in the course notes from page 77–147. (March 5 through May 5.)
• Here are more details about the second exam.
• My students often ask for an example of the style of exam that I am liable to give. I am including my exam from last year. The topics covered by the exam are the same topics, but you should expect your exam to be very different because there are many ways for me to ask questions that test your knowledge on these topics. Click here for last year's exam.

• Exam 2

• Presentations

• Presentations

•••••• Please fill out the college-wide course evaluations, distinct from the course evaluations that will be given out in class. Thank you for your feedback! ••••••

• Presentations