ME2016 Syllabus for Fall 2007

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Course Goals

(1) Learn numerical analysis techniques for solving engineering
    problems on the computer,
(2) Learn how to use MATLAB and implement various numerical
    routines in MATLAB,
(3) Learn about modeling & simulation methods.

Instructor for section A: E-Jiang Ding

Room: IPST 378

Phone: 404-894-9769 (office)

Email: E-Jiang.Ding@ipst.gatech.edu

Office Hours:  Monday 11PM - 1PM, Wednesday 1PM - 3PM; and by appointment

Instructor for sections C & D: Chris Paredis

Room: MARC 256

Phone: 404-894-5613 (office),
             404-315-7864 (home; leave message)

Email: chris.paredis@me.gatech.edu

Web: http://www.srl.gatech.edu/Members/cparedis

Office Hours:  Tuesday 1PM - 2PM, Thursday 11AM - 12noon; and by appointment

Teaching Assistants & Office Hours

• Monday 7:00 - 9:00PM:  Daniel Weinman (gth762b@mail.gatech.edu)
• Tuesday 7:00 - 9:00PM:  Micah Beckman (gth701f@mail.gatech.edu)
• Wednesday 5:00 - 7:00PM:  Aris Perez (gth727c@mail.gatech.edu)
• Wednesday 7:00 - 9:00PM:  Jason Kapelina (jkapelina3@mail.gatech.edu)
• Thursday 5:00 - 7:00PM:  Michael Wondrasek (mwondrasek@gatech.edu)
• Thursday 7:00 - 9:00PM:  Johnny Felts (johnny@gatech.edu)
• Bryan Lusk (jlusk3@gatech.edu)

Office hours for the TAs will be announced during the first week of classes.

Lectures

Section A (Ding):  MWF 4:05 - 4:55PM.  Instructional Center 111

Section C (Paredis):  MWF 2:05 - 2:55PM.  MRDC 2407

Section D (Paredis):  MWF 11:05 - 11:55AM. Instructional Center 211

Office Hours

Office hours for TAs are held in the Library West Commons.  Next to the LWC Cluster are two TA Workstations at which the TAs for this course can be consulted.  We will aim to distributed office hours over the entire week so that everybody can have easy access to TAs whenever necessary. Office Hour Policy: We fully support an open-door policy for answering any questions you might have concerning this class. In fact, we appreciate students stopping by to ask questions. However, we hope that you: a) recognize that we have other duties as a faculty member and a student, b) respect our time, c) understand that we might not be able to see you immediately. Therefore, when stopping by outside office hours, call or send e-mail first. Additional suggestions: Come to class prepared to ask questions!  If you have a question, there is a good chance that other students in class have the same question.  The instructors usually have a few minutes before class starts to answer your questions. Ask other students first!  Again, as you are all struggling with the same concepts, a fellow student might provide you with a much more satisfactory and insightful answer.  Take advantage of the collective knowledge within the class!

Textbook

Numerical Methods for Engineers (5th edition) by Steven C. Chapra and Raymond P. Canale, McGraw-Hill, 2005 (ISBN 0-07-291873-X).  The textbook can also be purchased in an electronic version; if you prefer an electronic version, you can find the purchase instructions here.

Software

Matlab (version 6.1 or later).  The student version of Matlab 7.4 is available in the bookstores.  There is no need to upgrade if you previously bought an older version of Matlab.  There is no obligation to buy Matlab as long as you have access to it for the homework assignments.  The latest version is available in several Computing Clusters, including the Library West Commons area.

Pre/Co-requisites

Calculus, Linear Algebra, Ordinary Differential Equations, Algorithm Development, Familiarity with computers.

CS1321, CS1371, CS1171 or equivalent must be completed before starting this course!

Topics

For a more detailed overview, refer to the course schedule

• Modeling and Computational Methods in Mechanical Engineering
• Numerical error analysis
• Introduction to MATLAB environment and programming
• Root Finding
• Solution of system of linear equations
• Curve fitting using regression methods
• Interpolation methods
• Numerical integration
• Ordinary differential equations
• Optimization
• Signal processing

Grading Scheme

• Homework                          30%                HW0: 0%; HW1-2: 3%; HW3-8: 4%
• Mid-Term 1 Exam:               15%                September 19
• Mid-Term 2 Exam:               15%                October 15
• Mid-Term 3 Exam:               15%                November 12
• Final Exam:                         25%                December 10, 12 or 14

Homework

There will be a total of 8 homework assignments.  Most of the assignments are linked to each other through a theme.  The theme this semester is: the modeling and design of the drivetrain of a car.  In each assignment, you will develop some new models and/or Matlab functions that will be ultimately combined in a final model and simulation of an entire car.

