Björn Sandstede
Björn Sandstede
| Instructor | Björn Sandstede |
| Office | Room 325 in 182 George Street |
| Phone | 863-2815 |
| bjorn_sandstede@brown.edu | |
| Office Hours | MF 2-2:50pm, and by appointment |
| Class meetings | MWF 1:00-1:50pm in BH163 |
| Syllabus | [PDF] |
This class provides an introduction to nonlinear dynamics and chaos. We will study qualitative methods for dynamical systems and apply them to examples from biology, chemistry, and physics. In the first nine weeks, we will learn about one- and two-dimensional flows, while the remainder of the class will focus on chaos and fractals.
Prerequisites: Calculus and linear algebra. Knowledge of differential equations is not required but would be helpful.
The grade is determined as follows by homework problems, a project, two midterms, and a final exam:
| Homework | 25% | |
| Midterm 1 | 15% | Friday, 26 Feb, in class |
| Midterm 2 | 15% | Friday, 9 Apr, in class |
| Project | 15% | Due Monday, May 3 |
| Final Exam | 30% | Tuesday, 18 May, at 2pm in BH158 |
Homework problems will be handed out every Wednesday and are due a week later. You can work together on homework problems, but you need to write up your solutions individually.
