Course Syllabus

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Overview of CSE Topics

Part 1: Models and Simulation

  • Introduction to Initial Value Problems (IVP), discretization, explicit methods for IVP.
  • Systems of equations, elimination, implicit methods for linear systems of IVP.
  • Nonlinear models, root-finding and Newton's method, implicit methods for nonlinear IVP.

Part 2: Optimization and Control

  • Constrained and unconstrained formulations
  • Classification of minima
  • Iterative methods

Part 3: Uncertainty Quantification

  • Probability: random variable, distribution, moments, conditional probabilities
  • Estimation of the mean and standard deviation, confidence intervals
  • Monte Carlo sampling

Many examples from mechanics (robotics, planetary motion, particle motion, vehicle motion), chemistry, Earth and climate science, biology (epidemiology), brain and cognitive science (neuron bursting), etc. 

Assignments & Grading

There will be no final exam.

The evaluation will consist of

  • 4 problem sets: 
    • Problem sets will have two grade components:
      • a code score based purely on your submitted code considering both the ability of the code to accomplish the stated objectives as well as the quality of the code (clarity, style, efficiency, etc).
      • a check-off score based on your answers to questions (about the problem set) to a TA or other member of the staff.
      • for a given pset, the code score will be between 50-70% of that pset grade and the check-off score will be between 30-50%.
    • See Pset Collaboration Policies (below) for how you may work with others on psets.
    • Check-offs will generally be offered the three business days following the due date.  So, if a pset is due Friday at 5pm, then typically check-offs will be offered on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
    • The check-off for a pset submission which you used a late day(s) must still be held on the days offered by the staff. 
    • To avoid surprises, we suggest that after you submit your pset, you double check to make sure the submission was uploaded correctly.
    • We strongly urge you to see the late days as backup in case of an emergency. Your best strategy is to do the psets early before work starts to pile up. 
  • 3 microquizzes: given in class. You may use the class resources, but you may not otherwise use the Internet. You may not collaborate with others for the quizzes. 
  • Finger exercises:
    • Available on-line on the MITx site immediately after (most) lectures, and due one hour before the start of the next lecture.
    • They will include short answer questions and small Python programming problems that are automatically checked for correctness.
    • For problems involving coding, you will generally have access to the full grading report, and thus be able to judge the correctness of your solution (before the due date).
    • For most other problems, you will not know the correctness of your response until after the due date.
    • For all problems, you have unlimited responses before the due date.
    • After the due date, solution videos will be available (on the MITx site) for most of the problems.

The grading policy will be:

  • 60% psets
  • 30% microquizzes.  Your lowest microquiz score will be dropped.
  • 10% finger exercises. 

We do not post final letter grade cutoffs, but the highest the cutoff (as a percentage of the total possible grade) will be is:

  • A: 90%
  • B: 80%
  • C: 70%
  • D: 60%
  • F: below 60%

Late Day Policies

  • We offer late days for the submitted component of the problem sets. All students are given 3 late days (24 hour extensions) to use in this course.  Late days are discrete (e.g. a student cannot use 0.314 of a late day).  For example, turning a pset on Saturday 7PM when it was due on Friday 5PM would cost two late days. You can use as many of your late days as you want on a pset, but you will be responsible for handing in the following pset on time. 

  • You must ultimately complete every pset, even if you have run out of late days (if you have run out of late days, you will receive a zero but it still must be completed). Failing to do so results in an "incomplete" for the overall course, no matter how well you performed otherwise.

  • To avoid surprises, we suggest that after you submit your pset, you double check to make sure the submission was uploaded correctly. We strongly urge you to see the late days as backup in case of an emergency. Your best strategy is to do the psets early before work starts to pile up.

  • We grant extensions only in special circumstances where the request comes from S^3.

Pset Collaboration Policies

  • For psets, we allow collaborations in groups (pset buddies) of no more than three students altogether
    • pset buddies may hand in the same code, but that is not required.
    • when you submit your code, you must indicate who your pset buddies were.  This will be done through a comment in your submitted code.
    • you are allowed to form your own pset buddy group for each pset.
    • if you would like some help identifying some people to be pset buddies with, please reach out to us and we will try to help coordinate this.
  • Collaboration does not mean divide and conquer!
    • each student is expected to work on and understand each component of the problem set
    • we will evaluate individual understanding in check-offs

Check-off Policies

  • check-offs are individual (i.e. you do not do them with your pset buddies)
  • we will send an email with sign up instructions for check-offs
  • generally, we anticipate offering check-offs for the three business days following the code due date.  e.g. if the code is due at 5pm on Friday, we will offer check-offs on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
  • please show up on time!
    • we will allow you to reschedule a missed check-off only once during the entire class.
    • subsequent missed appointments will be treated as late.
  • late check-offs will receive half credit (e.g. if you received a 94% on your check-off, but it was late, then your actual grade will be 0.5*94 = 47%. 
  • but check-offs must ultimately be completed, late or not! Failing to do so results in an "incomplete" for the overall course, no matter how well you performed otherwise.
  • you are responsible for ensuring you have completed each check-off … we will not send email about this.
  • In general, the check-off for a pset submission which you used a late day(s) must still be held on the days offered by the staff.  e.g. if the pset is due Tuesday at 5pm and you submit it on Friday at 2pm (assuming you still had three late days!), then you will need to have your check-off on Friday (since our plan is to only offer three days of check-offs, Friday will be the last planned day for check-offs)

Course Summary:

Course Summary
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