To make the theme-based assignments work, everybody needs to stick to the same schedule.  Therefore, the written due date and times on the assignments are rigid.  NO EXCEPTIONS!  Please plan ahead and do not wait until the last minute to submit your assignment.  Computer hardware and software problems are not acceptable excuses for late homework.

Double Submission

You must submit each homework assignment in the following two forms:

1. Hardcopy in class:  Assignments will be due at the beginning of class.  Homework turned in at class later than 10 minutes past class start time will be treated as one day late.
2. T-square:  zip all your files in a folder called HWn.FamilyName.FirstName.zip (replace n by the number of the homework assignment; FamilyName and FirstName are YOUR names) and submit this file in the Homework section of WebCT.  The electronic version of your assignment is always due on the hour before the beginning of class!!  For instance, if your section meets at 2:05PM, then the assignment is due at 2:00PM.

Refer to the individual assignments for additional details.  With the large number of students in class it is important to follow these instructions carefully -- 5% of the homework grade will be deducted for incorrect submission.

Late Submission
T-square will be set up such that late submissions are accepted until noon on the Sunday following the due date.  We will accept late homework but with the following penalties.  Submit by noon Saturday and receive 20% off of your grade.  Submit by noon Sunday and receive 40% off.  After noon on Sunday, no more partial credit will be awarded.  If you are submitting late, bring a hardcopy to the office of your instructor.  If you plan on submitting late, a quick e-mail by the deadline would be appreciated so that we can make appropriate plans for grading your assignment.

Virus Policy
ZERO CREDIT will be assigned to submissions containing viruses.  It is YOUR responsibility to ensure that all submissions (including homework and e-mails) are virus-free.  OIT at Georgia Tech offers free software to registered students.  See: OIT Software Download Page

Honor Code

The members of the Georgia Tech Community believe that the fundamental objective of the Institute is to provide the students with a high quality education while developing in them a sense of ethics and social responsibility. We believe that trust is an integral part of the learning process and that self-discipline is necessary in this pursuit. We also believe that any instance of dishonesty hurts the entire community. It is with this in mind that we have set forth a Student Honor Code at Georgia Tech.

For any questions involving these or any other Academic Honor Code issues, please consult me, my teaching assistants, or www.honor.gatech.edu.

Collaboration

When working on your homework, collaboration is encouraged.  Discussing the assignments with your peers will help you to develop a deeper understanding of the material.  However, “discussing the assignment” does not mean solving it together; it does not mean asking your friend to debug your code for you.  I encourage you to discuss how to approach the problem, which Matlab functions to use, or how to interpret the results, but I do expect each student to turn in a report and Matlab functions that reflect the student’s individual work.  Do not copy code from another student.  Do not copy parts of other electronic documents.  In general, an activity is acceptable if it promotes learning by you and your peers.  For example, you learn from discussing alternate solution approaches with your friend, but you don't learn from blindly copying your friend's code.  To avoid any confusion, each homework solution should explicitly identify the students with whom you collaborated and what the extent of the collaboration was.  Any copying on homework and/or exams will be dealt with severely and reported to the Dean of Students – No exceptions.

Of course, collaboration on tests is NOT acceptable.  Cheating off of another person’s test or quiz is unethical and unacceptable. Cheating off of anyone else’s work is a direct violation of the GT Academic Honor Code, and will be dealt with accordingly.

Other Class Policies

Class Attendance Policy: Class attendance is mandatory.  If you do miss class, it is your responsibility to make sure that you have all handouts and are aware of all announcements made in class.  It is common courtesy to alert the instructor in advance if you are unable to attend class due to official GT activities (athletics, band, etc.).  To the extent possible, classes will include exercises, Q&A, one-minute papers, etc.  We, the faculty and TAs, will work hard to make the lectures fun, relevant and educational; we expect a similar level of effort from the students.

Examination Policies: There will be three mid-term exams and a final exam.  The final exam will be comprehensive.  All exams will be closed book and notes, but a list of relevant formulas will be provided at the exams.  In accordance with Georgia Tech policy for 1000 and 2000 level courses, midterm grades (satisfactory or unsatisfactory) will be issued to the registrar.  Midterm grades will be based on scores on course deliverables to date. Absence from any exam without prior consent of the instructor will result in zero credit for that exam.  In the event of a last minute emergency, the student will need to submit appropriate documentation of the emergency (e.g., illness, accident, etc.).  Also, no make-up homework or exams will be given.  The use of exams from previous years is allowed in your preparation for exams.  Several example exams are provided in the Past Exams section of the course web-site; however, I remind you that while they may serve as examples for you, they may differ slightly from the actual test in format, number of questions, etc.

Changes: When appropriate or necessary, the instructor may adjust, amend, or otherwise modify the information presented in the syllabus. Changes will be made in a manner to minimize disruption and in the interest of fostering learning. Every effort will be made to ensure that all changes are brought to the attention of students so as to minimize inconvenience.